Dr. Karen Rizzo knows about barriers. And they've never stopped her.
Rizzo, 48, of Lancaster is an otolaryngologist, or ear, nose and throat doctor, at Otolaryngology Physicians of Lancaster. When she first set up her practice 17 years ago, she was one of only three female surgeons in Lancaster County, and she is still, to her knowledge, the only female in her specialty in the county.
She wasn't only on the cutting edge in her field, though. She played basketball at Villanova University on a full scholarship in 1977, when Title IX was only five years old and many women's sports programs were in their infancy.
"I've been told I'm a pioneer in all that," she said. "So much of it has to do with you as a person and not giving up."
And she must not have given up. She has been inducted into the northeastern chapter of Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the Villanova University Athletic Hall of Fame and the sports hall of fame in Wayne County, where she played high school basketball.
She learned her "claim-to-fame" jump shot playing with her 6-foot-4-inch brother. At only 5 feet 6 inches, she had to learn to shoot high, Rizzo said.
Though she left big-time sports behind when she entered medical school, she still coaches two basketball teams: a girls' basketball summer league team and the novice team at St. Leo the Great, which is for girls in fourth and fifth grades.
She also volunteers her time as a surgical specialty trustee for the Pennsylvania Medical Society board of trustees and has been elected president of the Lancaster City and County Medical Society for next year.
"I think more physicians should get more involved," she said. "Comparing Pennsylvania to other states, we have a lot of problems they don't have."
Some of those problems include high malpractice premiums and poor reimbursement, which prompt doctors trained in Pennsylvania to move elsewhere to practice, she said.
Her work is to bring physicians, the government, the business community, the media and the general population together to address such problems, she said.
She hopes to work not only for Pennsylvanians, but also to use her medical experience to help people in poorer countries that lack medical resources. In December, she and her husband, a dentist, visited Cambodia, Vietnam and Hong Kong with a group chosen from the American College of Surgeons, to teach native doctors.
Rizzo hopes to travel to the Philippines or Indonesia to perform thyroid surgeries. In the meantime, she collected a suitcase full of material to suture, or sew up, patients.
"It seems like not a big deal to us, but to them it's a major deal," she said. "They have millions of people to care for and no resources."
Family: Husband, Dr. Jay A. Rizzo; daughters, Nicole and Marci, 12 and 9; Shadow, a miniature Schnauzer; and Oliver, an old English sheepdog.
Education: Bachelor's degree in biology from Villanova University in 1981 (graduated magna cum laude); medical degree from Temple University in 1985; residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, 1990.
When I was young, I wanted to be: A surgeon. I knew that since second grade. What kind of surgeon was the bigger question.
I became an otolaryngologist because: I enjoy the complex anatomy of the head and neck and doing the intricate and delicate surgery on them. My specialty sees all ages from young to old. It involves the medical and surgical management of patients.
The best thing about my job is: Helping people feel better, improving their quality of life and prolonging life.
The worst thing about my job is: Being unable to cure or control a medical problem.
Places I have lived other than Lancaster: Philadelphia, 1977-1990, and Forest City near Scranton, 1966-1977.
The thing I love most about Lancaster is: The beautiful community. It's a great place to raise a family, with excellent health care.
One thing I would change about Lancaster is: I would slow down the use of farmland for housing developments.
My favorite movie and TV show are: The Harry Potter series and men's and women's college basketball.
Three things I couldn't live without: My family, good health and laughter.
If I could travel anywhere, I would go: On the space shuttle.
If I could do anything I wanted tomorrow, it would be: Finding a cure for cancer.
If I could be reincarnated as anything, I would be: An eagle, a protected species with limitless boundaries.
Megan Hart is a staff writer for the Sunday News. Her e-mail address is mhart@lnpnews.com.
