Lynne Steinbach, MD, FACR – 1994 President of AAWR

Mother, teacher, mentor

I was born into radiology at the University of California San Francisco on a warm December day. Who knew that I would be working in radiology at that hospital decades later. It is also the site where my father, Howard Steinbach, one of the pre-eminent radiologists in the world in the 1960s and 70s, was a Professor of Radiology. He was a wonderful role model for me with his brilliance, modesty and sense of humor.

I did find it hard to break the glass ceiling upon my entrance into academic radiology. Maternity leave consisted of a three week vacation with one week left for job interviews during the fellowship year. UCSF was a challenging environment for a new mother and the daughter of a high profile radiologist. After a few years, I devoted more time to my career. Working with the AAWR from the beginning in both a local group as well as the national society helped me to understand the problems facing women in a mostly male profession at the time. I learned ways to thrive and increased networking. I also enjoyed lecturing and doing research, writing papers and books. It was an honor to serve as president of AAWR in 1994. The AAWR talent bank, mentoring project, and Research and Education foundation got off the ground that year. We also joined the Academy of Radiology Research, increased corporate sponsorship, and developed a mechanism for members to attend the AAMC Professional Development seminar for junior and senior women faculty, which are now full fledge opportunities provided by the AAWR.

Lynne at RSNA 1997	Lynne during Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City 2002

Lynne Steinbach, MD is Professor of Clinical Radiology and Orthopedic Surgery at the University of California San Francisco