During her formative years, Madelyn Butler, MD, was influenced by strong female role models—an aunt who was a pharmacist and died at 100; another aunt who, in her eighties, remains a practicing pharmacist in Miami; and the 93-year-old aunt that was a family practitioner in Cuba, and ushered the family into their new home in the United States.

 

"My aunts were very independent, intelligent women who raised families and had careers in medicine, so I always thought it was a possibility for me," said Butler. "When I was little, my father would let me look in while he was doing surgery on animals. He would ask me, 'so what do you want to be: A lawyer? Doctor? Veterinarian? Accountant?' He never talked to me about typical female careers because his own sisters were professional women. So from the time I was eight or nine years old, I was telling everybody I wanted to be a doctor."

 

Even though she was a preschooler, Butler noticed cultural differences immediately after relocating from Cuba to the Deep South. For example, Butler recalls "being socialized to be sweet" throughout elementary school. "Girls had to be passive, not assertive, and I remember feeling like I was being forced into a box … not the box I felt in my family," she explained. "My aunts were very womanly and traditional. They cooked family meals, but were also assertive and leaders. It appeared the men led, but really, my aunts were the ones behind the scenes making decisions."

 

When she was 15, Butler met her future husband in Bartow, Fla., where the family had relocated after living in Georgia.

"I was 15; Bill was 19—and he was the only boyfriend I ever had," she said. "We didn't go on a date until I was 16, and then it was a double date with my sister and her husband. He would come over to my house, and was always very respectful of the house rules. He stuck it out for nine years! I told him I wanted to be done with my undergrad work before we got married. He was out working and saving so we could have a good start. We were lucky that we grew together. Today, we share so much in common. It just goes to show you, there's no secret formula for happiness. Marriages work for the strangest reasons. My daughter laughs and tells me, 'Mom, today that kind of courtship would really be frowned upon.' My parents knew I was mature for my age, and they knew he was interested in me for the right reasons. And I didn't have to kiss a lot of frogs."
The couple wed in June, soon after Butler earned a college degree from the University of Florida, and two months before she began medical school at UF.

 

"I wanted to be a pediatrician, and then I found in pediatrics that to try to be an advocate for children, you really had to deal with parents, especially in a residency program setting, where the parents could at times be completely irresponsible," recalled Butler. "Instead of advocating for one patient, you had to deal with parents, who at least in training, didn't often act in the best interest of kids. That really disappointed me, and I remember feeling a bit of a let-down. I was waiting for bells to go off, and then I got really worried. I got to the end of my rotations—OB-GYN was the last one—and there was nothing I felt called to do. Then one evening, I went into the OR at 4 o'clock in the morning to do a C-section, and I had this rush of adrenaline. I was so excited to be delivering this baby, and I thought, you know what? This is what I was called to do!

 

 

"I had the typical reaction, especially because I was married at the time. I wanted to start a family. I'd heard it was no life for a woman. So for a while, I entertained combining internal medicine and pediatrics, but at the end of the day, my husband sat down and asked me, 'what's your passion?' And I said, well, if I'm totally honest, it's OB-GYN. He said, 'then you do that. There's always a way to work in family life with your passion. You've got to do what you have in your heart to do, or you're never really going to be good at it.' And he was right. We wanted to stay in Florida. We knew I was of an age that I'd have to have children in training, and would need the support of my family to accomplish that. We made a conscious decision to apply at programs in Florida."

 

After completing residency at the University of South Florida, and later becoming an associate clinical professor at USF Department of OB-GYN for a brief period, Butler joined a practice group in Tampa that endured several changes. She joined a second group, which merged with another practice and resulted in significant changes.

 

"I looked around, but didn't find a particular practice that I felt understood where women's health was going," said Butler. "I'd been involved in organized medicine since I was a first-year medical student, so I had a pretty good idea. The time was right to establish my own practice."

 

Two important events preceded Butler's decision to flex her entrepreneurial muscle. Bill, who worked in sales and marketing for Universal Studio's Boardwalk and Baseball before they married, and later a corporate marketing manager for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, entered politics.

 

"He ran twice for state representative," said Butler. "Even though we were newcomers to Tampa, compared to other candidates who were lifelong residents, he had an incredible showing. I've always said that God works in mysterious ways, because it would've probably been terrible timing for our family if he'd been elected, and I probably wouldn't have started The Woman's Group. I think God knew better than we did, and things worked out as they should have."

 

Before Butler decided to start her own practice, the couple sat down to discuss details. "Our kids were entering adolescence," she explained. "We made a plan that we would replace his income with other investments in real estate, and that he would do consulting work. We had a big job managing a couple of commercial buildings and a couple of rental properties. He had the flexibility to work from home. I had a window of opportunity. I could envision the kind of practice I wanted. I knew the business model would work. Everything fell into place, and it's the best thing I did in my entire life."

 

Two years ago, Butler's mother passed away, after suffering from severe osteoarthritis and developing slight dementia. "It was sad; she was praying to go," said Butler. "She was 86, and was at a point with little quality of life. She was in chronic pain and was progressively more and more immobile. She developed a clot in her leg and had a pulmonary embolism."

 

Butler called her mother "an incredible seamstress" who created beautifully crafted clothing. "To this day, my clothes are never as tailored as when my mother did them," she said. "When she was alive and could sew, she would alter my clothes. She made my wedding dress. She could've worked in a major place sewing high-end clothes. It was a joy for her." 

 

With her term as president of the Florida Medical Association beginning in August, Butler prepared beforehand. Having served as the first female president of the Hillsborough County Medical Association and juggling various leadership posts at the state level, she whittled her work schedule to 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., so she would be free week nights to travel on business. Most nights, she cooks dinner for the family that includes Olivia, 17, a senior at Tampa Preparatory School, a richly talented vocalist who plans to study medicine; Christian, 15, a sophomore at Tampa Catholic High School, who plays football and the guitar; and Donovan, 10, a fifth grader at Christ the King Catholic School, who plays soccer and clarinet.

 

"With a busy practice and three busy children, these last couple of years has been very intense," said Butler, who has also reported on women's health issues as WFLA-TV's OB-GYN expert. "I do try to make some down time. I'm taking a vacation in July because I realize I've been burning the candle at both ends. It's a lot of work, but it's also enjoyable work. Surprisingly, I get about six to seven hours of sleep."

 

When she takes office next month, Butler's debut—as FMA's second female, second of Cuban descent, and youngest president—comes as no surprise to those close to her. She has been involved in leadership roles since her early days at the University of Florida.

 

"I've never known medicine without a very deep involvement in organized medicine, and the organizations that make up physician representation," she said. "When you're involved in that, and there are times of tumultuous change, you don't feel as much of a victim as other people who really have no idea what's going on. I can get some gain time on what's coming in the future."

 

When she needs a break, Butler enjoys tapping into her creative side. "I'd love to go to cooking school and learn how to cook really well," she said. "I'd love to take some art classes. I used to paint when I was in high school and college—watercolor, oils, chalk. I took a cake decorating class with my daughter, and I'd love to get more into that. My husband really got into the cakes, and then we started all gaining weight because I was making cakes all the time. I like those relaxing, creative tasks. I have so little time to do nothing. I can't tell you the last time I watched TV all day."

 

Because Butler is usually seen wearing a suit in a professional setting, most folks are surprised to learn she's very outdoorsy. "I love camping, being in the woods, doing all sorts of outdoor activities," she said.