USF surgeon Kathryn L. Hall, MD, was recently named president of the Florida Society of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, taking the helm as the first woman president of the organization.
Dr. Hall, assistant professor and director of the Division of Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, was elected at the FSFPRS annual meeting in November. She served as secretary/treasurer for two years before being elected president for a two-year term and will serve two years on the executive board as immediate past president after her term as president is complete.
Dr. Hall is proud of being elected president of FSFPRS, but being the first woman president of the group offers an even stronger feeling of accomplishment. It’s a step, she said, that hints to the increase in the number of women in leadership roles that is coming.
Dr. Kathryn Hall.
“Women have made great inroads into the field of medicine over the past decades and I think the next frontier for female physicians is medical leadership,” she said. “As the number of women in surgical subspecialties grows, I hope those physicians become engaged in the leadership of their respective professional societies.”
To help fill that medical leadership pipeline, Dr. Hall mentors USF medical students and urges them to aim for leadership roles.
“Female students will often ask me about work-life balance,” she said. “They’re interested in pursuing a surgical career, but are concerned about how it might impact their current or future family. I remember having the same trepidation. Now, as the wife of a wonderful man with his own busy career, and the mother of two boys, an active 6-month-old and a 5-year-old, I can honestly tell students I wouldn’t choose any other profession. When I’m at work, all my attention is focused on doing my job to the best of my ability. And when I’m at home, all my energy is focused on being the best wife and mother I can be. The goal is to be fully present wherever you are.”
Gaining those medical leadership roles begins with volunteering, Dr. Hall said.
“My best advice to women wanting to get involved in medical leadership is to volunteer your services to whatever organization you want to join,” she said. “You’ll meet some amazing people and grow personally and professionally.”
Dr. Hall earned her medical degree from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. She conducted her residency in otolaryngology head and neck surgery and her surgical internship at Case Western Reserve University, and a fellowship in facial plastic and cosmetic surgery at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. She is board certified from both the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.
