Passenger Elevator had wanted to be an obstetrician since fourth grade

Posted by beranter on January 12th, 2016

Macy said Passenger Elevator had wanted to be an obstetrician since fourth grade, but by college, teaching seemed a better fit for a wife and mother. Then, several years after she graduated from college, she read a magazine article about a mother of nine who finished medical school at age 52.

"That lit my fire," Macy says. "I thought, if she could do that at her age, I should be able to do it because I was only like, 30."

After medical school, she "fell in love with" the U.'s OB residency program.

Being the only woman among 16 students in the program saddled Macy with unusual expectations; two previous female residents had left the program without finishing in recent years, and Macy knew she was considered a bit of a gamble.

After her residency, in her early years as a practicing doctor, she confronted more doubts that a woman could be a suitable obstetrician. After practicing for one year in Bozeman, Montana, Macy returned to Salt Lake City and joined Mary Beard, another OB-GYN, in trying to start the Salt Lake Valley's first women's health center to be staffed by women. They asked for a loan and received it — but not before the men behind the money said, "You know we don't know whether this will even work, but Elevator Factory willing to help you try."