We have noticed a change in the previous ten years as more women have assumed leadership positions across all industries. Women who work in healthcare at all levels are driving this transformation by advancing knowledge and awareness, shattering stereotypes, and redefining their specialisations.
I want to honour some of the ladies who are paving the way for new ideas in this post that I have had the honour of knowing. A new generation of women leaders in healthcare may find some inspiration from their experiences. The following five strategies can help close the gender gap in healthcare.
1. Increase public knowledge about female cancer.
One of the best breast surgeons in the Northwest of the United States is Dr. Nathalie Johnson. She is president of the American Society of Breast Surgeons and serves as medical director of the Legacy Health System Cancer Institute and the Legacy Breast Health Centers in Portland, Oregon. For everyone she encounters, Dr. Johnson is a tremendous inspiration. She sings to her patients as they nod off because she herself had overcome cancer. You can view a video about her motivational tale here.
Dr. Johnson really “does” things. She doesn’t just listen; she also takes action right away. She is dedicated to bringing innovation to the treatment of breast cancer and is working to make that happen.
She not only plans and develops breast health clinics but also collaborates with the medical staff of the Good Samaritan to promote patient care for cancer patients. Dr. Johnson even co-wrote the book Mommy Found A Lump with her family to aid other families in understanding breast cancer diagnosis. Such dedication to helping others and raising awareness of female cancer should serve as an example for all of us.
2. Utilize your platform, second.
Dr. Janice M. Newsome, a pioneering woman in interventional radiology, is a division director and chief of interventional radiology and image-guided medicine at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as an associate professor in the department of radiology and imaging sciences at Emory University School of Medicine.
Dr. Newsome is unique because in addition to being a talented clinician, she is also an educator, an inventor, and a person who uses her platform to serve and teach others.
Dr. Newsome actively promotes strategies to reduce the gender gap in the field of interventional medicine online as angiowomen on Twitter. She discusses women’s health, global health, the need for healthcare innovation, and other topics that are close to her heart. She also shares her inspirations and hobbies. There are no boundaries to what those of us like Dr. Newsome can achieve.
3. Motivate women to enter the field of health technology.
Hila Goldman-Aslan is a rising figure in the field of digital health. She has been running health tech businesses since 1995. She oversaw the company’s growth from inception through proof-of-concept, regulatory clearances, and sales, as well as the closure of funding rounds and the incorporation of DIA’s technology into significant ultrasound equipment, as cofounder, chairperson, and CEO of DIA Imaging Analysis in Israel.
Goldman-Aslan puts forth a lot of effort to highlight the important role that women play in healthcare leadership. She supports the advancement of women in high-tech through her lectures and participation in the We Act entrepreneurship network. She stands out because of her enthusiasm for public speaking, her successful business career, and her capacity for initiative.
4. Promote female representation in the professions that are most heavily controlled by men.
At the vanguard of her profession, Dr. Alex Barnacle is a consultant paediatric interventional radiologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in the United Kingdom. She works with a group of physicians who treat kids with severe malformations and kidney stone illness, acting as the lead radiologist in the Vascular Anomalies Service and offering keyhole surgical procedures for stone removal.
Dr. Barnacle is a member of the European Society of Pediatric Radiology (ESPR), British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR), International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA), and Society of Pediatric Interventional Radiology (SPIR) (ESPR).
Dr. Barnacle is driven and passionate about making a real impact and empowering other women to do the same. She puts in a lot of effort to encourage newer generations of women to pursue careers in radiology, a field with a 73% male workforce. If we want to see meaningful change, women should pursue certain of these specialisations more than others. To ensure that future generations of female healthcare professionals understand the impact of such trailblazing, leaders like Dr. Barnacle must continue to serve in that capacity.
5. Reorient patient care to focus on cancer in women.
In the battle against breast cancer, Dr. Barclay-White is a pioneer. In Scottsdale, Arizona, she works as a diagnostic radiology specialist at the moment. She developed an interest in women’s imaging since she was the only woman in a sizable radiology group and wanted to help patients get the most out of mammograms. She has a penchant for locating the smallest breast tumours when they are most amenable to treatment, which she has cultivated over the course of her 30-year career.
Dr. Barclay-commitment White’s to fighting for patients to have non-invasive treatment choices motivates me. Since 2016, Dr. Barclay-White has successfully used cryoablation to treat patients with breast cancers even though she is retired. She also continues to educate women in her neighbourhood. She thinks there is a bright future for these women’s minimally intrusive options.
We must do more effort to assist female leaders.
The healthcare industry is full of remarkable women who are changing the world. Many of these women have the ability to rise to leadership positions in the future with the correct encouragement, support, and motivation. We must help them more, and we must do more. This is crucial for creating a more balanced society and providing better care for everyone, not just for women.
With any luck, this essay will shed some light on a handful of the remarkable ladies I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know, and you’ll be as moved by their achievements as I am.
