Only 5 percent of practicing neurosurgeons in the United States are female. But "I always thought of myself as one of the guys," said neurosurgeon Dr. Katrina Firlik, '91, a clinical assistant professor at Yale University School of Medicine and an author. She spoke during an April 19 luncheon with members of the undergraduate organization Women in Science at Cornell.

But it is not Firlik's gender that invites incredulous looks and comments in the male-dominated field, she noted. It is her youthful appearance and small frame.

Firlik, who is 38, was the first woman admitted to the largest neurosurgery residency program in the country at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Recently she authored the book "Another Day in the Frontal Lobe," which provides an inside look into the selective field of neurosurgery.

Firlik's two-day visit to Cornell, April 18-19, was sponsored by the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development and consisted of several conversations with Cornell students, a public lecture about the top 10 things people probably don't know about their average neurosurgeon, and a book-signing session.

Steve Strogatz, Cornell professor of theoretical and applied mechanics, organized Firlik's visit after he read her book and discovered she was a Cornell alumna. "At first, I thought about inviting her to give a departmental seminar," said Strogatz, "but it was clear that she'd appeal to a lot of different groups on campus, from premeds and bio majors to women in science to students curious about the brain or about the ins and outs of science writing."

Firlik, who has a 9-month-old daughter, defined her new role as a mother as, by far, her favorite. On the issue of life-career balance, Firlik paid tribute to her supportive spouse, Andrew Firlik '90, M.D.'93, a former neurosurgeon and now venture capitalist who also serves on the Life Sciences Advisory Board of Cornell. She also has tailored her career to her lifestyle changes, so that although she is on call nearly every other week, she operates out of a private-practice partnership in Connecticut, offering some flexibility to an otherwise demanding schedule.

Firlik said she has always enjoyed writing and advises everyone she meets to keep a journal when embarking on such endeavors as medical school.

Graduate student Sandra Holley is a writer intern at the Cornell Chronicle.