The Rise and Fall of Dr. Mom

In The Rise and Fall of Dr. Mom, Angela Lowe Heider describes in raw detail her short career as an obstetrician and gynecologist. She highlights the many challenges female physicians and their families face and draws attention to the delicate balance all working women must achieve to ensure peace on the home front while allowing for professional pursuits outside the home. Through vivid personal accounts, Dr. Heider invites the reader into the mind and emotions of one physician struggling to maintain that balance. The reasons for her decision to retire from the practice of medicine at the young age of thirty-two are frankly defined with compelling honesty. The Rise and Fall goes on to more briefly describe the lives and careers of six other female physicians, all of whom have faced similar obstacles. Some, like Dr. Heider, have decided to retire from the practice of medicine. Others have found ways to make medical careers work for their families. Each story provides further insight. All women, working or otherwise, will identify with the emotionally charged decisions every woman must make about the type of mother she will be. Dr. Heider then delineates the many problems our American health care system currently faces. Specifically, she cites antiquated training programs, unaffordable medical care, a health care delivery system mired in bureaucracy, and the ongoing medical malpractice crisis. The Rise and Fall of Dr. Mom offers thoughtful solutions, professional insights, and an optimistic plan for the future.