March is Women’s History Month, a time to reflect on the contributions of women in all areas of society. Women have been pioneers across many fields, and radiology is no exception! 

Here at Johns Hopkins, women have always been a key part of the mission. In fact, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine owes its existence, in part, to women. As the institution prepared to open its doors in 1893, a committee of women raised the funds needed to put the project over the finish line. With the funding, however, came one condition – women must be admitted to the medical school on the same basis as men. The Johns Hopkins trustees agreed to the arrangement – unique among medical schools at the time – and the rest, of course, is history.

Throughout March, in honor of Women’s History Month, we will be featuring a series of women whose contributions to Johns Hopkins and the wider field of radiology can not be overstated. These women, each trailblazers, reflect the best of Johns Hopkins Radiology – our commitment to excellence in clinical practice, research and education. Read on to learn more about one such pioneer. 

Dr. Olga Baghdassarian Gatewood
(1929 – 2013) 
JH: 1956 – 1966; 1976 – 2010

 

In an era when female radiologists were rare, Olga M. (Baghdassarian) Gatewood was a trailblazer at Johns Hopkins.

Born in 1929 and growing in Lebanon, she graduated college at age 17 and received her medical degree from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon at just 22. Following this, Dr. Gatewood began a radiology residency at the American University Hospital before immigrating to the United States in 1956. 


After training in pediatric radiology at Boston Children's Hospital, she came to Johns Hopkins as a Radiology instructor and director of Pediatric Radiology. Dr. Gatewood was promoted to assistant professor of Radiology in 1962, assistant professor of Pediatrics in 1964, Associate Professor of Radiology in 1966, and Associate Professor of Urology in 1987. 

For Dr. Gatewood, radiology was a family affair. She met her husband, William B. Gatewood, when he was a training as a resident with the Johns Hopkins Department of Radiology. They were wed in 1965. 

In 1965, Dr. Greenwood accepted a position as radiologist at Harford Memorial Hospital in Havre de Grace, but she could not stay away from Johns Hopkins Radiology, returning part time from 1977 to 1979. She rejoined Johns Hopkins full-time in 1979, serving as head of the Uroradiology section. During her career, she also held the role of director of the Division of General Radiology and was a faculty leader in mammography. A prolific author, she published numerous articles, especially on mammography. She was awarded a Fellowship of the American College of Radiology in 1983. She retired from Johns Hopkins Radiology in 2010 and passed away in 2013.

Source: Johns Hopkins Radiology, 1896 – 2010 (2011), by Otha W. Linton, MSJ and Bob W. Gayler, MD


Dr. Lois Kushner
(1927 - 2013)
JH: 1963 - 1967

 
Lois Kushner was born in 1927 and raised in Salisbury, Pa. She began her career as a registered nurse, training via the nurses' cadet training program at Memorial Hospital in Cumberland, Md. She earned her bachelor of science degree from Asbury College before going on to medical school at Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia. She was one of only four women in her class of 105 graduates.  

During her time in medical school, she met her husband, George, who was also a medical student. Following her medical school graduation in 1956, Lois and her husband established a family practice together in York, Pa. At this time, Dr. Kushner was the only woman physician delivering babies in York. 

After seven years in general practice, Dr. Kushner came to Johns Hopkins, where she began a residency in Radiology. During her time with the Johns Hopkins Department of Radiology, she made her mark as the first female chief resident in Radiology.

 

From Johns Hopkins, Dr. Kushner went on to practice at York Hospital until her retirement. During her time at York Hospital, Dr. Kushner broke many barriers, including as chair of Radiology and serving as the first female president of the York Hospital Staff. 

Dr. Kushner passed away in 2013 at the age of 86.

Source: York Daily Record, Oct. 11, 2013

Dr. Atsuko Shishikura Heshiki
(1938 – 2016)
JH: 1966 – 1973

Atsuko (Shishikura) Heshiki was born in 1938 in Chiba, Japan. She earned her medical degree from Tokyo Women’s Medical University in 1964. Travelling to the United States, she completed an internship at Evanston Hospital in Chicago in 1965. She was one of the first female radiology residents, training at Johns Hopkins from 1966 to 1970. She joined the faculty as an assistant professor from 1970 to 1973 before returning to Japan, where she worked at Gunma University Hospital until 1986. She then served as chairman and professor of radiology at Saitama Medical University. Even after returning to Japan, Dr. Heshiki maintained close ties with Johns Hopkins and attended the Radiological Society of North America conference regularly. 

 

Dr. Heshiki’s work focused on the development of techniques for body imaging with cross-sectional imaging using ultrasound, CT and, especially, MRI. She was a pioneer of MRI as it came into wider clinical use in the 1980s. She was a founder of the Japanese Society of MR in Medicine and a member of the Medical Women’s International Association. 

During her long, trailblazing career, Dr. Heshiki was dedicated to encouraging women to pursue careers in radiology. She was an alternative representative of Japan’s General Assembly of the United Nations in 2004, where she advocated for the interests of women and children.

Dr. Atsuko Heshiki passed away on September 8, 2016 at 77 years old.

Source: Johns Hopkins Radiology, 1896 – 2010 (2011), by Otha W. Linton, MSJ and Bob W. Gayler, MD

Dr. Bronwyn Jones
(1943 – 2022)
JH: 1981 – 2015




Bronwyn Jones stood on the shoulders of female radiologists before her to become a pioneer in her own right. An expert in gastrointestinal radiology, she would become the first female full professor of radiology (and 28th female professor overall) at Johns Hopkins.

Born and raised in Australia, Bronwyn Jones earned her medical degree from the University of New South Wales in Sydney in 1966. She went on to an internship and residency in medicine at the university’s hospital. In 1971, Dr. Jones moved to England, where she began a residency in radiology at the Kings College Hospital in London. Following a 1974 fellowship at St. Thomas Hospital in London, Dr. Jones moved to the United States, where she was appointed at the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. It was during her time in Boston that she met Dr. Martin Donner, a visiting professor and chief of Radiology at Johns Hopkins. He invited her to come to Johns Hopkins. She joined the faculty in 1981, first as an assistant professor and section head of gastrointestinal radiology.

Dr. Jones was a world-renowned expert on swallowing disorders, founding and leading, with Dr. Donner, the Dysphasia Research Society and its accompanying journal. She authored more than 120 peer-reviewed articles and offering scientific lectures across the globe.

Much lauded during her career, Dr. Jones earned many awards, including the 2007 Society of GI Radiology Canon Medal and the 2010 American Board of Radiology Distinguished Service Award. In 2015, the American Board of Radiology honored her with its Lifetime Service Award, and in 2016 she was awarded the Dysphasia Research Society Gold Medal.


Dr. Jones’ remained committed to Johns Hopkins even after her retirement in 2015. As befits her pioneering nature, she established the Bronwyn Jones, M.D. Professorship – the department’s first professorship named for a female radiology faculty member.

Dr. Jones passed away on May 29,2022, at the age of 79.

Source: Johns Hopkins Radiology, 1896 – 2010 (2011), by Otha W. Linton, MSJ and Bob W. Gayler, MD