In honor of National Women Physicians Day, the Brooklyn Paper came to observe the acute care and surgical team, which comprises mostly women, at the Level 1 Trauma Center at Maimonides Medical Center.
The Level 1 Trauma Center designation means that our teams are skilled in providing the highest level of surgical and specialty care to patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Maimonides is also nationally recognized as an American College of Surgeons (ACS) Surgical Quality Partner.
Members of the women-led team include Dr. Nakesha King, Dr. Gladys Pinto, Dr. Jennie Kim, and Dr. Yeonjoo Cho. They oversee the Intensive Care Unit, trauma cases including gunshots and car crashes, and emergency general surgery including for limb- and life-threatening conditions.
According to a 2023 study from JAMA that looked at a cohort of 1 million patients, those treated by female surgeons experienced better outcomes, including fewer hospital readmissions or major medical complications, compared with those treated by male surgeons.
Dr. King attributes this to strong communication and person-centered care. “I know how to talk to my patients. I know how to listen. I think that intuitively, we have these skills that are really not taught as much as they are inherited. That’s how I feel about it. So it’s easier for me to worry about someone, it’s easier for me from a mother’s perspective, and it’s easier for me to point out my concerns from a woman’s perspective,” she said.
Dr. King, associate director of the General Surgery Residency, and team are keen to inspire the next generation of women doctors. Across our residency training programs, 60% of residents physicians are women.
Learn more about emergency and surgical care at Maimonides, and read more from the Brooklyn Paper.
About Maimonides Health
Maimonides Health is Brooklyn’s largest healthcare system, providing more than 1 million patient visits each year through the system’s three hospitals, 1,800+ physicians, and more than 80 community-based practices and outpatient centers. Our system is anchored by Maimonides Medical Center, one of the nation’s largest independent teaching hospitals and home to centers of excellence in numerous specialties; Maimonides Midwood Community Hospital (formerly New York Community Hospital), a 130-bed adult medical–surgical hospital; and Maimonides Children’s Hospital, Brooklyn’s only children’s hospital and only pediatric trauma center.
Maimonides’ clinical programs rank among the best in the country for patient outcomes, including our Heart and Vascular Institute, Neurosciences Institute, Bone and Joint Center, and Cancer Center. For additional information, please visit www.maimo.org and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.