UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #715
SARTO, GLORIA E.

SARTO, Gloria E. (1929- )
Professor Emerita, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
At UW: 1955-1976, 1983-1986, 1997-

Interviewed: 2005	
Interviewer: Ann Peckham and Judith Leavitt
Length: 2 hours, 30 minuets

Family background; Education; Nursing; University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School; Obstetrics and gynecology; PhD in genetics; Medical practice; Department chair at Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico School of Medicine; National Center of Excellence in Women's Health; Women's movement.          

Interview Session (July 26, 2005): Tapes 1-3

Tape 1/Side 1

00:00:37	Gloria Sarto describes her parents' families, who had immigrated to the US from Holland and Italy.

00:02:16	She describes her mother and father.

00:06:20	GS was born in 1929 as the youngest of three children.  She recalls growing up during the Depression.

00:08:00	Her family moved from Racine to the countryside while GS was in the fourth grade.  

00:08:55	She attended junior high school and high school in Racine.

00:09:57	GS intended to go into nursing education but could not afford to attend university.  She ultimately studied at St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in Racine.

00:12:10	After receiving her R.N. degree, she went to work in the women's unit in Denver and simultaneously took courses at the University of Colorado.  She returned to Racine after a couple of years and worked as a labor delivery nurse at St. Luke's Hospital.

00:13:40	She describes her work in the delivery room.

00:16:04	GS took morning courses at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee while she still worked in Racine.  She pursued a pre-med course of study.

00:17:25	The night supervisor at St. Luke's Hospital often relieved GS on her night shift so that she could rest for her classes the next day.

00:18:25	GS pitched on a baseball team in a city league in Racine. 

00:21:00	She applied to and attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She continued to work as a nurse to fund her medical education.

00:25:54	She graduated from medical school in 1958 and completed her internship at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.

Tape 1/Side 2

00:30:40	Gloria Sarto describes her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

00:34:45	She talks about her rotations at St. Mary's Hospital and Madison General Hospital (which later became Meriter Hospital).

00:37:50	GS talks about her relationship with nurses at the hospital.

00:40:35	While she was in medical school she worked at a Catholic hospital in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.

00:42:20	GS describes aspects of obstetrics practice while she was a resident, including the use of anesthesia.  Initially patients did not want women doctors.  She describes some of her colleagues.

00:47:45	GS describes childbirth methods practiced during her residency.

00:49:35	Upon completing her residency she remained at UW as an attending physician on the faculty.

00:50:35	GS assisted in surgery on patients with Turner's syndrome.  She sat in on genetics courses in order to prepare herself for this work and decided to pursue a PhD in medical genetics.

00:53:55	Her dissertation was about sex chromosome abnormalities.  GS remained on the faculty during the research and writing of her dissertation.

00:56:55	She talks about the evolution of childbirth methods and Lamas.

01:00:49	End of tape.

Tape 2/Side 1

00:00:08	Gloria Sarto continues to discuss delivery methods.  The chief of staff at Madison General Hospital threatened to revoke her privileges for allowing a female coach to attend the delivery of a child.

00:03:25	GS performed surgery on children with chromosome abnormalities. 

00:07:40	She also performed surgery and treatment on transsexual people.

00:11:49	GS discusses performing abortions at the hospital.

00:20:05	She was recruited to the faculty of the Medical School at Northwestern University.

00:25:10	GS chaired the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee but was dissatisfied with the atmosphere there.

00:26:40	She left Milwaukee to become department chair at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in 1986.

Tape 2/Side 2

00:29:56	Gloria Sarto discusses her time at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, where she chaired the department of obstetrics and gynecology.  She talks about rebuilding the department.

00:34:20	She resigned as chair after ten years.

00:36:10	GS returned to Wisconsin and worked with Molly Carnes to set up a women's health center.

00:37:50	She served as director of the National Center of Excellence in Women's Health, as co-director of the UW Center for Women's Health Research, and as co-director of the Center for the Study of Cultural Diversity in Health Care.

00:38:30	GS was the interim director of the Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine.

00:39:15	She describes the National Center of Excellence in Women's Health.

00:41:00	She talks about the Women's Health Initiative, for which she was the principal investigator.

00:42:30	GS discusses funding sources for centers for women's health.

00:48:45	She talks about research on women's health.

00:50:17	GS evaluates the various medical schools at which she has worked.

00:55:10	She talks about the reputation of the UW Medical School and the department of obstetrics and gynecology.

00:55:50	Obstetrics and gynecology were moved out of the University Hospital.  GS discusses the availability of resources for women's health on campus and in Madison.

00:59:56	End of side.  End of tape.

Tape 3/Side 1

00:00:10	Gloria Sarto describes the impact of the women's movement at the University of Wisconsin.  She left Madison in 1976 when the movement was strong; but when she returned in 1996 it appeared that progress on women's issues had stopped.  GS lists some of the women on the faculty in the 1970s.

00:05:30	She talks about the career path of women in medicine.

00:07:18	GS thinks women will find it more difficult to advance in the field.

00:11:32	She discusses patients' attitudes toward female doctors.

00:14:28	She talks about numerous faculty and colleagues.

00:18:00	GS comments on doctors' attitudes towards allowing husbands into the delivery room.

00:23:15	She talks about working with nurse-midwives.

00:29:22	End of interview.

END