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Page 12 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE April 28, 1978
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Dr. Wenger helps
heal broken hearts
Staff Photo Lua Geldbarl
Nanette Wenger: ???I always wanted to be a doctor.???
by Lisa Redaction
Dr. Nanette Wenger doesn't
need to be concerned about the
Equal Rights Amendment because
she became equal a long time ago.
Dr. Wenger, director of the
cardiac clinic at Grady Memorial
Hospital in Atlanta, first woman
president of the Georgia Heart
Association and a professor of
medicine at Emory University
School of Mediciqf, became a
doctor before most women even
gave it a thought.
???There has been a tremendous
change. Years ago, people would
call you the ???woman doctor??? but
today a third of the medical class at
Emory is women. Many years ago
women were expected to be
spectacular and at the top of their
medical class. This was a form of
discrimination in itself,??? she
recalled during our interview in her
Grady Hospital office.
But Dr. Wenger, a native of New
York, was definitely at the top of
her class. After attending Hunter
College, she attended Harvard
Medical School, graduating in
1954.
???I always wanted to be a doctor.
There was never any question.
There were a lot of doctors in my
family,??? she said.
Dr. Wenger has been part of the
Emory University School of
Medicine and Grady Hospital
cardiac clinics since 1958. She has
not had any problems with
students or patients in accepting a
woman as their teacher or doctor.
???People accept you for what you
know and how much you care
about them, not who you are and
what you are. I have never had a
problem," she said.
Dr. Wenger, a small, attractive
woman, finds cardiac rehabil
itation and Jewish orgahizations
fill a large part of her frantic
schedule.
She is a pionter in cardiac
rehabilitation and originated a 14-
step program of counseling and
exercises that begin in the
coronary care unit. She pointed
out that the Atlanta Jewish
Community Center has its own
cardiac rehabilitation program.
Today Dr. Wenger finds heart
patients are treated entirely
different than when she first
attended medical school.
???There has been a 180 percent
change. Twenty five or thirty years
ago, if someone had a heart attack
it would be ^he end of a useful and
productive career. They would be
hospitalized for several months
and have to stay at home for up to
a year. E'ew really returned to their
regular jobs, even after that year. It
was the end of doing what they had
always done and no one wanted to
talk about it,??? Dr. Wenger said.
But now she finds things are
entirely different.
???The patient's hospital stays are
for shorter periods, usually ten
days or two weeks, and they move
around earlier. Very commonly
they are back to work in two or
three months. This is done through
cardiac rehabilitation. The person
will be able to swim and play tennis
like before. Of course we don???t
recommend the Boston Marathon
but some heart patients have been
known to do it," she said smiling.
Dr. Wenger finds people are
now taking better care of their
bodies with diet and exercise. Also
there has been more emphasis on
detecting high blood pressure and
treating it. In addition, many in the
"coronary age group??? have cut
down or stopped smoking and
with cardio pulmonary resusci
tation being offered there are more
trained citizens to help someone
who may be having heart
problems. She cites these factors as
indications that people are helping
themselves.
Also Dr. Wenger has found it is
important to let people know that
women as well as men can have
heart attacks.
???At one time, people were
always talking about protecting
, their husbands from heart attack.
Well, women are becoming more
vulnerable. You wouldn???t believe
the women in their 30s and 40s I???ve
seen with heart problems. It???s not
as common for a woman to have a
heart attack but the numbers have
increased. This may be due to
cigarette smoking or the use of the
pill for women over 40. Nothing
has been documented as to
whether women???s changing role
and the stress that comes with it
has led to the increase,??? Dr.
Wenger noted.
She also has not found
any evidence that Jewish people
have any more or less heart
problems than anyone else.
When Dr. Wenger is not
discussing medicine, she spends a
great deal of her time working for
Jewish organizations, especially
Hadassah and the Atlanta Jewish
Community Center.
???Being involved in Jewish
organizations is a hobby to me.
With Hadassah I can combine my
hobby with my profession. I???ve
gone abroad for the U.S.
government and was a professor
and lecturer at Hadassah Hospital
in Israel. It's unbelievable in Israel.
Many Arab patients go to
Hadassah Hospital because they
have such good facilities and
doctors,??? she said proudly.
In addition to Hadassah, Dr.
Wenger has two or three other
???favorites" as she put it.
???I???ve been on the Atlanta Jewish
Community Center Board since I
can remember and was secretary at
one time. When I became active I
was rather concerned that there
was no programming for the
elderly. I was vocal on it and the
next thing you know they asked me
to chair the committee.
???Now they have a superb
program for the elderly five days a
week with hot kosher lunches. The
senior citizens are running their
own program. It really pleases me.
I remember the biggest problem I
had in the beginning was to tell the
children that bubbe or zaxdecould
go to the gym and swim in the
pool,??? Dr. Wenger recalled
Dr. Wenger is also past
president of the Atlanta Bureau of
Jewish Education, where she set up
a special education program.
In spite of Dr. Wenger???s busy
schedule, she makes time for her
family and other activities.
She met her husband, Julius,
while they were both in medical
school. He is also a full-time
professor of medicine at Emory
University.
She has three daughters and
finds her hectic working schedule
has actually been good for them.
???They don???t know anything
different than having a working
mother. It has made them more
independent and they have to
make more decisions on their own.
They are all very much involved in
Jewish youth organizations in the
community,??? she said.
Aside from her family, Jewish
organizations and medicine, Dr.
Wenger fills her days listening to
music, doing needlepoint and loves
to cook.
1 could not resist asking Dr.
Wenger the obvious question ???
how do you manage to do it all?
I received a very modest answer.
???How do you do all youdoT???she
asked ???You just organize yourself
and fit it all in,??? answered the small
woman who???s a giant in her field.