Page 41 - Delaware Medical Journal - March/April 2021

MARTHA A. SIMMONS, MD – MEDICAL DIRECTOR
SPECIALTY: FAMILY MEDICINE
PRACTICE NAME: PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF DELAWARE LOCATION: WILMINGTON
What would you like to see MSD work on? I would like to see MSD continue to recruit young professionals. Through time, these young professionals will be the leaders of MSD, and the experience they can pick up now will lead our profession and MSD into the next era.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In 10 years, I expect
to continue to work on my work-life balance. I see myself working, traveling, and taking care of my community. With the pandemic, there have been tough days and times, which leads to a lot of self- Disease physician in Sussex County, I cannot imagine doing anything else. I feel honored to be able to take care of my community.
ANGELICA M. MONTES, MD
SPECIALTY: FAMILY MEDICINE PRACTICE NAME: WESTSIDE
FAMILY HEALTHCARE LOCATION: WILMINGTON JOIN DATE: 12/28/2020
What prompted you to decide to join MSD? I was informed about MSD by another family doctor that I met during my orientation for my current job. She told me about the various resources and opportunities with MSD.
What is your hometown? Bear, Delaware.
What made you choose to stay in Delaware? I grew up in Delaware and most of my family is here. I went to the University of Delaware for undergrad, Jefferson for medical school, and Lancaster General Hospital for residency, so I always stayed close by for my training. When I had the opportunity to work at an FQHC and work in labor & delivery, I knew I had to come back to Delaware after residency.
When did you decide to go into medicine and why?
I always loved math and science in school, and this initially sparked my interest in medicine. I also saw my father go through several medical problems, which helped me see medicine in a different light. I felt a passion and calling for medicine, especially family medicine, since I can take care of so many different members of a family.
What do you like to do in your spare time? Especially now with the pandemic, I like spending time at home with my husband, watching shows or reading. I also enjoy hiking and traveling, but have not been able to do any traveling in the past year.
What would you like to see MSD work on? I would like MSD to continue to work on improving maternal-child health and health disparities, especially among the non-English-speaking community.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I hope to continue balancing time between outpatient care and labor & delivery. I also see myself involved in more work with the community. I would like to have more leadership/administrative responsibilities.
What prompted you to decide to join MSD? When I moved to Delaware, it was important for me to connect with other physicians in the community. I also wanted to make sure that I had a voice in advocating for physicians and medical practice within the state of Delaware, and joining MSD was a great way to accomplish this.
What is your hometown? I am from Burlington, Massachusetts, which is a suburb of Boston.
What made you come to Delaware? I moved to Philly for residency and met my now-husband during that time. I moved
to NYC for a Reproductive Health and Advocacy Fellowship
and loved my time there, but my husband is deeply rooted in Philadelphia, so ultimately, I moved back to be with him. During my job search, I found my current position at Planned Parenthood of Delaware and the rest is history.
When did you decide to go into medicine and why? I was a science major in college and for some time thought that I would be a research scientist. While interning at a pharmaceutical company, I realized that I didn’t enjoy bench research, but was more interested in applying the science to helping patients and teaching/educating others. (Don’t get me wrong, basic science and bench research are so important; it’s just not my passion.) For me, medicine was the place where I could apply my love of science to caring for patients.
What do you like to do in your spare time? I’m recovering from knee surgery right now, but usually I’m really active in my my Peloton, doing yoga, or weightlifting with my trainer.
What would you like to see MSD work on? I’d like to see MSD expand advocacy efforts in reproductive health. There
has been a lot of amazing progress in the past few years, such
as ensuring coverage of infertility treatments in Delaware and codifying Roe v. Wade, but there’s still a lot of work to do!
For example, every year, there are bills introduced that would mandate non-evidence-based medical practice, such as requiring ultrasound examination before medication abortion. I’d love to see MSD speaking out when the legislators are attempting to practice medicine rather than MSD’s members!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I’m honestly not sure. One of the great things about being a family physician is that I am trained to practice a broad scope of medicine in many different Delaware, I worked at an FQHC in Harlem, providing full-spectrum family medicine and reproductive health care. I loved that, and I love caring for my patients at Planned Parenthood. What I know for sure is that no matter what my career looks like in the future, it will involve direct clinical care and teaching of residents/students.
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