What’s your name?
Deborah Mueller (but I go by Deb)
Where are you from? Where do you currently live?
I was born in Albany, GA but now live in San Antonio, TX.
Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I studied Biology at the University of South Carolina, Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, General Surgery at the United States Air Force Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, TX and Surgical Critical Care and Trauma at UT Southwestern in Dallas, TX.
Where are you in your career & what do you do?
I am a faculty in the Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery at UT Health San Antonio. I perform emergency and general surgery and practice surgical critical care while teaching the same specialty to trainees in surgery and medical students. I am celebrating my 20th year of practice in 2019!
Why did you apply to Homeward Bound?
When I read the purpose of Homeward Bound, it resonated deeply with me. If I think about what’s important in my life, the future of our planet environmentally is on that list. I grew up outdoors. My father made sure we spent every weekend outside; hiking, camping, and appreciating nature. I now strive to do that with my own children, two daughters. We pick up trash when we are out and try to keep the places we visit beautiful. If I am having a bad day, simply walking outside feeling a breeze on my skin or hearing a bird chirp brings a smile to my face and I think nature has the ability to heal both physical and mental wounds. I worry about what the Earth will look like for my own daughters and I want to use my skills to do what I can to ensure its sustainability.
What’s your favorite part of Homeward Bound so far?
It’s challenged me to think about topics like vulnerability and transparent leadership that I haven’t really taken the time to read or learn about in the past. Surgeons have to be leaders yet we aren’t really taught this skill. I hope to translate and use part of what I’m learning to develop a new program for young women trainees in surgery.
When did you realize that climate action needs to happen now?
I read about Easter Island, Chile in the New York Times in March 2018 and was shaken by the erosion occurring there due to the rising ocean. I did some humanitarian surgical work there years ago and could therefore visualize the story in my mind. It is a fascinating place with wonderful people and the thought that those iconic moai statues could topple into the ocean and the livelihood of the people there destroyed really shocked me into action.
Is there a time you ever felt marginalized that sparked your passion in gender equality?
When I was training in General Surgery, there were very few women in my program, only 3 of 32 trainees. We had a pyramid program meaning after 2 of the 5 years required to finish surgery only about 50% of us would get to continue. I remember one of my peers telling me I would get a spot since I was a woman. I remember thinking, “No, I will get one because I earned it!”
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