Georgette Kidess, the First Female Neurosurgeon in Palestine.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to detail the background, training, and career of Dr. Georgette Kidess, the first and remaining the only female neurosurgeon in Palestine. In addition, we mentioned the obstacles women face during their neurosurgical career and how to overcome them. Also, we discussed different methods to attract female medical students to neurosurgery.

METHODS: Information was gathered only from direct face-to-face interviews with Dr. Kidess.

RESULTS: Georgette Kidess was born on May 2, 1952, in Nablus, Palestine. She received the degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) at Eberhard Karls Universitaet, Tuebingen, Germany in 1979. She worked as a neurosurgeon at the Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital in Jerusalem and subsequently established the first neurosurgical department at the Ramallah Governmental Hospital in Ramallah in 1986. Thereafter, she has continued a career in private practice, currently residing in Saint Luke's Hospital, Nablus. Dr. Kidess played a major part in establishing neurosurgery in Palestine. She was among the founders of The Palestinian Neurosurgical Society (PNS) in 2014.

CONCLUSIONS: In this article, we recount Dr. Kidess's contributions and achievements to neurosurgery in Palestine. Her commitment, persistence, and diligence enabled her to overcome great odds and become the first female neurosurgeon in Palestine. We hope her story will inspire and open the doors for subsequent women to enter and enhance the field of neurosurgery, especially in the Middle East.