Patty Locuratolo Hymanson Interview

By Lillian Adey

Recently, I had the absolute pleasure to speak with Dr. Patty Locuratolo Hymanson, a Yale alum who graduated from the college in 1979 and went on to lead an extremely successful career as a neurologist. Now that she is retired, she has plenty of advice for Yale students, especially the young women aspiring to be leaders in their fields. Dr. Hymanson was a leader in the medical field for twenty-eight years, before becoming a leader in politics for the next eight. She prides herself on being a big picture thinker and an optimistic leader, and hopes to impart that onto all of you. 
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When Dr. Hymanson first stepped foot onto Yale’s campus, she wanted to major in Biology. In fact, she planned to be a marine biologist. However, after much soul searching, Dr. Hymanson realized that would not be her path. During her junior year of college, she took a class with Professor Arthur Viseltier through the Yale School of Public Health. Professor Viseltier suggested that Dr. Hymanson practice medicine, and after that, she had a set path to follow–a path that she knew would allow her enough flexibility to have a family and keep the rest of her priorities. Medicine has many facets, and she chose private practice specifically for this flexibility, though she does admit that the field of medicine has lost some flexibility. After all of these changes, Dr. Hymanson believes that students should know what they are looking for and what kind of life the career they are pursuing will provide for them. When you finally know that is, you have the best mental image of success.
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Dr. Hymanson says that Yale is like a candy store. Yale offers so much–more than 500 extracurriculars, amazing professors and classes, and lifelong friends. Dr. Hymanson says that she picked her college experience, just like a child in a candy store, and utilized her time to the fullest. At Yale, Dr. Hymanson participated in ice skating, dance classes held at the PWG, and activities in Saybrook College. She even directed a play by Samuel Beckett. However, out of her very successful careers and life, one of the few things she regrets is not going into college with a clear understanding of what it offered. All of her grandparents were immigrants, and her parents did not truly understand the importance of college, so when she got to Yale, she did not realize the opportunities that she was missing on campus. But Dr. Hymanson wants better for you–she implores you to strive to understand the opportunities available to you as a Yale student and take advantage of as many as you can. Like Dr. Hymanson, you never know the beautiful, winding path that saying “yes” can pave for you.  
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This was actually one of the first things we discussed–saying “yes”–what it did for her and what it can do for you. Dr. Hymanson has been singing with her women’s choir group for the past 30 years–but she also said “yes” to being their physician. And while this was hard at times–taking responsibility when a medical emergency happens in another country is incredibly nerve-wracking–it also ended up being one of the most fulfilling things she does for the group.
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In her retirement, Dr. Hymanson has also been working with the Yale Alumni Service Corps (YESC), to teach small groups of college-aged students from various parts of India over Zoom. Through this program, she says that she met some truly amazing students and found the coordinators fantastic to work with. But for her last group, she hosted a meeting, and no one showed up! And because of this, she spoke with the coordinators and decided not to continue with that group–because even when saying “yes” to new opportunities, there are always lessons to learn. Sometimes, that learning comes from holding yourself accountable to show up, and that is what Dr. Hymanson hoped to teach her students. But instead of only teaching her students something, Dr. Hymanson learned something herself: how to more effectively teach others. She says, “I accept those kinds of challenges when you say “yes” to something, and I appreciate what it gives me.” Dr. Hymanson has learned that everything can be a learning experience when you choose to grow from everything that you face.
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Before retirement, Dr. Hymanson also said ”yes” to much after she went on to create her own private medical practice. During her time as a medical practitioner, she would head many groups, including as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the hospital and chairman of the Medical Ethics Committee. This is where Dr. Hymanson’s big-picture thinking really shines. 
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Dr. Hymanson’s path later took another turn: becoming a Maine State Representative. After increasing frustration in the medical field, she began to look for new avenues, including teaching. While she was offered a position at Dartmouth, she chose not to move, as she wished to stay close to her husband and children, so when Maine’s Speaker of the House came to her and asked her to run … Well, she said “no” originally. But she was offered the opportunity to shadow for a day, and after that, she was hooked. Dr. Hymanson had always been politically active, had lived in Maine for forty years at the time, and had even introduced a bill to their Senator the previous year regarding prescription drugs; she was well aware of the process and was interested in using her skills to benefit others in a new way. Dr. Hymanson ran for the office four times and won all of her elections, serving in office for a total of eight years. During those years, she was chair of the Health and Human Services Committee and brought in four other physicians who had also won seats to help.
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From the many leadership experiences Dr. Hymanson has had, she has always found the best way to lead others is to play both to your strengths and the strengths of the people you are leading. Never assume someone's competency; rather, allow them to tell you where they would make the most difference, and know for yourself where you will make the most difference. But further, you must also set a good example for your team by always being on time, prepared, and optimistic. Someone who leads with optimism is someone who inspires, and someone who inspires is often someone who lets others shine brightest–what Dr. Hymanson considers the hallmark of a great leader.
 
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If you want to have the privilege of talking to Dr. Hymanson yourself, you can, with just a couple of easy steps! Dr. Hymanson is one of more than 250 alumnae who have registered to be mentors for Yale undergraduate women as part of a collaborative initiative between WLI and Yale Women. Check out the “Mentorship Initiative" tab of WLI’s website to form a connection with any one of our incredible mentors!