National Library of Medicine - First Black Female Neurosurgeon in the US

Below is the story of  Dr. Alexa Canady from the National Library of Medicine:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/aframsurgeons/canady.html

Alexa Canady (1950- ) is a leading pediatric neurosurgeon and educator.

Her “patient-care first” approach, her ability to set her patients at ease, and her down-to-earth attitude have all contributed to her success as a pediatric neurosurgeon.

Born in Lansing, Michigan, she came from a well educated, intellectual family with a strong tradition of public service where education and intellectual pursuits were encouraged. Alexa attended school in the predominantly white public school system and excelled in academics.

She attended the University of Michigan completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology in 1971 and received her medical degree from University of Michigan's College of Medicine in 1975.

Dr. Canady completed her surgical internship at New Haven Hospital - Yale University and became the first African American woman neurosurgery resident in the United States when she was accepted as a resident at the University of Minnesota.

Much of her surgical career was spent at the Children's Hospital of Michigan where through her efforts the neurosurgery program achieved national recognition as a top pediatric neurosurgery department in the United States. After only four years at Children's Hospital, she became chief of the neurosurgery department at the age of 36. She retired after 18 years having trained all four of the remaining neurosurgeons.

Her academic career was spent at Wayne State University where she held the position of professor and vice-chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery. She was a well respected teacher and received the Teacher of the Year award from Children's Hospital of Michigan and the Distinguished Service Award from Wayne State University.

During her career, Dr. Canady engaged in research to make advances in neurosurgical techniques. This research led to the invention of a programmable antisiphon shunt to treat hydrocephalus, an abnormal accumulation of fluid inside the brain, for which she shares a U.S. patent with two fellow neurosurgeons.

Dr. Canady is currently semi-retired and a pediatric neurosurgeon at Sacred Heart Medical Group in Pensacola, Florida.

Although she had no ambition to be the dean of a medical school, she passed on her knowledge through her hands-on, “patient-care first” techniques, instilling these qualities in the surgeons she trained and those she worked alongside.

  

These images of Dr. Canady were created by students at Lincoln Elementary School in Dubuque, Iowa
as part of a project titled Amazing Americans.

• B.S. University of Michigan, 1971
• M.D., University of Michigan, 1975
• Surgical Intern, Yale University, 1975-76
• Neurosurgery resident, University of Minnesota, 1976-1981
• Chief of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital Detroit, Michigan, 1987
• Peter Schotanus Endowed Professorship in Pediatric Neurosurgery , Wayne State University, Detroit
• Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Sacred Heart Medical Group, Pensacola, Florida

My intense affair with Gravity

I was on the edge of my seat before the lights went out in the movie theater. I'm getting mentally ready to see the movie Gravity with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The idea of a movie mainly having two people in outer space was so intriguing to me. The movie focuses on two astronauts trying to get back to Earth, after being in space for months. However, tragedy starts to bloom when space debris starts flying into their space shuttle. As the two astronauts start to abort their mission, the debris flies into the shuttle causing major damage and killing the space crew.

Throughout the movie, I'm on the edge of my seat. I hold my breath from time to time as the two astronauts face falling debris, oxygen packs losing air and loss of communications with NASA.The thriller moves at a steady, frantic pace, as the two outer space travelers, find creative ways to get back to earth. One striking thing about Sandra Bullock's character, Dr. Ryan Stone, is the underline, emotional reason she is in outer space. Her 4 year old daughter died in a freak accident and she would rather be in outer space than deal with the death of her daughter. You realize that Dr. Stone is afraid to die in outer space, but realizes that if she dies, she can be with her daughter spiritually. It's painful to see a brilliant astronaut struggling with death, but she has to survive to begin healing from her past. This made going back home for Dr. Stone more meaningful.

What is more intense is the sacrifice that George Clooney's character, Matt Kowalsky, makes to get Dr. Stone back to earth. I try not to sob about how the veteran space traveler ends his long career in space. This movie is about the gravity of space, but more about the gravity of the choices we make. We also see how the gravity of regret, loss and lonliness can be lifted if we face our past, take a leap forward by letting go, so we can be stronger.

I enjoyed my ride in outer space with Gravity. Through the film's only two actors, the gravity of life is examined in outer space. We don't have to go far from home to explore the gravity of life. We just need to connect to our emotions and make sure that we can live with our decisions because regret weighs tons.

The Day that ALMOST Didn't Happen

I'm on vacation from work and it's August 2013. I had planned to go to the US Open, one of the biggest sports events in the world. I had always wanted to go, especially since I live in New York City, host of the annual event. I order my ticket online on Tuesday afternoon for the Thursday night session. I really didn't know who was playing that night or didn't care. It was just the thought of being around some of the best athletes in the world and watching them play in person.

It's Thursday evening, 6p.m. and I'm getting ready to leave the house  for the Open. I changed from my mega purse to a smaller bag. My godmother had advised me to not carry a big backpack or bag, since security doesn't allow big bags inside. Little did I know that one slight change would effect my big night. So I park my car in the lot of US Tennis Center, I get out of the car with a spirit full of glee that I finally got to the US Open. While walking through the parking lot, I see DJ D Nice, a major DJ in the hip-hop world and also a great photographer.

Then I shout out, " Hey D Nice!". He says back to me, "Hello. My name is Derrick." Of course, I let him know my name and ask for a pic with the legend. He does oblige and takes a pic with a fan, making my night even better. Then Derrick says, "Hey it was nice meeting you. I gotta run because I forgot my ticket in my car and I can't get in without. Have a good night."

When D Nice says he forgot his ticket, I think to myself, "Did I forget my ticket? May be I left it in my other purse and didn't put it in my bag?" So I open my purse and realize my ticket is not in my bag. I starting panicking, but then I remember that I ordered it online and it was emailed to me. I call up the customer service and ask if I can print out the ticket at the center. The agent tells me that I could but the ticket center closes at 5p.m. and it was already 7p.m. The agent then says that if there's a library or office supply store, I could connect and print it out again.

I'm still frantic because there's no library near by a sports arena. I ask a policeman near the parking lot about the closest library to print out my ticket. The officer says that there's a Holiday Inn near by and should see if I could print it out there. Perfect! Thank God I bought some new sneakers earlier and decided to wear them. As the night sky begins to come out, the sneakers help me walk 5 long blocks to the Holiday Inn.

The pleasant clerk at the front desk allowed me to use the kiosk and print out my ticket. As I was checking my email, a man sitting next to me asked me if I was going to the US Open. I said yes and was excited. He also told me that Venus and Serena were playing right now. Wow! I said out loud. This made me move a little faster so I wouldn't miss the Dynamic Williams sisters. My awesome sneakers get me back swiftly to the US Open, where I catch Venus and Serena play a mean game of doubles.    

So what's the moral of the story? Just when you think that there is no way out, there's always a way. Or, if you feel that the day you dreamed about will never happen, just keep going, fight the fear and have faith.