Working with Eva: The Value of Collaboration

I first met Eva Lester in 1982 when we were both newly appointed members of the Program Committee of the American Psychoanalytic Association. I was drawn to Eva who I felt was an appealing and like-minded person. We shared many opinions, both about the program and about psychoanalysis. We were both interested in psychiatric and psychoanalytic teaching and had academic commitments. We were also two women in that overwhelmingly male group. We both had juggled careers and families.

Eva always looked elegant. I remember initially thinking there was something European about her appearance. I also remember noticing Eva's accent and wondering where she was from. I had a number of theories. I was not expecting Greece, although when I came to know her better it seemed to fit. There was a combination of European background, American medical education, and something added—possibly appearing exotic—that Eva conveyed. We struck up an aquaintance, which soon became a friendship.

We were both interested in women's issues in psychoanalysis, which included the psychoanalytic understanding of reproductive experiences. I had a specific background in clinical reproductive issues, having for many years been a psychiatric consultant to obstetrics and gynecology at a general hospital. Eva had been interested in the experiences of her pregnant analytic patients. We decided to co-chair a discussion group on pregnancy at the December meetings of the American Psychoanalytic Association. The initial discussion group was well attended and lively. It was the only entry on the program that dealt with reproductive experiences or women's issues. We continued to co-chair discussion groups at both the winter and