Dr . Diana Farmer was driving across the country , from Wellesley College in Massachusetts to Seattle , to interview for the Rhodes Scholarship in 1976 when a car accident sidelined her goal to be among the first women recipients of the prestigious fellowship . While receiving care for injuries from the car accident , she grew interested in medical decision-making , and the experience propelled Farmer to shift from entering a career in marine biology to studying medicine . She eventually became another type of pioneer — the world ’ s first woman fetal surgeon .
“ Serendipity has always played a role in my career and taking advantage of new opportunities and being willing to change direction ,” she says . Farmer , who is the chair of UC Davis Health ’ s Department of Surgery , is internationally acclaimed for her expertise in surgery on fetuses in the womb to repair birth defects and on babies shortly after birth , saving countless infant lives and improving quality of life for many others .
Farmer grew up in Chicago and Idaho , the daughter of a city girl from San Francisco and a rural boy from a cattle ranch in Nebraska . She graduated from Wellesley College with a dual degree in marine studies and molecular biology in 1977 . She completed her medical degree and internship at the University of Washington in Seattle , her general surgery residency at UC San Francisco and pediatric surgical residency at Children ’ s Hospital of Michigan .
UC Davis Health recruited Farmer from her position as chief of children ’ s surgery at UCSF to become chair of its Department of Surgery in 2011 . She oversees a team of more than 250 faculty , post-doctoral fellows , residents , students and other staff in a department that handles oncology , cardiac , transplant , vascular , gastrointestinal and trauma surgery , and many other surgical specialties .
As a surgeon , Farmer is most known for operations on fetuses with spina bifida , a congenital condition that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don ’ t form properly , affecting mobility . While in-utero surgery can improve this condition , there is still room for advancement . In January , UC Davis Health embarked on a clinical trial using a novel stem cell therapy developed at UC Davis to repair damaged neural tissue “ in the hopes that we will be able to make all of those children walk ,” she says .
Working at an academic medical center has allowed Farmer to continue her research — she has authored more than 100
“ Don ’ t let a setback get you discouraged . There are great opportunities in the unexpected . Serendipity and unexpected opportunities can often open doors that you would never have imagined .” peer-reviewed articles — while also treating patients and bringing technological advancements to the Capital Region . “ It is true that when academic medical centers raise the bar for either a certain technique or quality , it raises the bar for the whole community . … I ’ ve been able to see that happen in Sacramento since I came here ,” Farmer says , giving the example of how appendicitis was handled — the “ old-fashioned open way , bigger incisions ” versus the advanced technology for minimally invasive surgery she brought to UC Davis , which is now used by medical centers across Sacramento .
As a leader , Farmer considers herself authentic , passionate and committed to excellence , and the coronavirus pandemic heightened the need for strong leadership within medical institutions . “ We ’ ve all been asked to get our teams to do more , to sacrifice and take greater risks ,” she says . “ Helping to lead those teams and to keep people ’ s morale high has been one of the big challenges of recent times , and I certainly learned that you have to lead by example . We have to be attentive to the real needs that your teams are going through , the real struggles , and be responsive , be available and be empathetic .”
While a postgraduate award to study at the University of Oxford would have been a dream fulfilled , Farmer looks back on an unfortunate incident as leading to her life ’ s work . “ It would have been amazing to have been one of the first women Rhodes Scholars in the country , in the world , yet ( the accident ) changed my trajectory in the most wonderful way ,” she says . “ I ’ ve had a fabulous career as a physician and as a scientist , and I wouldn ’ t have wanted to change that at all .”
Sena Christian is managing editor of Comstock ’ s . Online at www . senachristian . com and on Twitter @ SenaCChristian .
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