Winding path from Romania to Ohio leads talented surgeon to thoracic field

A winding path to thoracic surgery

She entered Harvard Medical School with the initial intent of becoming a surgeon; however, her medical training was not in thoracic surgery.

“In medical school, I didn’t really have any female surgeon mentors, so I swayed from surgery and trained in pediatrics instead,” she recalls. “Also, women becoming surgeons was discouraged. I was told that if I wanted to have a life, a family, kids or anything like that I should stay away from surgery, so I thought I would do pediatric cardiology and fix little kids’ hearts.”

But she yearned for a surgeon’s ability to sometimes “cure” a patient in one day through a single procedure, “providing the immediate gratification of doing something that’s hugely impactful on a patient’s life.”

After earning her medical degree, she reconsidered her career path and went to Stanford Medical School, where she first pursued a residency in general surgery and later thoracic surgery — a decision largely influenced by three women surgeons on the Stanford faculty “who showed me that it’s possible.” She admired their ability to operate anywhere in the chest and abdomen. “It was the most comprehensive type of surgery, and what I ultimately wanted to do.”

Finding fulfillment as a thoracic surgeon

In 2024, Dr. Baiu was recruited to Ohio State, joining her thoracic surgery colleagues in operating on patients with chest cancers and benign disorders — “anything in the chest other than the heart,” she explains, adding that they also perform abdominal surgeries for benign conditions such as hernias.

Although female thoracic surgeons are still a significant minority in this discipline, data indicate slow but steady growth in their numbers. Dr. Baiu recognizes her important role in nurturing that growth.

“I feel a responsibility to mentor other aspiring female surgeons, to not let them sway away as I did, to show them it’s possible to do this and be fulfilled,” she says.

Heightening awareness, reducing disparities

As a researcher, Dr. Baiu focuses on strategies to enhance short- and long-term outcomes for patients with thoracic conditions, as well as gender disparities in cancer care. She’s also interested in improving early detection of lung cancer and increasing awareness about the importance of screenings.

She notes that there is still a public misperception that women and young people generally don’t get lung cancer. Although most cases do occur in people over 65, in 2024 the American Cancer Society projected that slightly more women than men would be among the nearly 235,000 estimated new cases for that year.

Dr. Baiu says women and people in their 30s and 40s “can still get lung cancer,” adding that clinicians are seeing more and more of these patients, many of whom have never smoked.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 10-20% of lung cancers in the United States occur in people who never smoked or smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime. Dr. Baiu notes that global statistics indicate 15-20% of men with lung cancer are non-smokers, while over 50% of women with lung cancer are non-smokers. 

She says researchers attribute lung cancer among non-smokers to several factors, including secondhand smoke, exposure to radon gas, air pollution and genetic mutations in the tumor types of never-smokers versus smokers.

“I think it’s important for physicians and the public to be aware of this and to understand that patients should be screened for lung cancer whenever there’s a concern for it,” she says, adding that relatively few people know about low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening for lung cancer, “a method that has been well-studied. It’s been shown that mortality decreases when this screening is used for patients who are eligible for it, or for whom there is a concern for possible lung cancer.”

Excelling in challenges in and out of the operating room

As a clinician, Dr. Baiu strives to improve her patients’ lives and is exhilarated by “the ability we have to quickly create a trusting relationship where they literally say, ‘I’m going to put my life in your hands.’ There’s nothing else I could do that’s so mutually impactful and rewarding.”

To illustrate that, she mentions recently working with her “great surgical team” on an urgent operation that didn’t end until midnight.

“This patient had been very sick for a long time, but the next morning when I arrived, he greeted me with a big smile and said it was the best he’d felt in a long time,” she recalls. “It’s very rewarding to have such an immediate impact that makes patients so grateful.”

She admits her highly specialized work as a surgeon can be stressful, but she considers that an asset when blended with confidence and skill. “I think it’s good to have a healthy anxiety where you’re stressed enough that you’re going to be very focused on your patient and not take anything for granted.”

One thing that helps her is being a successful triathlete.

“Doing triathlons is comparable to being a surgeon because it pushes you beyond your limits and requires intense focus,” she explains. “When you jump into freezing water and high waves with many other people and sharks and boats, you concentrate on surviving — a mental exercise of mind over body.”

“In thoracic surgery, many procedures are long and tedious, requiring you to go for hours without food or breaks, so you have to be totally focused on the one goal of caring for your patient.”

Dr. Baiu believes her triathlon training also will help her when she participates in the 2025 Pelotonia, the community that raises millions of dollars for cancer research at the OSUCCC – James through an annual cycling event series. “I’ve heard so much about Pelotonia and am excited to take part in it,” she says.

Abundant appreciation

Also a skilled educator, Dr. Baiu hopes her love of teaching will help her enlighten students and the public alike about lung cancer screening and disparities, along with other aspects of thoracic surgery.

“I like getting people excited about learning,” she says. “I think you can teach everybody a little about many different aspects of medicine. That’s the importance of mentorship, and I feel incredibly grateful because the only way I could get to where I am today was with the help of my family and all my mentors who saw something in me and supported me.”

She offers an enthusiastic message for all.

“If you want to do something, follow your heart and go for it. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, or whether you’re a woman or a man, or what your background is, just find and follow your path. Once you’re doing what you love, you’ll wake up every day and feel the excitement.”