Dr. Carol Rose was elected Chair of the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine in 2010, the culmination of a distinguished career in anesthesiology and organized medicine.
Dr. Rose entered medical school in at the University of Miami in 1978, 33 years old and already a mother of two. She was one of only eight women in a class of 100 as well as one of the oldest. Dr. Rose believes that her life experiences gave her a deeper appreciation for her courses than the other students; “I loved school. I loved everything about it.”
After medical school. Dr. Rose’s family moved from Florida to Pittsburgh so that she could complete her residency training at Mercy Hospital. When she moved to Presbyterian Hospital in 1990, Dr. Peter Winter was the Chair of Anesthesiology. With Dr. Winter’s encouragement, she became more deeply involved with the Allegheny County Medical Society and began to advocate for Allegheny County to have its own district in the Pennsylvania Medical Society. She worked her way up the ranks from trustee to vice president, and in 2000, she became the first woman president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society. Despite this historic accomplishment, Dr. Rose insists “I didn’t run because I am a woman. I didn’t want them to vote for me because I am a woman. I didn’t want them to not vote for me because I am a woman. I wanted them to vote for me.”
Dr. Rose was nominated to become Chair of the State Board of Medicine by the immediate past Chair, Dr. Ollice Bates — she ran unopposed and began a one-year term in January 2010. In this role, her main objective is to protect the health and safety of the citizens Pennsylvania. She also oversees Board meetings in Harrisburg, offers input on the Board’s agenda, and signs all new medical licenses that are issued in the state of Pennsylvania. One of her goals is as Chair is to increase the Board’s direct involvement with medical schools. She wants to emphasize to students the importance of professionalism and respecting their medical license; she explains, “A medical license is a piece of property, and we should teach physicians early on that they have a responsibility to honor that property.”
Dr. Erin Sullivan, who is also very active in promoting the specialty of anesthesiology, stated that Dr. Rose has passed a great passion for advocacy onto her. Dr. Rose says that “Erin has a very bright future in organized medicine. She is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, insightful, organized, and very well spoken. I am honored that she thinks I have mentored her, but she comes by her abilities quite naturally. The department and the specialty are lucky to have her involved and moving up.”
In addition to her high-profile role in the state, Dr. Rose was the director of electroconvulsive therapy anesthesiology at UPMC Presbyterian. She led a seven-member team of anesthesiologists who provided anesthesia to patients at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. She retired from her clinical duties in June 2010 to focus on her Chairship. Although she will enjoy the extra time with her family, Dr. Rose will miss working with patients, “I tell medical students all the time…I had such a good time in my career that many days I would have done it for free.”