COM Outlook Spring 2020

10 | DR. KIRAN C. PATEL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE grade wasn’t the first time death took its toll on the household, as her older sister died of leukemia six weeks after Klimas was born. These tragedies fueled Klimas’s fire for medicine during her formative years. Klimas demonstrated her usefulness by developing new skills in the kitchen and learning mechanics. She also grew deter- mined to find innovative ways to spend her time—a mindset Klimas continues to apply today in her personal life and in her many medical roles. “I think my early experience with compassionate doctors taking care of my dad did influence me, as did the awe he conveyed as a scientist himself at the early surgeons who used his open brain during surgery to help map out the brain,” Klimas said. Pink Cards, Blue Cards Having your mind made up careerwise is one thing; overcom- ing a male-dominated profession is another. Thankfully, from a young age, Klimas was surround- ed by her brothers, Chuck and Bill, whose rambunctious ways instilled in Klimas a tomboy mentality that would soon pay off. Her mother also encouraged Klimas’s career path in medicine. “One story I remember involved my mom being a hero. My high school counselor told me that girls could not be doctors, and that the available premed scholarships were only for boys. He pulled out his index-card box of scholarships for girls, which were pink, and handed me nursing school applications,” Klimas explained. “I told my mom, and she was at my school the next morning,” she continued. “I sat outside the counselor’s office and heard some shouting and crashing, and then my mom marched out. The counselor called me in as he was picking up all of the scholarship index cards, pink and blue in a tumble, and handed me the information for premed scholarships.” Upon graduation from Annandale High School in 1972, Klimas’s higher education pur- suits and soon-to-be involvement in feminism took root. Klimas split her undergraduate career, first at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, before transferring to the Univer- sity of South Florida in Tampa, where scenes of hippie coffee clubs and feminist communities offered respite during Klimas’ premed days. Klimas viewed her under- graduate days as weird at times, as hundreds of men and only a few women surrounded her in her classes. Nevertheless, she excelled, with physics, microbiology, and writing being her favorite subjects. When it was time to consider med- ical school applications, Klimas saw the University of Miami (UM) as the perfect fit. The university embraced Klimas from her initial interview, which she came to wearing a ripped feminist T-shirt, frayed cutoffs, and flip-flops. Still, medical school reminded Klimas of the gap between her and her male peers. From being told her acceptance took the spot of qualified males, to being 1 of only 12 women in her classes, Klimas was determined to not let the negatives get in the way of her medical journey. Nancy Klimas performs a comprehensive examination on a patient. (continued from page 8) (continued on page 12) SHIFTING GEARS