March 15, 2024 - Dr. Tessa London-Bounds (Breastfeeding study)

Behind the Blue

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 15, 2024) – Dr. Tessa London-Bounds, a cardiothoracic surgeon at UK HealthCare’s Gill Heart & Vascular Institute, had two vastly different breastfeeding experiences as a resident and later as an attending surgeon. Variations in workplace support, along with access to technology and facilities made finding a balance between caring for patients and providing for her own children difficult.

After speaking with co-workers about her experiences, she was inspired to team together with fellow surgeons to create an online survey, which asked nearly 900 surgeons to share their opinions on the challenges of access and equity in the workplace for breastfeeding surgeons.

On this episode of Behind the Blue, Dr. London-Bounds discusses how her own personal experiences helped inspire the creation of the survey, the stigma and difficulties pregnant and breastfeeding surgeons perceive in the workplace, and the positive impact she can already see from the information and understanding the researchers have aquired.

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