She developed and formalized the Senior Visiting Surgeon program, which promoted civilian trauma and vascular surgeons to rotate through the Army Hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, and assisted in the care of injured troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2008, she was the only civilian who spent time downrange at a military hospital in Iraq. With her extensive military experience, dedication to improving the outcomes of active soldiers, and her surgical expertise, Dr. Knudson has served as the Director for the Military Health System (MHS) Strategic – American College of Surgeons Partnership since 2015.
In her nomination letter, the UCSF Muriel Steel Society stated, “The call for nominations describes Dr. Mary Edwards Walker as being ‘unwavering in her commitment to service to her country and surgical profession’ and a woman whose perseverance, excellence, and pioneering behavior paved the way for the women surgeons of today. We can think of no person who embodies that legacy more than our own Dr. M. Margaret “Peggy” Knudson.”
Dr. Knudson’s pioneering career has paved the way for young women in surgery, and her perseverance, dedication, and focus exemplify the spirit of the Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Inspiring Women in Surgery Award.
The Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Inspiring Women in Surgery Award is named for Mary Edwards Walker, MD, the first female surgeon to be employed by the U.S. Army and the only woman in the 1855 graduating class of Syracuse Medical School. Dr. Walker is the only woman to have received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Her extensive commitment to the surgical profession has helped pave the way for the women surgeons of today.
About M. Margaret Knudson, MD, FACS
M. Margaret Knudson, MD, FACS received her bachelor's degree from University of Dayton, Ohio and her medical degree from University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan. She completed her surgical internship and residency at Beth Isreal Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. And University of Michigan Medical School.
Dr. Knudson has held leadership positions in several professional organizations, including the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST), the Western Trauma Association, and the ACS Committee on Trauma (COT), where she became the first female Vice-Chair. She has served as the Chair of the Research Committee for the National Trauma Institute and remains on the Board of Directors for the Center for National Trauma Research. Dr. Knudson currently holds grants from the Department of Defense to study post-traumatic pulmonary embolism and from the NIH for investigating the use of anticoagulants in patients with COVID-19. Dr. Knudson was honored with the National Safety Council Award by the AAST/COT. She has given the Fitts Oration at the AAST and the Scudder Orations at the ACS. In addition to the 2019 Scudder Orations, Dr. Knudson was invited to give the 2019 "Paint the Ceiling" lecture at the Western Trauma Conference.
