Dr. Anne Antonellis, OB/GYN at Mount Auburn Hospital
When she last served as a Pathfinders guest, Dr. Anne Antonellis visited a K1 classroom; this time, she visited two of Amy Kowal’s biomedical sciences classes at the John D. O’Bryant School of Math & Science, answering students’ questions about medical school, residency, and the realities of being a doctor.
Dr. Antonellis is an obstetrician/gynecologist, or OB/GYN, which – as she shared with Ms. Kowal’s classes – means she takes care of people with uteruses and pregnant people. Dr. Antonellis grew up close to Boston, and completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard before attending UMass Medical School in Worcester. After residency training at Maine Medical Center, Dr. Antonellis returned to the Boston area to work as an attending physician at Mount Auburn Hospital.
When sharing her journey to becoming an OB/GYN, Dr. Antonellis emphasized that she didn’t always know what kind of doctor she wanted to be. Before attending medical school, she considered orthopaedic surgery; while on med school rotations, she considered pediatrics. With her broad knowledge of the medical field, Dr. Antonellis fielded students’ questions ranging from “What IS an appendix?” to “What happens if a baby gets stuck?” and, of course, “Was med school stressful?”
She ultimately landed in OB/GYN because it combined elements of each specialty that she liked most. As an attending, her two favorite things to do are deliver babies and perform robotic surgeries. And even though it took twelve years of school to get where she is today, Dr. Antonellis emphasized that she still learns something new every day. She also noted that while a good GPA is important for medical school admission, and it’s especially important to do well in pre-requisite courses, students don’t need a 4.0 to be successful.
In response to the students’ fervent curiosity, Dr. Antonellis spoke in depth about the salary range for physicians, and how it defies typical patterns: whereas salaries are usually higher in high-cost of living (COL) areas – like Boston – and lower in low-COL areas, the “supply and demand” of doctors in Boston means their salaries are lower here than in more rural or remote areas of the country, where doctors are needed more. She also touched on the variety of medical professions and the investment required for each, both in terms of tuition and years of study.
Students enroll in Ms. Kowal’s class because they are considering a career in the biomedical sciences. As 9th and 10th graders, they’re still deciding which pathways interest them and figuring out how they work – financially, educationally, and even emotionally. Pathfinders like Dr. Antonellis bring enthusiasm for their fields and the candor required to help students navigate those crucial decisions.
