Hey Saint Louis, February 3rd marks National Women’s Physicians Day and the birthday of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to become a physician in the US. Women’s Physicians Day gives us the chance to highlight the many contributions of women physicians and the continued need for equality in the field of medicine.
As the only fertility center that’s 100% locally owned by female physicians with an all-female team, STL Fertility knows a thing or two about girl power. We took a few minutes in-between consults, egg retrievals, and frozen embryo transfers to catch up with Dr. Dayal and Dr. Schulte to talk about Women’s Physicians Day 2022!
What would you say to a young woman thinking about entering medicine?
Dr. Schulte: DO IT! I have always followed the mantra “if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life”. Pursuing medicine was a dream for me and I’m so lucky to have found my passion working with hopeful parents struggling with infertility. Obviously, the entire journey wasn’t ideal – organic chemistry classes in college, missing events due to my resident schedule but in the end, it was all worth it. I firmly believe that you can create the life you want, and I wholeheartedly would tell every woman thinking about entering medicine to do it with their whole heart and figure out the details (work-life balance, etc.) later – because you can!!!!
Dr. Dayal: Medicine is just like any other career that one pursues – it’s true that it takes a lot of time, energy, commitment, and sacrifice – but all careers do! Pursue something that is your passion, and everything will eventually fall into place and most importantly, you will always enjoy it!
How important was it to you to launch STL Fertility as an all-female practice?
Dr. Schulte: It was a dream come true. Ever the entrepreneur, I was running a lawn mowing company at age 12 called The Mighty Mowers! I’ve always dreamed of having a practice that reflects the ideals and values I have as a physician.
After meeting Dr. Dayal and having an aligned vision, the birth of STL Fertility was natural and organic. The mission statement “our family is here to help build yours” embodies how we treat our patients and our staff and as women, we are in tune with the values of our patients/staff because we value the same things.
Is the playing field any more level today for female physicians than when you first started?
Dr. Schulte: Whether the playing field is level or not, it doesn’t matter. You still have a goal. Set your mind on it and develop a plan. Don’t focus on “changing the playing field” because it’s out of your control. Focus on what you DO have control over – the steps to accomplish your goal.
Dr. Dayal: It was a different world when I started my career in medicine. My med school class at Hopkins was the first one in which there were more women than men in it, a feat that took over a century despite being a school being financially founded by women. It’s amazing to observe the progress that the field has experienced, now with more women consistently matriculating into medical school than men.
And while things are getting better, there is still some work to do to make things more equal, but I have ZERO doubts that it will happen, especially with the grit and grace that women intrinsically have.
Was there a female physician who inspired you?
Dr. Schulte: Many! What first drew me to medicine was physiology and then I was able to meet many wonderful female powerhouses to emulate. In medical school a female dermatologist named Nicole Hartsaugh ran her own practice was a mentor and throughout residency, I had the pleasure of being the mentee of an amazing female physician-scientist named Kelle Moley. I’m very lucky to have had them in my life!
Dr. Dayal: There are several women who have inspired me to pursue medicine, Diljeet Singh, Valerie Ratts, Kelle Moley, and Samantha Pfeifer just to name a few. I had phenomenal mentors in med school, residency, and fellowship all of whom I try to emulate as much as possible daily. But it was my non-physician mom who inspired me to pursue my dreams and not let anything get in my way. Mom’s are always there to inspire you!
Hey Saint Louis, February 3rd marks National Women’s Physicians Day and the birthday of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to become a physician in the US. Women’s Physicians Day gives us the chance to highlight the many contributions of women physicians and the continued need for equality in the field of medicine.
As the only fertility center that’s 100% locally owned by female physicians with an all-female team, STL Fertility knows a thing or two about girl power. We took a few minutes in-between consults, egg retrievals, and frozen embryo transfers to catch up with Dr. Dayal and Dr. Schulte to talk about Women’s Physicians Day 2022!
What would you say to a young woman thinking about entering medicine?
Dr. Schulte: DO IT! I have always followed the mantra “if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life”. Pursuing medicine was a dream for me and I’m so lucky to have found my passion working with hopeful parents struggling with infertility.
Obviously, the entire journey wasn’t ideal – organic chemistry classes in college, missing events due to my resident schedule but in the end, it was all worth it. I firmly believe that you can create the life you want, and I wholeheartedly would tell every woman thinking about entering medicine to do it with their whole heart and figure out the details (work-life balance, etc.) later – because you can!!!!
Dr. Dayal: Medicine is just like any other career that one pursues – it’s true that it takes a lot of time, energy, commitment, and sacrifice – but all careers do! Pursue something that is your passion, and everything will eventually fall into place and most importantly, you will always enjoy it!
How important was it to you to launch STL Fertility as an all-female practice?
Dr. Schulte: It was a dream come true. Ever the entrepreneur, I was running a lawn mowing company at age 12 called The Mighty Mowers! I’ve always dreamed of having a practice that reflects the ideals and values I have as a physician.
After meeting Dr. Dayal and having an aligned vision, the birth of STL Fertility was natural and organic. The mission statement “our family is here to help build yours” embodies how we treat our patients and our staff and as women we are in tune with the values of our patients/staff because we value the same things.
Is the playing field any more level today for female physicians than when you first started?
Dr. Schulte: Whether the playing field is level or not, it doesn’t matter. You still have a goal. Set your mind on it and develop a plan. Don’t focus on “changing the playing field” because it’s out of your control. Focus on what you DO have control over – the steps to accomplish your goal.
Dr. Dayal: It was a different world when I started my career in medicine. My med school class at Hopkins was the first one in which there were more women than men in it, a feat that took over a century despite being a school being financially founded by women. It’s amazing to observe the progress that the field has experienced, now with more women consistently matriculating into medical school than men.
And while things are getting better, there is still some work to do to make things more equal, but I have ZERO doubts that it will happen, especially with the grit and grace that women intrinsically have.
Was there a female physician who inspired you?
Dr. Schulte: Many! What first drew me to medicine was physiology and then I was able to meet many wonderful female powerhouses to emulate. In medical school a female dermatologist named Nicole Hartsaugh ran her own practice was a mentor and throughout residency, I had the pleasure of being the mentee of an amazing female physician-scientist named Kelle Moley. I’m very lucky to have had them in my life!
Dr. Dayal: There are several women who have inspired me to pursue medicine – I had phenomenal mentors in med school, residency, and fellowship all of whom I try to emulate as much as possible daily. But it was my non-physician mom who inspired me to pursue my dreams and not let anything get in my way.