5 minute read
Purposefully Pi Phi
Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You
Missouri Alpha DR. KRISTY WEBER believes women can do anything. As a leader in orthopedic surgery—a field where women are historically underrepresented— she is driven to mentor and empower other women pursuing similar careers. For Kristy, that support includes speaking candidly about the barriers and bias women frequently encounter in STEAM fields, as well as the tenacity and focus required to overcome them.
“In any career, there shouldn’t be barriers, but that’s one of the reasons more women aren’t in STEAM,” she says. “We condition people through gender norms; women are given subtle commentary about what we can and can’t do, often from parents and teachers. From there, it’s not a stretch to think you can’t be a rocket scientist. When we remove those barriers, more women will come.”
Kristy’s interest in medicine sparked during childhood, when she discovered a love of biology and worked at wildlife rescue clinics with the initial goal of becoming a veterinarian. Now recognized as one of the top physicians in the United States, Kristy is an orthopedic oncologist—a surgeon specializing in the treatment of cancer patients. She leads a team that works with sarcomas, or cancers that start in bone and soft tissues, and serves as Director of the Sarcoma Program at Penn Medicine’s renowned Abramson Cancer Center.
“I care deeply about my patients—they come first,” she says. “I love going the extra mile and ensuring my patients have a good experience during a high-stress time. It’s a privilege to talk to people battling cancer, and a matter of wanting to help and listen.”
Kristy observes that while some aspects of orthopedic surgery culture have changed since she began her orthopedic training in the early 1990s, women and people of color in the field still encounter microaggressions and implicit bias due to underrepresentation. “Now that I have the platform of leadership experience, I’m trying to push culture change in our environment," she says. "We must help others or we’re never going to get where we need to be.” Throughout her professional life, Kristy has navigated those challenges through hard work and undeniable competency—an approach she recommends to others.
“People will take any excuse you give them to be biased, so be so good they can’t ignore you,” she says. “Get into the core part of your career and be good at it first. For what I do, that means being an excellent doctor and surgeon before anything else. Especially as women, we want to be unbelievably competent, so if we face criticism, it won’t be because of our skill set.”
Kristy also made difficult decisions in her personal life, forgoing a family of her own for greater time and capacity to work on her career and leadership opportunities. “I’ve been intense my whole life,” she reflects. “I work hard for anything I’m involved with. My choices are intentional and have consequences, but I own them and have no regrets.”
Charting a competency-based course ultimately led Kristy to serving as the first woman president of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) in 2019—but it didn’t happen without effort.
“I didn’t join AAOS early in my career with the goal of being president,” she shares. “I started at the ground level, by joining a committee and working hard. If I was writing questions for continued learning assessments and they wanted 10, I gave them 20. Eventually, at the right time and the right place, that work was recognized, though it certainly wasn’t because I was the first woman qualified for the role.”
During her tenure as president, Kristy set a plan to move AAOS forward by focusing on organizational goals, processes and culture rather than the big personalities often seen in medical leadership. Embracing a servant leadership style, she connected with other women in orthopedics, listened to their challenges and helped them develop skill sets to overcome those challenges. “It’s not just talking about things being hard, but working to make things better,” she says.
The groundwork for Kristy’s interest in leadership and mentorship was laid during her collegiate years, where she served on her chapter’s Executive Council and made lifelong friends in fellow Missouri Alphas SARA PARKER PAULEY and JENNIFER MOELLER ROWE . “College is such a formative time for everyone, but the experience of learning to interact with 130 other women in my chapter taught me critical social skills and how to manage conflict,” Kristy shares. “It’s understanding how to share a space, listen, help, follow rules and work within a structure of leadership—I found tremendous purpose there.”
Above, from left: Kristy and Sara in the Galápagos Islands, where they traveled in Summer 2022. Kristy, Sara and Jennifer take a trip together every two years to reconnect and nurture their friendship, which began during their time as collegians at Missouri Alpha.
With what she estimates to be a decade left in her career, Kristy is motivated to make a positive impact using her platform, both within the orthopedic space and the world. As a woman leader—and someone inspired by courageous women leaders—she feels a strong sense of urgency to open doors for others in her field. “Those of us who have been given the opportunity to lead, owe it to others to help move them forward,” she says.
To women considering careers in STEAM fields, Kristy says go for it—but because professional barriers to women still exist, be willing to push and persevere to get what you want. “In every field, hard work is at the core of success,” she reflects. “Understand that there’s a balance, dig in and own the choices you make. But if you love what you do, it's worth it."
