Walking toward her office, Dr. Deanna Sasaki-Adams sees an entire wall of photographs to her right. They’re photos of the graduating residents of the neurosurgery department at UAMS through the years, and one blatant detail stands out: They are mostly men.
Sasaki-Adams, a noted vascular and skull base neurosurgeon, was named chair of the UAMS Department of Neurosurgery on March 1, obtaining a position very few women in the country hold. Inspiring more women to pursue neurosurgery and “get on the wall” is on her list of goals to accomplish during her tenure.
“I think women should follow whatever they love and feel passionate about,” she says. “If someone says they can’t do it or they shouldn’t do it, if it really calls to them, they should just go for it.”
She remembers times when faculty members, advisors and even people interviewing her tried to steer her away from neurosurgery.
“People would ask me if I was sure I wanted to do this because I seemed nice and friendly and wanted a family in the future,” she recalls. “They told me I wouldn’t be able to have those things.”
Sasaki-Adams’ children — 15-year-old Ryan, 13-year-old Alyx and 12-year-old Kaya — prove otherwise.
“I want women [in medicine] to know it doesn’t have to be an either-or thing,” she says. “I think being a wife and mom makes me a better doctor because I can relate to the families. I think it means a lot when I’m talking to someone about their child when I have kids at home myself.”
She met her husband James in freshman chemistry class where the two were lab partners. He followed the internal medicine track while she went into neurosurgery. She jokes that it quickly became clear their competitiveness and differing homework environment preferences made them terrible study partners.
Credit: Jason Masters
The two make great partners in life, however, and enact what she calls “zone defense” to meet the demands of the family schedule. Intentionality, she says, is what makes the balancing act work, even if she is often left dashing to soccer games and recitals at the last minute. To her kids, she’s simply “mom.” In fact, performing intricate surgeries doesn’t even disqualify her from getting calls at work asking what’s for dinner.
She says there’s never a “perfect time” to start a family or make a big life decision when you’re in a demanding career.
“If you’re in the right position, people should understand and work with you, and then you can help them out when they need it,” she explains. “Because whether it’s having kids or caring for your ailing parents, life happens in all sorts of ways, and your career is going to be affected at some point.”
Sasaki-Adams had her share of obstacles and naysayers during the 16 grueling years it took to complete her education. She credits what her brother calls her “pathological optimism” for the perseverance to see it through.
“I think there is some truth to [what my brother says],” she agrees. “I really believe we have the capacity to make a real difference or to change the world in a positive way. I think that’s what gets me through the not-so-great moments.”
Sasaki-Adams’ positive worldview will serve her well as she takes the lead in her department and sets her sights on reaching benchmarks she’s created like recruiting more surgeons, bolstering research and hopefully one day offering a multi-disciplinary clinic so patients can be seen at one time, in one place, by all the physicians involved in their care and recovery.
Credit: Jason Masters
“I think it would make for happier patients,” she says. “We talk a lot about being patient-centered, and I think this is a really good way to put patients first. We work together as a team in the [operating room] and in the perioperative period, and it makes sense that we would all work together collectively before then, so that’s the big goal.”
Sasaki-Adams, who also holds a master’s in business administration, is co-leading the UAMS College of Medicine’s new Business Certificate Program for residents and fellows, a collaboration with the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business. Helping medical students acquire critical business skills and face a complicated health care system with preparation is one of her current focuses.
“As doctors and surgeons, we can take care of our patients individually and make a difference in their lives,” she explains. “But I started to realize that if I could have the business knowledge, I could advocate more for our faculty and for more resources and that would give better care to our patients on a bigger scale.”
While medical school is a lot of “memorizing countless facts and words,” business school, she says, allows students to look at situations from a different perspective and get a “big picture” view of how the enterprise works.
“It will make the student more valuable to their team and give them a little leverage,” she says.
The future looks bright with Sasaki-Adams at the helm.
She may have numerous plates spinning, but at the end of the day, it’s her true calling that motivates her to wake up and do it all over again.
“I’m a surgeon at heart, and I love being in the operating room,” she says. “You could plunk me down in an operating room and I could stay there for a week and not realize it. Doing something that I love and helping teach it and be a part of it is what keeps me going.”
PHOTOGRAPHY
JASON MASTERS
HAIR & MAKEUP
LORI WENGER
CLOTHING
BARBARA/JEAN