Dr. Deborah Mueller (Part 2/3)

“When I tell people the only continents I haven’t been to are Africa and Australia, they usually assume Antarctica is included in the mix; at least subliminally anyway. I have indeed been to the often forgotten, frozen seventh continent.

My journey to Antartica was a part of a project that took 10 groups of 100 women from various disciplines in the sciences as part of a leadership building exercise. We all agree on the premise that many of the world’s problems stem from a leadership crisis at all levels and across many different sectors of society. One of the clear ways to tackle this problem is to build a more diverse and inclusive leadership structure that restores the importance of science and thought. As a trauma surgeon, I never thought I’d be in an environment where I would get to learn about so many different fields from such incredible women. Though we were all aware of our titles and backgrounds as doctors, marine biologists, mechanical engineers, etc., our normal day-to-day roles melted away during our time on the frozen tundra. I realize now that choosing Antarctica as the setting for this exercise was more of a symbol of collaboration and a sentinel for change than any practical consideration. Nobody owns Antarctica; it belongs to all of us.

I have a map signed by all of the women I traveled with and its presence in my office reminds me of the lessons I learned when I was down there. As a woman you are often told that pursuing many dreams at once is impossible, but expeditions like these supply concrete evidence that this is not the case. I am a mother, a trauma surgeon, and an outspoken advocate for women all at the same time. That last part is important, and I remain steadfast in my commitment to excellence in each of those roles. Though there is still much to be desired in the quest for equality, I have seen great progress both in and outside my field in this regard. 10 years from now I think we’ll be staring at a very different landscape.”
(2/3)