Honorary Degree Recipient
Patricia K. Donahoe
Doctor of Science
Photo by Warren Prosperi
Patricia K. Donahoe (Sargent’58) is a renowned pediatric surgeon and a lifelong innovative researcher, educator, and trailblazer for women in medicine. Born and raised in the Boston area (in the suburbs of Brookline and Braintree, as Patricia Kilroy), she graduated from Boston University in 1958 with a BS in physical education and was inducted into the University’s athletic hall of fame.
After completing her premed requirements and teaching physical education at Indiana University, Dr. Donahoe matriculated at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, graduating in 1964: one of six women in a class of 120. She married John F. Donahoe in 1960 and raised a family of three children while training and furthering her career as a surgeon-scientist.
Dr. Donahoe joined the Department of Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in 1973 and, since then, has served as director of the Pediatric Surgical Research Laboratories. In 1984, she was appointed chief of Pediatric Surgical Services. In 1986, she became the Marshall K. Bartlett Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School: the first woman to be appointed professor of surgery at the school.
Dr. Donahoe has made significant surgical contributions in pediatric urological and tracheoesophageal reconstructions. Funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1976, her groundbreaking research has garnered worldwide recognition and acclaim. She has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and has mentored more than 100 fellows who trained in her laboratory. Dr. Donahoe served on the Boston University Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2009. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Inventors. The Patricia K. Donahoe Visiting Professorship at MGH celebrates her many accomplishments advancing the field of pediatric surgery and mentoring a generation of surgeon-scientists.