Christie A. Huddleston

Dr. Huddleston, you have had a long and substantive career as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in clinical practice, served as an administrative psychiatrist and co-director of the Young Adult Unit at the Institute for Pennsylvania Hospital, taught medical students, residents and fellows at the Medical College of Pennsylvania (MCP) (formerly Woman’s Medical College), the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and CHOP, been appointed Adult and Child Training Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia, and not to mention you co-founded the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation. Could you tell us about your path to these roles and what made you decide to get into Psychiatry and working with adolescents?  

Erin, I would say that first and foremost I followed my heart and that which piqued my intellectual interest. These evolved over time but were initially formed from my experiences growing up in a military, Catholic family in which an awareness of the destructive forces unleashed in the two World Wars hovered in the background. Service and duty to others were modeled by both my parents and extended family. Those values and the ability to support myself, if need be, were an expected part of becoming an adult.  Otherwise, I was given complete freedom to find my path. In high school, I worked summers for Catholic Social Services in an outreach program for families and teenagers who had sought assistance during the year. After graduation, I chose to go to Mary Washington College, the women’s college of the University of Virginia which at that time did not accept women. I later transferred to Temple University and changed my major to anthropology because I loved learning about people and diverse cultures. Simultaneously, I was dating someone who intended to go to medical school and worked summers as a nurse anesthetist. He would tell me of the different operations he assisted in, and I realized that I craved to see surgery myself.  

I began to take pre-med courses along with my anthropology requirements and volunteered in Temple Hospital’s ER and applied to medical schools. I loved every minute of my studies and ER volunteer work! When I was accepted to MCP I thought I might become a surgeon. During my third-year rotations, my interest in surgery continued, but I was completely surprised by the degree of curiosity I felt about clinical psychiatry. I wanted to understand more about the mind-brain interface, and I really enjoyed working with patients on complex problems in such an intimate manner. Having worked with Tim Cunningham’s research team in the neuroscience department at MCP, I had a strong neuroscience background. MCP’s department of psychiatry was heavily psychoanalytic as were many departments of that era, so in residency, I began to try to integrate the knowledge of these two disciplines to help the patients who came to me for treatment. At the time I began my psychiatric practice there were few clinicians who treated adolescents. I had always felt an affinity for teenagers, so it seemed a natural fit to try to help teenage patients navigate the difficult waters toward adulthood. My career has spanned 40 years. It has been extremely rewarding and never dull! 

The College was honored to host the at our June 27 Kitty Mac Happy Hour for women. Thank you for playing an instrumental part in arranging this partnership! As the Co-Founder and a Past President of WIMLF, an organization committed to promoting the accomplishments of women in the medical sciences and preserving their history, I was wondering if you could speak to its history a bit. What motivated you to form a non-profit and what was that process like? 

As they say, “necessity is the mother of invention”! The WIMLF grew out of a concern that the MCP Archives and Special Collections, now under the auspices of Drexel University and the largest repository of medical women’s papers and artifacts in North America, would be lost or dismantled and sold during the AHERF bankruptcy in 1998. The Special Trust Fund, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization founded by the faculty of Woman’s Medical when the institution became co-ed, commissioned a study to explore the feasibility of establishing a foundation to preserve and protect the Archives and promote the history of women in medicine. It was decided that there was significant support to found such an organization, so a core group of founding members applied for not-for-profit status and sought legal counsel to shepherd the Archives through bankruptcy court intact. Once this was accomplished and Drexel University entered into an agreement to salvage the former MCP medical school, the WIMLF pivoted to our broader mission to promote the contributions and leadership, past and current, of women in medicine and the medical sciences. 

What first interested you about becoming a Fellow at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia? How have you seen Fellowship change at The College of Physicians since you first became a Fellow? 

I have to chuckle at your question. At the time, I was president of the alumnae/ Association of MCP/WMC and I certainly knew of The College of Physicians (CPP), but never entertained the idea that I would ever be a part of such an august body of physicians! When several of the women faculty of MCP, who were also Fellows of CPP, approached to ask me if I would like to be sponsored for membership, I was floored but immediately accepted their offer. The women were Doris Bartuska, MD, Lila Kroser, MD, and Margaret Grey Wood, MD, each of whom I deeply respected. Needless to say, I was deeply honored. 

I have seen many changes over the years at CPP. The College now has a younger and more diverse membership. It has maintained scholarly endeavors, but also opened up to the public and public health concerns in ways that I think are truly relevant.  

What advice would you give to the next generation of women in health care?  

It is hard to predict what the pressing issues in medicine are going to be. Of course, there are great challenges to our world today in terms of climate change, ecological destruction, and malevolent geopolitical forces, but I do believe that individuals can work together to powerfully effect positive outcomes. I would say to a young woman entering medicine that it is important to listen to yourself, find your footing, and foster relationships with those who share a common cause with you. Also, nurture enjoyment where you can in work, with family and friends and within yourself. 

What role(s) do you hope to see the College fill within our community in the coming years? 

I would hope the College would be a guiding light through our complex problems, foster open discussion, and support those who can find suitable solutions. My answer is not a one, two, three answer, but really is one of promoting discernment—allow for more complex solutions, which actually may matter. 

Who is a physician or mentor that has influenced and inspired you?  

It would be hard to pick just one person. There are a few people who have guided me and whose leadership I have learned from. These are Lila Kroser, MD, Past President of AMWA, MWIA, the Philadelphia Medical Society, and family practitioner; June Klinghoffer, MD, internist and renowned faculty member of WMC/MCP; Maurice Clifford, MD, who practiced in OB/GYN, 17th President of WMC/MCP and Philadelphia Health Commissioner; and Walter Cohen, MD, Dean Emeritus of Penn’s dental school, chancellor emeritus of MCP and another founding member of the WIMLF.