The formative years
Amherst has always been an integral part of Rauch's life. Since her father was a professor of genetics at UMass-Amherst, Rauch grew up in Amherst and befriended some of the professors' children. She attended pre-school in the landmark Little Red Schoolhouse and jokes that she received four-years' worth of an Amherst education. Her wedding took place in Johnson Chapel. Few can match Rauch's continued dedication to the College as an alumna. Two years ago, she served as one of two alumni representatives on the search committee for the new college president. "I think we did a great job!" she said. The landscape of the College has changed dramatically since her childhood and college days, but the campus remains recognizable and familiar. The changes, she says, have been beneficial to the growth of the College.
A brand-new co-ed
Along with a handful of other female students, Rauch transferred to Amherst as a junior in 1975, the College's very first year of coeducation. At the time that the College considered implementing coeducation, 80 percent of alumni opposed the introduction of coeducation at Amherst, arguing that there was no comparable boys' school in the U.S. The College, however, determined that having women at Amherst was in keeping with the outside world and would be advantageous to the school.
During Rauch's first year at Amherst, the ratio of men to women was 14 to one. Although some women experienced an unhappy and difficult transition into male-dominated college life and a substantial number dropped out as a result, Rauch called her experience here nurturing and positive. "From the start, it was A+ for me," she said. Professor of Biology Stephen George recalled, "She was very mature, very even-tempered, focused and independent."
Rauch's tenacity and ambition enabled her to succeed despite the growing pains of the transition, the paucity of accommodations for women and the occasional faculty member skeptical of the ability of women to participate in science. Rauch says that the vast majority of the male students at Amherst, having sought coeducation for some time, were eager to have female classmates and that she felt warmly welcomed on campus.
During her time here, she served on a panel of students whose mission was to convey the benefits of coeducation at Amherst to reluctant alumni. President John William Ward, a staunch supporter of coeducation at the College, strongly encouraged and guided Rauch. She also enjoyed serving as a Dorm Advisor for the first class of female first-year students at the college.
Medical school faculty and students generally questioned whether a medical degree was wasted on a woman who would presumably be unlikely to devote the same time and energy to a career in medicine as a male colleague. Her positive experience at Amherst, Rauch affirms, allowed her to cope with the obstacles of medical school with much more assurance.
Good times at Amherst
Susan Nathan '76 described Rauch as "warm, caring, funny, smart and always willing to help." Nathan said, "It was very typical to find Paula sitting with several other students, talking about the events of the world as well as what was happening in our lives." She remembered watching Walter Cronkite and the evening news with Rauch and the discussions that followed. Nathan also recalled a light-hearted incident involving Rauch's dog from home, Barney. During one of Barney's visits to campus, he wandered into a nearby male suite where two students were readying their tuxes for a formal. When Barney snatched away a pair of boxers in his mouth, a dorm-wide chase ensued. The silk boxers were recovered but were no longer wearable.
Achievements abound
At MGH, Rauch initiated a program called Parenting at a Challenging Time that is designed to assist adult cancer patients in helping their children cope with their parents' illness. She has designed educational programs for healthcare professionals about the needs of cancer patients and their families. In 2003, Rauch was named the Schwartz Center Compassionate Caregiver of the Year in recognition of this admirable work. Rauch describes her work as "incredibly rewarding and life-affirming" while stressing the importance of family. "I couldn't do the work that I do if it was the only part of my life," she said.
"She works with the dying every day. That shows the kind of person she is," said George. "That is an indication of her inner strength."
Rauch knows the immense importance of her work. "There's a lot of tragedy and also a lot of living in those halls for those to whom time is precious," she says.
Beyond her scope as a clinical physician, Rauch has undertaken numerous, varied projects. As an example of one of her more enjoyable projects, Rauch serves as a consultant on the advisory board to the PBS cartoon "Arthur." She advises the producers of the show about the medical and psychological issues surrounding the show's characters, such as Buster's asthma, bullying, and the psychological impact that these issues have on young viewers.
Rauch was also a consultant on a drinking video starring Matt Damon. In addition, she was invited to Washington, D.C. to participate in a child mental health resiliency task force convened by the Assistant Surgeon General in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001.