The Bat and the Saguaro
The following is the acceptance remarks by Dr. Garrett Booth upon receiving the #HeForShe #IStandWithHer Ally award at the 2022 Women in Medicine Summit.
Author: Garrett Booth, MD, MS
Good afternoon, I wanted to first thank the organizing committee and the entirety of the Women in Medicine conference for such an amazing program.
As the recipient of the Ally in medicine award I can't help but think of a tree based metaphor. Hear me out.
I'm not talking about the giant redwood who inhabits an amazing habitat full of environmental support, nourishment, work life balance, equitable pay, and protection...what I'm thinking about when I hear the word Ally is about 1000 miles to the south, in my home state, within the Sonoran desert.
You see, in austere environments where there are limited resources, unrelenting environmental insults, and very minimal nourishment to grow and feed or sustain life of any form is where you really see allyships take place.
The Crown Jewel of the Sonoran desert is unquestionably the saguaro cactus, capable of centuries of growth and development within some of the harshest conditions, no support, no nourishment, and relentless attacks from the environment. Despite all of these significant challenges the saguaro cactus thrives, it stands tall despite all of the obstacles.
How does it do that? How is anything capable of thriving in such brutal conditions?
One such adaptation that the saguaro has embarked upon is to take advantage of the migratory interloper known as the lesser long nosed bat. You see this bat is an ally, but he didn't even know it, because he travels as a nocturnal animal feeding on the nectar of the saguaro blossom inadvertently spreading its pollen from cactus to cactus, helping to ensure essential communication.
The lesser long-nosed bat had no idea that it was serving as an ally, this was all a byproduct of the evolutionary adaptations of the mighty saguaro. The bat just helped to facilitate the discussion.
This tiny 2 ounce bat is what I think of when I think of being an ally.
I stand amongst the amazing, talented, diverse, hard- working, and inspiring saguaros of the healthcare world. And so I accept this award with great humility and want to say thank you, thank you to you all for letting this lesser long nosed bat help out in this journey. Thank you.
About the author: Dr. Garrett Booth is an associate professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Twitter: @DrGSBooth1).
