Which surgical researcher started the #ILookLikeASurgeon hashtag?

Surgical researcher Heather Logghe started the #ILookLikeASurgeon hashtag. She launched the campaign in October 2015 while she was a preliminary surgical resident, inspired by the earlier #ILookLikeAnEngineer movement.

The hashtag challenged assumptions about what surgeons look like, particularly stereotypes that can obscure women’s roles in medicine and surgery. Participants shared photographs and professional experiences, turning a short social-media label into a conversation about visibility, workplace culture, and the changing image of the surgeon.

Logghe’s campaign spread widely, generating hundreds of millions of impressions and attracting attention from organizations including the American College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Surgeons. In 2017, the movement was represented on the cover of The New Yorker, extending its reach beyond Twitter.

A common mix-up is to credit Isis Anchalee, because #ILookLikeASurgeon directly followed Anchalee’s #ILookLikeAnEngineer campaign. Anchalee inspired the format, but Logghe started the surgical version.