MT: What was your inspiration to pursue Cardiology?
SR: During my residency, I found myself drawn to cardiology more than many of the other subspecialty areas with which I worked. I often found that in cardiology, patients could come into the hospital very ill, but with close monitoring and intervention, we were able to get them better and have them leave the hospital better than they came in and grateful for the care they received.

MT: Did you have a mentor that influenced your decision to pursue cardiology?
SR: There have been many different cardiologists I have worked with throughout my career who have influenced my career path in one way or another, so it would be difficult to pick just one.

MT: What do you enjoy most about your career in cardiology?
SR: My most enjoyable work has been in the adult congenital heart disease and high-risk pregnancy population. I enjoy caring for people who may not have thought they were going to survive into adulthood and see them leading productive, fulfilling lives including helping them to have families

MT: Knowing what you do now and based on your experiences, would you do anything differently along your career path?
SR: I don’t know that I would do anything different along my career path, but as many people feel as they become “more seasoned” in their careers, I would take more time to enjoy and cherish the experiences I had along the way.

MT: Did you have any hesitancy in pursuing cardiology as a specialty and if so, how did you manage or overcome this?
SR: No, I have always had supportive attendings who were both male and female.

MT: What advice would you give for women considering a career in cardiology?
SR: Cardiology is a very rewarding field, but it does take time to achieve one’s goals. Don’t be intimated by the amount of training. It’s very doable and very rewarding. There are so many different opportunities within the field of cardiology that can fit different lifestyles.

MT: What would you do instead if you did not pursue a career in medicine?
SR: This is a difficult question for me as I knew I wanted to work in the medical field since I first volunteered at my local hospital in 9th grade. I think if I were not a physician, I believe I would have gone into the field of microbiology.

MT: In your opinion what is the biggest barrier to women pursuing cardiology and how can we work to change this?
SR: The idea that cardiology continues to be a male-dominated field. As women in cardiology, we need to continue to mentor young female trainees and have an active voice at all levels (local, state, national, international) as we demonstrate our role in the field.

MT: What do you think is the most important progressive development that would allow more women to progress in their careers as cardiologists and attract more women to the field?
SR: The way we practice medicine will likely be forever changed by recent events surrounding coronavirus and this will have an impact on the field of cardiology as well. There will likely be more options for telehealth monitoring which can be a good thing for both patients and physicians. As with all fields of medicine, cardiology is becoming more subspecialized (interventional cardiology, heart failure, adult congenital cardiology, imaging, electrophysiology, preventative, structural cardiology, just to name a few) which allows one more flexibility depending on one’s lifestyle and outside interests.

MT: Can you share a fun fact or unique quality about yourself?
SR: I’m a huge Disney fan! One of the items on my bucket list is to spend at least one night in every Disney resort!