Bryn Mawr College has received a bequest totaling $10 million from Frances K. Conley '52, a pioneering neurosurgeon, author, and advocate for gender equity in medicine. Her generous unrestricted gift will help Bryn Mawr invest in what matters most: expanding access, supporting transformative learning, and sustaining a vibrant campus community.
Conley, who died on August 5, 2024, at age 83 after a long illness, had a groundbreaking career that reshaped the field of neurosurgery. Born in Palo Alto, California, she began her undergraduate studies at Bryn Mawr before returning to the West Coast to complete her degree at Stanford University.
In 1966, she became Stanford's first female surgical resident. She went on to break another significant barrier in 1982 as the first woman to gain tenure as a full professor of neurosurgery at a U.S. medical school. A specialist in spinal surgery and carotid artery procedures, Conley also conducted research exploring the use of the immune system to treat brain tumors. From 1998 to 2000, she served as chief of staff at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Health System.
Throughout her career, Conley was a forceful advocate for women in medicine. In 1991, she drew national attention when she resigned from Stanford in protest of discriminatory treatment toward women surgeons—a decision she later reversed.
"After the School of Medicine's dean committed to address the issues she raised, Conley withdrew her resignation, but she continued to lecture and speak out to the media about sexism in the medical field, particularly within surgical specialties," Stanford Magazine reported.
Her actions helped catalyze broader conversations about gender equity in academic medicine. She chronicled these experiences in her memoir, Walking Out on the Boys (1998), offering a candid account of the challenges faced by women in her field.
Beyond her professional achievements, Conley was also an accomplished athlete. In 1971, when women were first formally recognized in the race results, she was the leading female finisher at the Bay to Breakers in San Francisco.
Through this extraordinary bequest, Frances Conley's legacy will continue to advance Bryn Mawr's mission and expand opportunities for generations of students to come.