In recognition of Women in Medicine Month, the American Otological Society is recognizing the women whose leadership and service have helped shape the Society across generations.
The story includes important “firsts,” presidents who have led the Society, and women whose work behind the scenes has provided continuity across decades. Together, their stories reflect important chapters in the history of women in AOS.
Opening Doors
In 1961, Dorothy Wolff, PhD, became the first woman invited to join the American Otological Society as an Associate Member.
Sixteen years later, in 1977, Dr. LaVonne Bergstrom became the first woman to become a Full Member of AOS.
These milestones marked important moments in the Society’s history. In the decades that followed, women would go on to serve in the highest levels of AOS leadership.
Leading the Society
In 2001, Dr. A. Julianna Gulya served as the first woman president of the American Otological Society. At the time of her AOS leadership, she was with The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She has since retired.
Fifteen years later, Dr. Debara L. Tucci served as AOS president in 2016, when she was at Duke University. She is now Director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Dr. Carol A. Bauer, now retired from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, served as president in 2019.
Dr. Sujana S. Chandrasekhar of ENT & Allergy Associates and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell served as president in 2024.
Dr. Nancy M. Young of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine served as the fifth woman president of AOS in 2025.
This year, Dr. Andrea Vambutas of Long Island Jewish Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital at Northwell Health System and the Zucker School of Medicine joined the AOS Council. She is slated to serve as president in 2032.
Taken together, these women trace another part of the history of women in AOS, extending from the beginning of this century to the Society’s current and future leadership.
Sustaining AOS Across Generations
The history of a professional society is shaped not only by the people who hold elected office. It is also shaped by those who provide the institutional knowledge, continuity and day-to-day stewardship that allow the organization to carry out its work from one administration to the next.
For AOS, that story includes two generations of one family.
Shirley Gossard served as the AOS Executive Administrator from 1996 to 2012.
Shirley’s daughter, Kristen Bordignon, has worked with AOS since 2004 and now serves as the Society’s lead Executive Administrator.
Together, their service spans three decades of AOS history. Through changing presidents, Council members, annual meetings and initiatives, they have helped provide continuity for the Society and its members.
Their story is a reminder that leadership and service can take many forms — and that the people who sustain an organization over time are an important part of its history.
Women Across AOS Today
The women highlighted here represent selected milestones in AOS history, but not the full story.
Women throughout the American Otological Society continue to contribute as Members, Fellows, Associate Members, clinicians, researchers, educators, mentors and leaders. Their work advances the Society and the care of patients with hearing and balance disorders.
During Women in Medicine Month, AOS celebrates both the historical milestones that helped shape the Society and the women whose work continues to shape it today.
The firsts matter. The leadership matters. The service matters.
Together, they are part of the continuing story of women in the American Otological Society.