The Olga M. Jonasson Lecture

The Women in Surgery Committee (WiSC), the friends and colleagues of Olga Jonasson, and women in surgery throughout the country established this lecture in 2007 to honor the memory of Olga M. Jonasson, MD, FACS, who died in August 2006. Dr. Jonasson was a true pioneer and trail blazer. She was a leader in academic surgery, exemplified by her becoming the first woman Chair of Surgery in U.S. history. She was a devoted teacher and mentor to countless numbers of surgeons, both men and women.

This lectureship is a testimony to leadership and education in surgery and a reflection of the capacity of women to reach academic pinnacles. Nominations for the lecture come from the WiSC.

Lecture History

Year	Lecturer	Title
2025	Jennifer S. Lawton, MD, FACS	Pay It Forward—The Enduring Impact of Mentors
2024	Jo Buyske, MD, FACS	Not on My Watch
2023	Susan Mackinnon, MD, FRCSC, FACS	Phoenix Rising: The Culture of Surgery—A Paradigm Shift
2022	Omaida Valezquez, MD, FACS	The Authentic Endorsement of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Academic Surgery: A Second Renaissance in its Inception
2021	Andrea Hayes, MD, FACS, FAAP	Grit in Spite of Adversity in the Pursuit of Excellence
2020	Caprice Greenberg, MD, MPH, FACS, Madison, WI	Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste: Continuous Professional Development and COVID-19
2019	Carol Scott-Conner, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS Iowa City, IA	Recapturing the Joy of Surgery
2018	Joan Reede, MD, MS, MPH, MBA Boston, MA	A Path Toward Diversity, Inclusion, and Excellence
2017	Kathryn D. Anderson, MD, FACS Eastvale, CA	A Quiet Pioneer Who Started a Revolution
2016	Alexa Canady, MD, FACS Pensacola, FL	The Journey: Becoming a Neurosurgeon and Back Again
2015	Julie A. Freischlag, MD, FACS Sacramento, CA	Resilience
2014	Barbara L. Bass, MD, FACS Houston, TX	Our Lives As Surgeons: Finding a Sense of Place and Purpose
2013	Pauline W. Chen, MD, FACS Haverhill, MA	Conduct Unbecoming
2012	Carol-Anne Moulton, MD ON, Canada	Peeking Behind the Curtain—Surgical Judgment Beyond Cognition
2011	Patricia J. Numann, MD, FACS Syracuse, NY	Effective Advocacy
2010	Ms. Nina Totenberg, Washington, DC	Women in the Professions
2009	Karin M. Muraszko, MD, FACS Ann Arbor, MI	Leadership Development and Mentoring in the Age of Restricted Work Hours
2008	Anna Marie Ledgerwood, MD, FACS Detroit, MI	Myths in Surgical Care
2007	Nancy L. Ascher, MD, PhD, FACS San Francisco, CA	The Ultimate in Surgical Translation: Transplantation