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“ It was very rewarding to expand my studies there . Plus , I met great people and at the end of six months , I went to Germany to put my things in order and then flew to the U . S . just three weeks later .”
It ’ s difficult for a foreign graduate to be accepted into a U . S . residency program , as Dr . Krause found out . Prior to her research in Brazil , she applied to 40 different OB / GYN programs throughout the United States . Two invitations came back , one from Las Vegas and the other from Springfield , Ill . She hoped for Springfield and was lucky enough to be accepted there at Southern Illinois University .
“ I was completely by myself at first . I didn ’ t know anybody and residency is a big adjustment regardless ,” Dr . Krause said , noting that medical school in Germany didn ’ t quite prepare her for the rigors of residency in America .
“ While Germany ’ s medical schooling is very good at theoretical work , there isn ’ t as much hands-on experience done there . For example , medical students here work night shifts . I never did night shifts in Germany . So , that shock combined with not knowing anybody was a little tough to get used to ,” she said .
But , for someone who lived on three continents in a year ’ s time , adaptation comes naturally . “ I got my apartment and car . I made friends and got over the shock of the beginning . Throughout my residency , I remained very interested in my studies on implantation and decided to apply for fellowship . That led to me being accepted here at the University of Louisville in 2011 ,” she said .
Dr . Krause ’ s Louisville fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and fertility would change her life in many ways . She found that the city of Louisville reminded her of Heidelberg , discovered mentors within her fellowship , became involved with organized medicine through the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology ( ACOG ) and the Louisville OBGYN Society and , last but not least , met and fell in love with her husband , Tony Diebold .
“ I ’ m still amazed . It gives me goosebumps thinking about it ,” she said , smiling . “ A fellow , whom I ’ d met just once before , asked if I wanted to go out to dinner . There were supposed to be other people but it ended up just being her and her husband , me and her husband ’ s best friend , who is now my husband .”
“ He told me he knew German and had lived in Germany . I said okay , figuring he was just trying to impress me . But , as we were leaving , he wrote his number down . The German ‘ 1 ’ is written like the American ‘ 7 ’. When he wrote , he wrote it the German way , and I realized then he knew what he was talking about . We didn ’ t start dating right away , but suddenly he was a lot more interesting ,” she laughed . They married in Germany in September 2014 , and honeymooned by hiking the Alps , a destination they return to each year . While they ’ ve talked about returning to Germany , Dr . Krause ’ s blossoming practice and Tony ’ s commitment to the family business , Fabricated Metals LLC , has kept their roots planted firmly in Louisville .
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