Dr. Ryland Gore is a board-certified, fellowship-trained surgeon specializing in breast surgical oncology in Atlanta. She completed her general surgery residency at Rush University Medical Center and John H. Stroger Cook County Hospital in Chicago. She went on to complete her breast surgical oncology fellowship at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Why did you choose your profession?
I’ve known since I was at least 10 or 11 years old that I was going to be a doctor, but always thought I’d be an OB-GYN and take care of pregnant women and deliver babies. I always wanted to have that women’s health piece as a part of my career. Before med school, I got my Master’s of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health. During med school, I absolutely hated OB/GYN but fell in love with surgery. During residency, realizing that I could have both things I love, time in the operating room and taking care of women, was the icing on the cake.
What do you consider your superpowers to be?
I consider my superpowers to be discipline, empathy and vision. I’ve always had big dreams — dreams that sometimes felt too big — for how I wanted my medical career to go. To get to this point, especially as a Black woman in a traditionally White male-driven specialty, it takes so much grit and discipline. Becoming a doctor is hard and requires long nights, long days, and lots of confidence and belief in self. To be able to take care of these amazing patients and also see my dreams continue to come true is such a blessing.
Why should more women of color work in leadership roles and decision-making capacities?
It is so important for women of color to have a seat at the table because leadership always needs to reflect the people it serves and it is so important for others in an organization to see someone that looks like them, whether it’s housekeeping staff or a colleague in the C-suite. If we are going to have pay equity, health equity, and just minimize bias across the board, it requires different people and different perspectives. Unfortunately, there continues to be a “representation gap” across industries, so I’m also a firm believer in going where you are wanted, and that includes shaking tables or building your own table sometimes.
What is your greatest or proudest achievement?
Before, it was being only the third Black woman to complete my general surgery residency program in Chicago and the first to complete my fellowship program in Brooklyn. Now, after serving so many women and men in Georgia at someone else’s table, I’m excited about building my own with my own private practice coming soon.
