The Women Surgeons of OPA
When you close your eyes, what does a surgeon look like to you? For some of you, it may look like a man in scrubs…
This past April, The New Yorker Magazine brought attention to this stereotype by publishing a magazine coverthat would be seen around the world. Not because of who was on it, but because of who the cover represented: women in the surgical field.
Only nineteen percent of surgeons are women.
The social media campaign went viral. All over the country women began to challenge each other to post their own versions of the cover, with #ilooklikeasurgeon to raise awareness.
Only seven percent of orthopedic surgeons are women.
These three women are three out of twenty-nine surgeons here at Orthopedic Physician Associates- making up 10% of our practice, and defying the odds.
Each of them operate in a different surgical specialty and each has their own unique path to medicine. So, please, let’s celebrate our women surgeons!
Dr. Laura Matsen Ko
Dr. Matsen Ko is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hip and knee arthritis, with a special interest in joint replacement for active people. After her medical school and residency training at Oregon Health and Sciences University, she completed two year-long fellowships in advanced joint replacement surgery, one in Portland with Dr. Paul Duwelius and one at the internationally recognized Rothman Institute in Philadelphia.
Dr. Matsen Ko knows first hand the enjoyment of physical activity. She climbed then skied off the top of Rainier for her 25th birthday. At Whitman College she was All-American in Cross Country Running and National Team Time Trial Champion in cycling. She qualified for and competed in the World Ironman championship in Kona, Hawaii. She placed 2nd in her first ultra marathon and has run 19 marathons. These days she still enjoys bike commuting, running with her husband and friends and chasing after their two year old toddler. With this background, it is easy to see why she is motivated to get her patients ‘back in the game’.
“I’m proud to be an orthopaedic surgeon; as a woman I can combine compassion and understanding with surgical techniques that are maximally safe and effective.”
Dr. Sara Jurek- Shoulder and Sports Medicine Surgeon
Dr. Jurek is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, fellowship trained in advanced shoulder surgery, arthroscopy, and sports medicine. She completed an advanced shoulder surgery fellowship and a sports medicine fellowship at the prestigious Kerlan Jobe Clinic and Santa Monica Orthopedic Sports Medicine Group in Los Angeles. While in LA, she served as a team physician for the Lakers, Galaxy, and Sparks professional sports teams as well as the athletes of Pepperdine University. Now that she’s in Seattle, she
continues to provide coverage for local sporting events, the most recent being the Seattle Open AVP pro volleyball tour event.
She set her sights on becoming an orthopedic surgeon at the age of 16 after shadowing an orthopedic surgeon for a month when she was a high school junior. Dr. Jurek recounts, “I fell in love with the profession instantaneously. The surgeon let me spend an entire month watching him work, waking up at 5 to get to the OR on time and finishing just in time each night to make it to basketball practice [Dr. Jurek played college basketball at Northwestern University]. The first day, I scrubbed in on a knee replacement surgery and it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I couldn’t believe my eyes and I remember thinking, ‘I want to do this someday.’ It’s funny, because I’ve chosen to really focus on shoulder surgery and sports medicine in my practice now, and instead of knee replacements, I perform a lot of shoulder replacements, but I still feel that excitement and disbelief that I get to do something so incredible for work whenever I scrub into a case.”
Dr. Jurek is an avid trail runner and CrossFitter and her active lifestyle outside of work allows her to relate to her athletic patients on a very direct level. She notes, “As someone who can’t go more than a day without a run or a workout, I understand how important sports and physical activity can be in a patient’s life and how devastating an injury can be that interferes with a patient’s ability to participate in and enjoy their sport. My goal is to get my patients back to doing the things they love as quickly and safely as possible.”
Dr. Jayashree Srinivasan- Neurosurgeon and Spine Surgeon
Dr. Srinivasan is a board certified neurosurgeon who specializes in the treatment of surgical diseases of the brain and spine. She has extensive experience in the treatment of brain and spinal tumors, vascular malformations of the brain, Chiari malformations and syndromes of cranial nerve compression, such as, trigeminal neuralgia.
She specializes in degenerative spinal disorders throughout the spine and utilizes minimally invasive spine surgery techniques where possible. She provides personalized care to her patients with a vested interest in their overall health. Her goal is to provide the best care possible, with a thoughtful and conservative approach to surgery.
To schedule an appointment, please click here.
For more information on these amazing surgeons please feel free to visit their personal websites:
Dr. Laura Matsen Ko- www.seattlejointsurgeons.com
Dr. Sara Jurek- www.seattleshoulderdoc.com
Dr. Jayashree Srinivasan-www.seattleneurosurgery.com