Mentor Spotlight: Dr. Karleigh Curfman

About the Mentor

Dr. Curfman was born and raised in Northeastern PA and attended The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) for undergraduate (2012), Ross University SOM for medical school (2016), and Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown PA for General Surgery Residency. She pursued a Minimally Invasive Surgery fellowship at MultiCare Health in Tacoma, WA (2022) and followed with a fellowship in Colon and Rectal Surgery at Louisiana State University New Orleans (2024). Since completion, she has worked as a minimally invasive colorectal surgeon at Conemaugh Memorial, covering all aspects of colorectal surgery, with a focus on colorectal cancer. She recently became the general surgery residency program director and also serves as residency research coordinator, ERAS committee chair, CoC committee chair, residency education chair, and robotics surgery committee. Additionally, and most importantly, she enjoys spending time with her family and three children—a 6-year-old, 4-year-old, and 2-year-old—who love enjoying outdoor time in suburban PA and anything to do with any sport.

Interview

What initially inspired you to pursue surgery, and what ultimately led you to specialize in colorectal and minimally invasive surgery?

BOOK REVIEW - SKILL:  Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well

Author: Douglas Stone and Shelia Heen

Book Reviewer: Alex Gerber

When a dean at my medical school recommended that the first-year class read Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well, I assumed it would be more of a review. Years of school had already given me a thorough education in being evaluated through exams, essays, lab reports, presentations, and more. If two decades of being a student teaches you anything, it’s how to absorb a steady stream of opinions about your performance and keep moving forward.

Book Review - Bold Women of Medicine: 21 Stories of Astounding Discoveries, Daring Surgeries, and Healing Breakthroughs

Book by Susan M. Latta
Review by Morgan Carter

Mentor Spotlight: Dr. Alan W. Flake

About the Mentor

Dr. Alan W. Flake is a world-renowned pediatric and fetal surgeon whose pioneering work has reshaped the field of fetal diagnosis and therapy. He is an attending surgeon in the Division of Pediatric General, Thoracic, and Fetal Surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where he holds the Ruth M. and Tristram C. Colket, Jr. Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery. As a Professor of Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Flake is internationally recognized for advancing fetal intervention, neonatal surgery, regenerative medicine, and innovative treatments for life-threatening congenital disorders. His early experimental work in fetal lambs helped establish foundational principles in fetal surgery and continues to inform modern techniques used around the world.

For more than two decades, Dr. Flake has directed a highly influential National Institutes of Health funded research laboratory dedicated to developing prenatal therapies for genetic and anatomic abnormalities. Under his leadership, the Center for Fetal Research has achieved landmark breakthroughs, including in utero stem cell and gene therapy approaches and a physiologic support system for extremely premature infants with the potential to transform the treatment of prematurity. He has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications and over 100 review articles and book chapters, and he has served on numerous NIH study sections and editorial boards spanning hematology, stem cell biology, and fetal therapy. Dr. Flake is also widely respected for his mentorship of the next generation of surgeons, including the many women whom he has supported, trained, and championed as they rise to leadership roles across pediatric and fetal surgery.

Mentor Spotlight: Dr. Chantal Reyna 

About the Mentor

Chantal Reyna, MD, MHA, FACS, FSSO is a fellowship trained, board certified surgeon, specializing in diseases of the breast. She completed general surgery residency at the University Of Nevada School Of Medicine and her breast surgical oncology fellowship at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida. She has experience practicing in a variety of clinical settings and is the current Oncology Clinical Lead of Breast Oncology and the Section Chief of Breast Surgical Oncology at Loyola University Medical Center. Her experience provides a unique perspective in clinical program building in both academic and community settings. She speaks nationally and internationally about career development, including professional identity and branding. She is currently on the executive council for the Association of Women Surgeons and the Latino Surgical Society. She is an avid soccer fan, musical theater fan, enjoys reading and traveling internationally.

Mentor Spotlight: Dr. Joan Delto

Book Review - Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

Book by Dr. Atul Gawande
Review by Amy Lu

In Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science, Dr. Atul Gawande offers a compelling and sobering examination of the practice of medicine from the vantage point of a surgical resident. Far from glorifying the field, Gawande embraces its imperfections, laying bare the uncertainties, moral ambiguities, and learning curves that define clinical decision-making. Through a series of narrated essays, he challenges the notion of physicians being all-knowing and infallible, instead presenting doctors as fallible human beings working within a system of high-stakes judgment.

Book Review: When Breath Becomes Air

Author: Paul Kalanithi 

Book Reviewer: McKenzie Mayer 

AWS Breaking the Glass Ceiling Program 2025

Denise Lo, MD

In June 2025, I attended the Emerging Women Executives in Health Care course at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. This 4-day program was attended by women of diverse professional and personal backgrounds united by a common goal to develop as leaders within their respective fields in health care. The course was divided into 3 themes over 4 days: Looking Inward, Leadership Deployed, and Leadership Expanded.

Book Review: Cutting a Path: The Power of Purpose, Discipline, and Determination

Author: Dr. Sheri Dewan

Book Reviewer: Taraf Jaro

Moving from Known to Unknown

by AWS Research Fellow,  Holly Lewis MD PhD

Book Review: Take Care of Them Like My Own: Faith, Fortitude, and a Surgeon’s Fight for Health Justice

By Dr. Ala Stanford, M.D.

Review by Sophie Hockran

MENTOR SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Hollingworth

Dr. Hollingworth grew up in New York City and pursued her Surgery Residency at Carilion Clinic–Virginia Tech, where she met Dr. Sanfey (on a transplant rotation at the University of Virginia), whose influence led her to join the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) and become a mentor to other women in surgery. She completed her Critical Care Fellowship at the University of California San Francisco–Fresno, working with Dr. Kaups- another inspirational woman in surgery. Now a full-time trauma and critical care surgeon, Dr. Hollingworth has advanced in academic surgery with a Master’s in Medical Education from the University of Cincinnati and in leadership roles as Vice Chief of Staff, Vice Chair of Surgery, and an Associate Professor at Creighton University School of Medicine. She served as Chair of Surgery at Midwestern University and Associate Program Director at HonorHealth General Surgery Program with Dr. Mangram. She also teaches Health Systems Science at the medical school and serves as the Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) Officer for the Creighton Health Education Alliance.

MENTOR SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Gayle Ackerman DiLalla

Dr. Gayle Ackerman DiLalla, M.D., F.A.C.S., is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology at Duke University Hospital.

Book Review: What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City

By Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha

Reviewer: Rija Awan, MS2