SC: When I arrived at Jefferson in 1995, I had a singular objective—to become an astronaut. I have a BS and an MS in aerospace engineering and applied to medical school to continue my space-bound career path. I had a surgical mindset, thriving in the OR’s intense environment. My goal was to participate in long-range space flight, and a general surgery residency would be a strong asset to my astronaut application.
Engineering and plastic surgery share many principles, and it was a natural fit. I was fortunate to meet three Jefferson plastic surgeons who changed my life. Participating on the surgical team for an autologous breast reconstruction solidified my interests, and I applied for a general surgery residency. When I applied for a plastic surgery fellowship, I also planned to apply to the astronaut program, keeping my options open. Two months before the fellowship application was due, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up on its return to Earth. The astronaut training program closed. I pursued a plastic surgery fellowship at the Lahey Clinic, followed by a microsurgery fellowship at Harvard.
After my fellowships, I joined Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. I was the first to perform complex free flap breast reconstruction there and created a breast microsurgery program. I worked there for over 12 years and performed over 1,500 breast free flaps. Our program grew to include over 15 surgeons. In 2019, I relocated to Wilmington, Delaware, when my husband, EJ Caterson, MD ’03, PhD, became chief of pediatric plastic surgery at AI DuPont Children’s Hospital. I joined Christiana Care Hospital and work at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Institute, where I am developing a comprehensive breast reconstruction program. When I moved here, I was the only microsurgeon in the state. Offering complex cases allows patients to stay in Delaware for their care.