Background
Carolyn Kaelin was born Carolyn Mary Scerbo in Syracuse, New York to Richard and Mary Scerbo (née Zebrowski).
Carolyn Kaelin was born Carolyn Mary Scerbo in Syracuse, New York to Richard and Mary Scerbo (née Zebrowski).
She was raised in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey and graduated from Indian Hills High School in Oakland, New Jersey in 1979. She studied biochemistry and economics at Smith College.
She worked at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute and founded the Comprehensive Breast Health Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital in 1995. She earned her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Kaelin also earned a master"s degree from the Harvard Territory of Hawaii Chan School of Public Health.
During her residency, she earned an award for chief resident of the year.
Carolyn Kaelin decided to specialize in breast surgery because it allowed her to know her patients well and provide long-term care unlike other surgical specialties. At the age of 34, Kaelin was appointed as a founding director of the Comprehensive Breast Health Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a major Harvard teaching hospital.
In 2001, she was selected as one of Newsweek"s 15 Women of the New Century. Kaelin was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2003.
She underwent multiple operations, one of which caused her to lose sensation in her fingers, leading to the end of her surgical career.