"You must be a great pediatrician."

The mother stands on the sideline, cheering loudly as her daughter kicks the soccer ball away from the opposing team and charges for the goal.

She is dressed about as you would expect any suburban soccer mom to be on a Saturday morning, wearing blue track pants, tennis shoes that have taken a few poundings, and a team t-shirt.

But soon, a conversation on the sidelines turns to her work. A group of parents has heard that this mom is also a doctor. And they want to know if this mom would be willing to start treating their children, since they are not particularly happy with their current pediatrician.

The mom politely tells the parents, who she barely knows, that she is not accepting new patients.

But then, she turns to me and whispers, “See that? Why do they assume I am a pediatrician? Can’t a woman – a mom – practice in a different field of medicine? Why do people insist on putting me in that box without any information?”

Her question is a good one. And the truth is, many people assume this mom is a pediatrician because she, like many mothers, has a loving, tender way with her own children and their friends. And she clearly enjoys being a mother and nurturing her little family.

But she, like most women, also has a tough-as-nails side – the side that she shows when she skillfully does her job as an emergency room doctor at an inner city hospital, where she regularly deals with everything from gunshot wounds to car crash and fire victims.

This doctor, mom, wife, daughter, sister, and friend is many things to many people. And when we fail to see her as she truly is – choosing, instead, to rely on the intellectual shorthand of stereotypes - we cheat her and ourselves.

Seeing people for who they are can take time. And it can be difficult. But it is always worth the effort.