SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Good Things Utah) – Throughout Women’s History Month (March) we are honoring women in our community who our viewers nominated as being remarkable women because of the contributions and work they do to lift up others and improve our world. This week’s Remarkable Women honoree is Dr. Martha Monson, a maternal fetal medicine surgeon based in Utah.
Dr. Martha Monson says she did not grow up knowing she wanted to be a maternal fetal surgeon, but she says she did know early on that she wanted to be involved with medicine. While studing medicine in college she quickly realized her passion for working with pregnant women and caring for children in critical need of help. And after 17 years of training and education, Dr. Monson now leads the amazing Maternal Fetal Medicine team at the Grant Scott Bonham Center at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. She and her team provide critical care, sometimes life-saving, to pregnant women and babies who at times are still in the mother’s womb. A rare medical specialty that only a handful of surgeons are trained to do throughout the country.
This type of care is so specialized that patients come from around the country for their care in Utah and from Dr. Monson and her team. Often times, these patients are seeking a ray of hope in some of their darkest hours.
Parents experiencing health complications with a pregnancy can face having to make urgent and difficult decisions regarding the type of care and action they want to take. Dr. Monson is there to help navigate the process and support patients through it all.
“These are incredibly challenging situations that these families are in,” says Dr. Martha Monson. “When they hear of these diagnoses, it is almost like they are preparing for war.”
Patients describe Dr. Monson as compassionate, capable and quite literally, a life-saver. Many say her care goes way beyond the hospital visits – she’s like a friend or even a sister to them during their medical journey.
Dr. Monson says she is inspired and motivated by her patients and the families she helps. Seeing healthy babies thriving after experiencing incredible health challenges during the pregnancy is a remarkable reward for Dr. Monson.
” It’s why we do what we do,” she says.
Dr. Monson hopes that she serves as a good example to future aspiring doctors and surgeons to explore this field, especially women. Her advice:
“It’s all worth it. Buckle up. It’s an insane, wild, and incredibly meaningful ride. Don’t give up.”