Tiburon, CA – Over the past twenty years, the Association of American Medical College has reported a sharp increase in women doctors, including those that are specialists. Our guest, who has worked in the medical field for over five decades, is considered a pioneer that served as an inspirational catalyst towards this trend. “You don’t have to be a genius to go to medical school,” she declares. “You can be an ordinary person. In fact, you should be a people person.” This is the story of Dr. Ellen Jane Killebrew.

Dr. Ellen Jane Killebrew is a respected cardiologist, a career that she has held for decades, despite being male-dominated. In addition, she is a renowned professor of medicine at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. Soon, she will release an upcoming book titled The Magic Bag.

Dr. Killebrew’s interest in medicine began at age thirteen when she came down with gastritis. Originally majoring in Business Administration at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA, she switched her major to Pre-Med, and earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Biology in 1959. From 1961 to 1965, she worked on achieving her Doctor of Medicine at the New Jersey College of Medicine (now the Rutgers College of Medicine). Between 1965 and 1968, she completed an internship and residency at the University of Colorado. Later, between 1968 to 1970, she completed a cardiology fellowship at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Along the way, she tried different medical specialties but ultimately settled on cardiology.

Dr Killebrew’s career started in October 1970 where she began working for Kaiser Permanente. Ultimately, she retired in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Along the way she pursued additional positions and accolades related to her impressive work in medicine and specifically cardiology. Most notable was her teaching career that she did concurrently with her work at Kaiser Permanente. In 1973, she became an assistant professor at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. In 1983, she rose to associate professor. In 1992, she became a clinical professor, a position that she holds to this day.

Dr. Killebrew is also pleased to announce the upcoming release of her new book, The Magic Bag. Being released very soon, The Magic Bag serves as Dr. Killebrew’s personal memoir, which is targeted towards young women interested in a medicine. The title was inspired by gastritis that she got at the age of thirteen. The doctor that treated her made a house call, which included a bag full of medical implements. After his visit, she got better and ultimately referred to it as “the magic bag.” In total, it took six years for Dr. Killebrew to put together this incredible memoir.

In a continuation of her multi-part series which began in December, her January shows will focus on a number of key areas. This includes tips for the New Year, a focus on Dr. Killebrew the person, and stories of inspirational people that she has encountered during her incredible life and career.

“Regarding the New Year, the Holidays are often hard on heart health,” concerns Dr. Killebrew. “People make all of these resolutions. They buy gym memberships and only go twice.”

“Don’t do something unless you can follow through on it,” she adds. “It takes a lot to make the decision to live a healthier life if you haven’t. I have seen people try but can’t give up certain things. Most important, everything in moderation and stay active.”

While Dr. Killebrew is respected for her career, especially as a woman doctor, she maintains that she is just like you and me. “Doctors aren’t a special breed,” she asserts. “They are just normal people that go to school. Unfortunately, there are some people that feel that they can’t make it as a doctor, but they can. You have to want it badly.”

“I was always a bit of an adrenaline junkie,” recalls Dr. Killebrew. Growing up in New Jersey, she kept active and still does to this day. “While I am not as active as I used to be, I am active as I can be,” explains Dr. Killebrew. She often is reminded of Isaac Newton’s First Law of Motion, which can best be summarized as how an object at rest stays at rest, while an object in motion stays in motion. “If you’re happy you want to go outdoors for physical activity,” Dr. Killebrew corroborates. “However, if you are depressed, you are more likely to stay indoors.”

“As you can see. there is more to life than just medical school and practice,” notes Dr. Killebrew. “You need to have diversity in your life, otherwise you won’t survive.”

Dr. Killebrew proudly shares stories of inspiration from those in her circle. In fact, after she became a doctor, two of her cousins, one female and one male became radiologists.

Another woman she met while scuba diving became an attorney despite the financial and social difficulties surrounding this attorney having a child out of wedlock at the age of sixteen. She put herself through law school.

Dr. Killebrew’s also met an aspiring student that came two hours early to an interview for medical school at UCSF Berkeley. “His story was the most wonderful that I ever heard,” recalls Dr. Killebrew. He grew up in Hunters Point, a neighborhood in San Francisco. He came from a family environment of crime and drugs. He was a kid that brought up his family and worked any type of job that he could get. He couldn’t get in the first time as his Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores were too low. However, after taking a class and retaking the test, he was able to raise his MCAT score and get into medical school at UC Davis. Eventually, he did get into UCSF and works in family practice. “I was so impressed with him,” Dr. Killebrew shares.

Another inspirational story that Dr. Killebrew will discuss is the story of Ayanna Bennett, the only female Black student at Berkeley. She grew up in the projects of Newark, NJ. Ayanna’s mother was abandoned along with her two siblings. She found her way to California where she helped to bring up her siblings. Ayanna’s mother put herself though law school. This inspired Ayanna, which in turn Dr. Killebrew appreciated.

“This proves that you can do anything that you want to,” inspires Dr. Killebrew.

“If you have the passion, it is one of the best career paths that you can choose,” concludes Dr. Killebrew. “Patients confide in you. You make friends.”

Close Up Radio will feature Dr. Ellen Jane Killebrew in a multi-part interview with Jim Masters on Wednesday January 8^th at 4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific, with Doug Llewelyn on Wednesday January 15^th at 4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific, and with Jim Masters on Wednesday January 22^nd at 4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific.

Listen to the show on BlogTalkRadio

If you have any questions for our guest, please call (347) 996-3389