CMA members and sisters Drs. Marguerite and Therese Duane were recently recognized with the American Medical Association’s Women Physicians Inspiration Award. This award honors women physicians who dedicate their time, wisdom and expertise to inspire and encourage their fellow colleagues and students.

The Duane Sisters are power-houses and inspirations in their respective field of medicine. Dr. Marguerite Duane is a Board-certified family physician and the cofounder and executive director of FACTS about Fertility, an organization dedicated to educating medical professionals and students about the scientific evidence supporting fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs). Dr. Therese Duane is a Board-certified trauma surgeon, who earned the 2024 Texas magazine Top Doctors for General Surgery.

Both sisters credit their mother’s work as a nurse and the enthralling experience of witnessing their youngest sister’s birth as children for stirring in them a desire to become doctors. Throughout medical school and residency, the sisters supported each other to succeed. Marguerite even introduced Therese to her husband, Jeffrey, a fellow physician.

As the older sister, Therese’s dedication, self-discipline and strong work ethic inspired Marguerite, which is why she nominated her sister for the award.

“In an emergency situation, Therese is an expert in action. Her presence of mind and calmness are amazing to witness. I am in awe of her ability to stay calm and focused to save lives,” Marguerite said, noting that her example helped her when she did ER rotations during residency.

Therese completed her Doctor of Medicine degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine. She earned her master of business administration degree with Honors from the University of Massachusetts, Isenberg School of Management. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies with honors from Cornell University. She is certificated in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Advanced Trauma Life Support. She holds medical licenses in nine states and serves as a locum tenens physician at multiple institutions.

Therese has held various leadership roles and academic appointments at institutions such as Texas Health Resources, JPS Health Network, and Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems. She has been recognized with numerous awards and honors for her outstanding contributions to medicine and medical education. She received the 2022 Shield Award from Texas Health Resources and was named the 2021 Top Critical Care Specialist by Texas Magazine Top Doctors.

Therese was also the one that kept her sister’s dream alive when she became a major donor for FACTS just when Marguerite needed the financial support most. Therese knew her sister’s dedication and grit would make FACTS a leading organization in the field of fertility and women’s health, so it was an easy decision for her to make.

Marguerite learned about fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) from fellow CMA member, Dr. Pearl Huang-Ramirez, when they were both family medicine residents at Lancaster General Hospital. As a new doctor, Marguerite was stunned that she had never learned about these methods in her medical training.

“Then something critical dawned on me. How can I provide high quality comprehensive women’s health care if I don’t understand this whole aspect of women’s health?” she recalled. “This insight planted the seed that changed the trajectory of my career.”

Marguerite went on to learn about all the methods and became trained as a Creighton, FEMM and NeoFertility Medical consultant, and a TeenSTAR educator. She cares for patients via a direct primary care house-calls based practice, MD for Life, where she teaches her patients about FABMs. She also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgetown University and Duquesne University College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she ensures that students receive scientific based education about FABMs.

“I am inspired by her tenacity, persistence, and passion for this topic, and her drive to ensure that medical students and practicing physicians have access to additional methods to help patients take control of their fertility and their health,” said Janet Hurley, a colleague who nominated her for the award.

Marguerite received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and completed her Family Medicine residency at Lancaster General Hospital in Pennsylvania. She received a Bachelor of Science with Honors and a Master of Health Administration degree from Cornell University. In 2022, Dr. Duane completed a primary care research fellowship at the University of Utah earning a Master of Science in Public Health.

She is the CMA State Director for D.C. and was awarded the Distinguished Guardian of Faith Award at CMA’s 93^rd Annual Educational Conference last month. The award is presented to members whose vocation of healing others exemplifies their faith and love of God—both personally and professionally.

The Duane sisters are making lasting impressions in the secular and Catholic world of medicine and CMA congratulates them both.