Women in the healthcare field and their allies convened in the Feinberg Pavilion at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to celebrate women’s empowerment and success during the sixth annual Women in Medicine Conference, held on March 8.

The theme of this year’s conference was “Empowering Success,” and featured a day’s worth of presentations, panels and Q&A sessions sharing strategies and knowledge about achieving equality in the workplace, wellness and work-life balance, mentorship and career development. The conference also coincided with this year’s International Women’s Day.

“I think it’s fitting that our conference today falls on International Women’s Day, which is a day that is dedicated to the empowerment, enrichment and the celebration of women,” said Manjot Gill, MD, professor of Ophthalmology and of Medical Education, who was a co-organizer of this year’s conference. “I hope that we can use today to celebrate each other, to learn from each other and empower one another.”

Sadiya Khan, ‘09 MD, ‘14 MSc, ’10, ’12 GME, the Magerstadt Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology, and Shawn Smith, MD, assistant professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Hospital-Based Medicine, were also co-organizers of the conference.

Howard Chrisman, MD, chief executive officer of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, delivered opening remarks and spoke about women in healthcare leadership who are continuing to break the glass ceiling for themselves and other women in the field and creating new pathways for success.

“I think this conference is an example of leadership that matters and individuals that are chosen because of their talent. The more we do that, the more that the next generation is able to see everyone in this room as pathways to success, the more capable we are going to be as an institution,” Chrisman said.

A morning Q&A session featured Susan Quaggin, MD, chair and the Irving S. Cutter Professor of Medicine, who spoke about challenges and successes from her own professional journey and why addressing the root causes that prevent the upward trajectory of women in medicine are necessary.

“As we start to look at this gender gap in our ‘likelihood to recommend’ scores here, it’s important to identify the root causes of those issues and then to develop a strategic plan, which is why it’s important to have forums like this,” said Quaggin, who is also director of the Feinberg Cardiovascular and Renal Research Institute.

A roundtable session about creating opportunities for success for women in medicine featured Kenzie Cameron, PhD, MPH, professor of Medicine, of Medical Education, of Medical Social Sciences and of Preventive Medicine; Clyde Yancy, MD, MSc, vice dean for Diversity and Inclusion and the chief and Magerstadt Professor of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine; and Marianne Green, MD, vice dean for Education and the Raymond H. Curry, MD, Professor of Medical Education. The session was moderated by Allison Kessler, ‘12 MD, MSc, assistant professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Cybele Ghossein, MD, vice chair for academic and faculty affairs in the Department of Medicine, also moderated a fireside chat with Eric G. Neilson, MD, vice president for Medical Affairs and Lewis Landsberg Dean, in which Neilson addressed questions from attendees about women’s advancement in medical education at Feinberg and creating more leadership opportunities for women in medicine, both at Feinberg and beyond.

During an afternoon session, Santina Wheat, MD, MPH, ‘13 GME, vice chair of diversity, equity and inclusion in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, spoke about how integrating diversity, equity and community in can support leadership growth and the importance of saying “no” to prevent burnout and promote work-life balance.

“We need to encourage folks to feel like they can say ‘yes’ to the things they’re passionate about, but also decide if it’s something they can something they can offer to someone else and support them,” Wheat said.

In another afternoon session, Ngozi Ezike, MD, president and CEO of Sinai Chicago and former director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, spoke to attendees about her experience leading the state of Illinois through public health initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to be a strong and decisive leader during a crisis.  

“Lean into making a decision. Understand that you could get it wrong, but be ready to course-correct,” Ezike said. “When those challenges come, don’t turn and run. Lean in.”

Namratha Kandula, MD, MPH, professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Epidemiology, gave closing remarks which centered on the importance and value of leading with the power of community.

“Even if your work looks very different than mine, it’s likely that we went into medicine with the sole purpose of helping and healing. I would encourage you to create intentional community that can help lift up and amplify the work that you want to do,” Kandula said.