AWS & AWSF News:

• Don't forget: Surgeons with at least 5 years in practice can apply by February 5 to receive up to $10,000 for leadership training through the Breaking the Glass Ceiling program!
• Save the date for the 2026 AWS Annual Conference, taking place September 26-27 in Washington, DC. 
• Submit a design concept for the 2026 AWS Annual Conference by February 20.
• Attend upcoming virtual events this week.
• Thank you to AWSF donors for recognizing their mentors through gifts to the Foundation during National Mentorship Month! 

Book Review - Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

Book by Dr. Atul Gawande
Review by Amy Lu

In Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science, Dr. Atul Gawande offers a compelling and sobering examination of the practice of medicine from the vantage point of a surgical resident. Far from glorifying the field, Gawande embraces its imperfections, laying bare the uncertainties, moral ambiguities, and learning curves that define clinical decision-making. Through a series of narrated essays, he challenges the notion of physicians being all-knowing and infallible, instead presenting doctors as fallible human beings working within a system of high-stakes judgment.

Mentor Spotlight: Dr. Joan Delto

Book Review: Constipation Nation

Author: Dr. Carmen Fong, MD, FACS

Book Reviewer: Hannah Eng, OMS-IV

Mentor Spotlight:  Dr. Emily Faulks

Book Review: When Breath Becomes Air

Author: Paul Kalanithi 

Book Reviewer: McKenzie Mayer 

Mentor Spotlight: Crystal Totten MD

Dr. Crystal Totten is a general surgeon at the University of Kentucky Healthcare in the Division of Gastrointestinal and Minimally Invasive Surgery and is an associate professor of surgery at UK College of Medicine. Additionally, she holds positions as Co-Vice Chair of Professionalism and Integrity, Medical OR Director of Good Samaritan OR, and Fellowship Director for GEMS Advanced GI MIS Fellowship. Dr Totten received her medical degree and completed her general surgery training at the University of South Florida and went on to complete a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery and abdominal wall reconstruction at UK in 2016. She returned to UK in 2018 where she specializes in laparoscopic and robotic procedures and has interests in swallowing disorders, hiatal hernia and abdominal wall reconstruction. She is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the Society of American and Gastrointestinal Surgery, and the American Hernia Society. 

AWS Breaking the Glass Ceiling Program 2025

Denise Lo, MD

In June 2025, I attended the Emerging Women Executives in Health Care course at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. This 4-day program was attended by women of diverse professional and personal backgrounds united by a common goal to develop as leaders within their respective fields in health care. The course was divided into 3 themes over 4 days: Looking Inward, Leadership Deployed, and Leadership Expanded.

Book Review: Cutting a Path: The Power of Purpose, Discipline, and Determination

Author: Dr. Sheri Dewan

Book Reviewer: Taraf Jaro

Mentor Spotlight: Dr. Cornelia Griggs

Dr. Cornelia Griggs is a pediatric surgeon, critical care specialist and assistant professor in surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Griggs is the surgical director of the MGH Pediatric Weight Center as well as Quality and Safety Chair for the Division of Pediatric Surgery, Surgical PICU Director, and the Director of Pediatric ECMO. She is a health services researcher with a focus on the treatment and prevention of severe pediatric obesity and childhood injury prevention. She is also currently finishing a master’s degree in clinical effectiveness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Griggs is also an author. Her first book, The Sky Was Falling, a national best-seller, was published in March of 2024.

Mentor Spotlight: Dr. Amanda Baright

Amanda Baright, DO, FACOS, FACS graduated from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, she completed her general surgery internship and residency at Metro Health Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI. She currently serves as the Chair of Surgery at Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine. Including an undergraduate Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine fellowship at KCOM, she has nine years of experience in undergraduate medical education. She enjoys advising future osteopathic medical students on pursuing careers in surgery and anesthesiology, incorporating OMM into practice, and teaching simulation medicine.

Book Review: What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear

Author: Danielle Ofri, MD

Book Reviewer: Sadie English

Moving from Known to Unknown

by AWS Research Fellow,  Holly Lewis MD PhD

Book Review: Take Care of Them Like My Own: Faith, Fortitude, and a Surgeon’s Fight for Health Justice

By Dr. Ala Stanford, M.D.

Review by Sophie Hockran

MENTOR SPOTLIGHT: Stacey Darwish

Ms. Stacey Darwish (MBChB, FRCS) is a Consultant Spine Surgeon based in the National Spine Injuries Unit (NSIU @nsiuresearchgroup), Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, and Mater Private Network in Dublin, Ireland. She was awarded an MBChB from the University of Glasgow and continued her medical training by earning her FRCS in Trauma and Orthopaedics from the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh. She then furthered her training and expertise by embarking on fellowships in both paediatric & adult deformity (Scottish National Deformity Service, Edinburgh) and complex adult spine surgery (National Spine Injuries Unit, Dublin), focusing on evolving technologies including navigation and robotics. As both a nationally and internationally renowned researcher, Ms. Darwish is currently interested in research topics revolving around trauma, frailty, and evolving surgical technology. Most recently she was integral in the commencement of mixed reality navigation in Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.

MENTOR SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Hollingworth

Dr. Hollingworth grew up in New York City and pursued her Surgery Residency at Carilion Clinic–Virginia Tech, where she met Dr. Sanfey (on a transplant rotation at the University of Virginia), whose influence led her to join the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) and become a mentor to other women in surgery. She completed her Critical Care Fellowship at the University of California San Francisco–Fresno, working with Dr. Kaups- another inspirational woman in surgery. Now a full-time trauma and critical care surgeon, Dr. Hollingworth has advanced in academic surgery with a Master’s in Medical Education from the University of Cincinnati and in leadership roles as Vice Chief of Staff, Vice Chair of Surgery, and an Associate Professor at Creighton University School of Medicine. She served as Chair of Surgery at Midwestern University and Associate Program Director at HonorHealth General Surgery Program with Dr. Mangram. She also teaches Health Systems Science at the medical school and serves as the Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) Officer for the Creighton Health Education Alliance.

Book Review: What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City

By Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha

Reviewer: Rija Awan, MS2

MENTOR SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Gayle Ackerman DiLalla

Dr. Gayle Ackerman DiLalla, M.D., F.A.C.S., is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology at Duke University Hospital.

BOOK REVIEW

The Rules of Medicine: A Medical Professional's Guide for Success

by Dr. Sonya M. Sloan

Reviewer: Denise Nemeth, OMS4 

Mentor Spotlight: Dr. Trista Reid

Mentor Bio: Dr. Trista Reid did her undergraduate training at Johns Hopkins University, followed by Medical School, a Master's in Public Health, and General Surgery Residency training at The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC). She completed her Trauma Critical Care Fellowship at Stanford University and returned to UNC as an attending. She is currently the General Surgery Residency Program Director. Her research interests include Health Disparities in race/ethnicity and gender, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), Global Surgery, and Surgical Palliative Care. She has built mentorship programs at UNC and is highly involved in both medical student and resident education.