These Rutgers Grads Are Completing Their Journey With Two New Titles: Doctor and Mom

Balancing studies with pregnancy and motherhood

Asare pursued motherhood because she and her husband, Alphonse Asare, not only felt that the time was right, but were concerned that fertility issues might arise if they waited.

The experience made her more patient with the people she treats in the clinic and helped her form her philosophy as a doctor. First, knowing how important family time is, she's determined to be efficient with her activities and encounters while at work.

"I see medicine as a calling and a passion, but I don't want it to be the total sum of my identity," she said. "I identify as both a mother and a physician."

Beyond that, Asare strives to be sensitive to the struggles of female physicians who are juggling work and motherhood. She knows firsthand how difficult that can be.

While pregnant, Asare put off telling her program leaders because she didn't want special treatment. That meant she didn't decline when a resident led her class up numerous flights of stairs during rounds, or when she was asked to interact with potentially volatile psychiatric patients.

Ukenna-Izuwa and Palacio-Meadows faced challenges, too.

By arranging their classes and rotations around maternity leaves that spanned from six weeks to several months, all the women were able to graduate on time. But Palacio-Meadows struggled to finish her applications to pediatrics residencies, due just after her son, Emmanuel Meadows, was born in September 2023.

"I emailed the programs to explain why I was submitting late," she said, and was relieved to garner not only congratulations, but interviews.

Rotations during pregnancy were also challenging, said Ukenna-Izuwa, who found that an OB/GYN clerkship gave her a uniquely rewarding ability to connect with her patients - but also an unsettling view of all that can go wrong with maternal-fetal health.

Both she and Asare found it difficult to spend hours on their feet as their pregnancies progressed.

"If I were to go back and do it all over again, I would advocate for myself,'' said Asare, whose son Samuel was born in August 2022. "As a female practicing physician, I want to have that grace for others, encouraging them to speak up if they need accommodations."

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