Celebrating National Women Physicians Day

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (WTOC) - Thursday is National Women Physicians Day and to celebrate, WTOC brings us into one Lowcountry woman’s practice to talk about her journey in a typically male dominated field.

“There were only men in cardiology.”

While Dr. Ravina Balchandari, or Dr. B as she’s known around her office, was starting in the medical field, she wasn’t surrounded by many other women.

“We could just count on fingers.”

She’s been here in the Lowcountry since 2008, but her journey as one of the only women interventional cardiologists started in New York back in 1999.

“During my time when I started my practice in Long Island, the whole of five burrows and Long Island there was only three women.”

Dr. B says, not surprisingly, that gender gap came with professional challenge.

“To a certain extent, definitely I had to strive to get my words heard.”

Since then, she’s put in the work. Amassing so many degrees and certificates they take up two walls in her office. An office, entirely staffed by women.

“It shows the fact that women are not just limited to being housewives and homemakers. That you can be whatever you want to be as long as you have the determination,” said Andrea Green, Front Desk, Heart Associate Hilton Head.

Here, that determination means four procedures before 11 a.m. on Thursday, in a field where each one is intense and wisdom is key.

“It’s a life and death situation. You can lose a patient on the table absolutely, but that’s where the experience… I’ve been in this field now for 25 years so absolutely that experience makes a difference.”

Take it back a few decades before that experience though and she was nearly alone in her field. Now, she’s surrounded by a team of women determined to help people each and every day.

“Instead of breaking hearts we’re fixing them,” said Requel Jones, Medical Assistant, Heart Associate Hilton Head.

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