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Vicky, Sarah and Joanna Bedell

For Tufts Medical Center OB/GYN resident Joanna Bedell, MD, practicing medicine as an obstetrician and gynecologist is a family affair. Bedell’s mother is an OB/GYN. Her late father was an OB/GYN. And Bedell and her two sisters – the three of them identical triplets – are all in their fourth and final year of their respective OB/GYN residencies at three different hospitals in three different cities; Vicky at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and Sarah at University of Texas-Southwestern/Parkland Hospital in Dallas.

“When people find out we are triplets, we always get asked a lot of questions,” said Bedell. “Who's the oldest? Can you read each other’s minds? Do you ever switch places to trick each other’s boyfriends? Do you dress alike? Well, I guess now we could answer ‘yes’ to that last question – we all wear white coats!”

From a young age, Bedell and her sisters all knew they wanted to go to medical school and become physicians, but they all took independent paths to arrive at the same career focus. Bedell was the last of her sisters to make the decision.

“I always thought I would end up choosing a non-surgical specialty, because I didn’t like blood or needles,” she said. “But after going through the full clinical exposure in medical school, I was drawn to OB/GYN because it has such an interesting mix of responsibilities and it’s so rewarding to earn the trust and appreciation of my patients. I think it’s the best job in the world.”

When the three sisters all graduate in June 2017, they plan to return home to Miami, FL to reunite and take over their mother’s OB/GYN practice in the Fall.