"We work very well with each other. She's my best friend and the best assistant in the (operating room) I've ever had." - Dr. Maria Fodera
Sisterhood is a deep, heartfelt emotion. It's rooted in a sense of belonging, and it blooms year-in and year-out with love, honesty, and friendship. It sprouts a bond of trust that thrives upon an exchange of ideas and concerns through mind, body and soul.
These are mere words on a page, but they are embodied by individuals such as Maria and Tomasine Fodera, ambitious "sister surgeons" born 10 months apart.
Within the span of a brief interview one recent afternoon in the office of their common practice, New York Surgical Associates, Grasmere - the building, ironically, where the two were born and raised - it is not difficult to see that the two women are like two halves, always complementing (and complimenting) each other.
Still, as close as they are, one can't help but wonder how the women not only ended up choosing almost precisely the same profession - but have also chosen to practice together for the past two years (and counting).
It's likely the inspiration began with their beloved father, Anthony, who's been a dentist for 45 years. His practice is in the same building along with his daughters.
"I think, growing up, we both always knew in some capacity that we'd be in the health field. At first, we naturally thought about dentistry . . . but eventually there was a shift to medicine," said Tomasine of Grasmere, who is known to friends and family as "Tommie." "We were candy-stripers when we were younger and later, we became nursing assistants, where we really got to interact with patients. That's something we enjoyed, and ultimately that allowed us to decide which direction we would take."
After studying at Georgetown University's School of Medicine in Washington D.C., the Foderas' both chose to specialize in surgery. However, their paths diverged slightly, as each pursued her own interests.
Dr. Tomasine Fodera completed a surgical oncology fellowship at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/Parkland Hospital in Dallas. She was one of two fellows to receive a Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Center Foundation grant. Currently, she is the only fellowship-trained surgical oncologist here on the Island.
Dr. Maria Fodera was a vascular surgery fellow at the University of Tennessee in Memphis and at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. She received a grant from Biersdorf-Jobst, Inc., a leading manufacturer of compression garments. Dr. Fodera is currently the borough's only female vascular surgeon.
Though the Foderas' were offered rewarding opportunities to practice elsewhere, the two knew there would be nothing quite like coming home.
"It's refreshing to be back here," Tomasine explained. "It's a familiar place where the nuns who taught us (at St. Joseph Hill Academy) are now our patients, and where old classmates are now nursing supervisors."
As far as going into practice together, their reasoning was simple: "We work very well with each other. She's my best friend and the best assistant in the (operating room) I've ever had," said Maria, who resides in Brooklyn, but has plans to move back to Staten Island. "We have a special bond and because of that, I couldn't think of working with anyone else. We share the same philosophies; we're on the same wavelength."
The core of their philosophy is rooted in preventative health-care and community outreach.
"We try to help our patients understand their body; to understand what's wrong and why," Maria continued, noting their extensive video library is key to alleviating patients' anxieties. "This way, when someone needs surgery, they have a full knowledge of what's ahead and what they can expect, both from the surgery and during the post-op recovery period."
"Providing that human touch, that healing touch, is extremely important to us," added Tomasine, who along with her sister, is affiliated with both St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers of New York and Staten Island University Hospital. "When we're with a patient, we want them to know their concerns are the most important thing to us at that particular time."
This philosophy also forms the mission of the new Comprehensive Women's Care Pavilion the sisters will co-direct at St. Vincent's Medical Center, West Brighton. Thanks in part to grant-funding and generous community support, it is scheduled to open sometime in early fall.
Modeled after the Foderas' practice, the Pavilion stresses patient education and involvement in the health-care process - all in a centralized, multi-disciplinary facility. On hand will be a team of mostly female board-certified physicians, who not only have fellowship training in their specialty, but who also have knowledge of cutting-edge procedures in their respective fields.
Among the wide range of services offered will be general oncology, breast care, vascular surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, reproduction and infertility, perinatal and prenatal care, plastic surgery, dermatology, internal medicine, cardiology, endocrine therapy/hormone management, mind/body programs and nutrition programs.
"This is our love child. We've been nursing the idea of creating a center of excellence for women's health throughout our careers," explained Maria. "We feel it's important for women here to not have to leave Staten Island for important health-care issues. And over time, we hope it will become a generational thing, where mothers and daughters and sisters will come together."
Like similar centers across the country, the idea for its creation was born from the reality that the female population has unique concerns - and a concept of body image that's vastly different from their male counterparts.
"There are some issues which a woman is just more comfortable talking to another woman about," Tomasine shared. "A man can't understand something like breast conservation or the pain of menstrual cramps in the same way we do. These are not things you can learn from a textbook."
However, they are quick to note that the men they work with are very much "in touch with their feminine side" - and often joke that they'll be wearing pink lab coats at the Pavilion.
Joking like this is an integral part of the sisters' down-to-Earth nature. "We're not always serious," Tomasine said. "We have a good time. We care about each other and our staff" - whose personalities, they say, weave together nicely with their own.
Their careers demand long hours - and the utmost care and precision at all times. Little time is left for sleep and recreation.
Is it ever difficult being around each other day in and day out, many times in the most stressful of environments?
Not at all.
"Sure, sometimes after talking to patients all day, we'll withdraw and shut down . . . but when that happens, we'll actually end up apologizing to each other for being so quiet," explained Tomasine. "This job can exhaust you physically and mentally, so you need to relax when you can. I like to go to the gym and shop. Sometimes we fantasize about shopping, because we don't get to do it as much as we'd like."
But the sister surgeons aren't complaining.
Of their work, Maria concluded: "It's challenging, exhausting and exciting . . . and it's what we love doing every single day."
Dr. Tomasine Fodera, left, and her sister, Dr. Maria Fodera, center, in the operating room earlier this month at St. Vincent's Medical Center, West Brighton.
IRVING SILVERSTEIN
CAP (center): Dr. Tomasine Fodera, standing, and her sister, Dr. Maria Fodera, both surgeons, maintain a joint practice in Grasmere, their hometown.
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