IN THIS ISSUE
President's Message
Save the Date - WESH Spring Summit
New Year's Wishes & Thx!
WESH at AAMC
2013 Award of Excellence
Leadership: Groom your Grit
Congratulations Edith Mitchell
WESH Membership
WESH Board Members
New Chair Elect at AAMC
WESH Thinks You Should Know
WESH Central Representative
HERS Summit 2014
NEAL Program
Learning about Sponsorship
WESH Southern Representative
Leadership Lessons I Learned
WESH Past Treasurer (Rebecca Pauly)
Leadership Guidance
More Senior Women
Letter to the Editors
Call for Leadership in Psychology
Mark Your Calendars: AAMC News Update
Spotlight's Quotes
Issue: Vol 5, No. 1
January/February 2014
President's Message
willsie
Sandra K. Willsie, DO, MA
WESH President, 2013-15
Happy Holidays from the Heartland!

 

With the finish of 2013, we look forward with enthusiasm and perhaps a bit of anxiety towards the unfolding of 2014, I'd like to reflect on where WESH was in 2013 and where we hope to take WESH in the next two years.

 

Under the leadership of Liz Travis, PhD, immediate Past-President of WESH (2012-2013), WESH sponsored an outstanding Spring Executive Leadership Summit in Houston, Texas, attracting more first-time attendees than ever.  Liz arranged to have none other than Houston's Mayor, the Honorable Annise Parker, welcome WESH to Houston and share her personal story of hard knocks and success in the politics of Houston.  A successful mayor in a very large and diverse city, Mayor Parker's story was inspirational, evidenced by everyone's interest in even the smallest detail of her story.  As a result, the remaining speakers on the program certainly had a 'hard act to follow' but were easily up to the challenge as the program evaluations reflected. 

 

The upcoming 2014 WESH Spring Executive Leadership Summit (Soaring on the Winds of Change: Leadership Conversations in the Windy City, May 9-10, 2014) will return to the heartland as WESH hosts the spring summit in Chicago, IL, chosen primarily because of the ease/availability of affordable transportation from all across the country. WESH negotiated an (unheard of) rate at The Palmer House Hilton hotel of $169.00 per night!! The program will kick-off at 12 noon sharp on May 9, 2014 with our luncheon speaker, the prestigious Olufunmilayo "Funmi" Olopade, MD, FACP, the Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor in Medicine and Human Genetics, Associate Dean, Global Health, and Director, Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics at the University of Chicago Medicine.

 

Janet Bickel, MA, Leadership and Career Development Coach and Consultant, or as we call her Executive Coach Extraordinaire, follows with a  4 hour workshop focused on mastering key leadership skills. Janet's session alone is worth the cost of the Summit's registration fee; we are anticipating a sold out event, so register early !!

 

Look forward to an email soon detailing opportunities for early registration. WESH will be offering a 10% discount on the registration fee for each WESH member who recruits one never-before attendee, so it is to your advantage to talk up the program to your colleagues and, if you recruit 10 new attendees, you'll attend for FREE!!  Posted elsewhere in this issue of
WESH Spotlights is the program as of this time of publication. We are excited and appreciative of the excellent job of the Program Committee, under Susan Rosenthal's leadership. I know you will agree that the program offers an outstanding and cost-effective opportunity to learn new skills and network with fantastic and accomplished executive leaders from all over the country! You'll only need to pay for only one night at the hotel, and can still manage to catch a flight home to most places in the U.S. Saturday evening (May 10, 2014) in time to celebrate Mother's day on Sunday, May 11, 2014!!  What a great deal (we are also hoping to offer CME credits for the Summit-more details to follow).

 

Other initiatives in the works for this and next year include more succinctly detailing benefits of membership for potential members including offering asynchronous learning and mentoring online opportunities; conducting a broad, far-reaching membership drive including and reaching out to groups not formerly targeted for membership in WESH, including C-suite officers (CEO's, CLO's, CFO's, CNO's, etc), and women leaders in industry (both healthcare and science).  We are hard at work to keep our website (www.weshleadership.org) updated to capture your attention with hot news such as job opportunities, networking and  mentoring each other with leadership development advice and special tips, and continued open access to our publications.  We have much to learn from each other and as the face of healthcare and science, as we know it, changes day by day, we must stay on top of the curve by embracing others to exchange knowledge and experiences for success.

 

I can't let this opportunity go by without thanking all of our members for their support of WESH. The transition from SELAM to WESH, although necessary and in the best interests of the organization, was confusing for several members, as transitions often are, and, a few memberships have lapsed; we are eager to convince those members to rejoin. 

 

In the interim, we hope that all of you, in this the season of charity and sharing, considered remembering WESH at the end of the year with an unrestricted donation and will consider it for the end of 2014. WESH is a 501C3 organization and donations are tax deductible. WESH will provide you with a letter denoting that no goods or services were received in exchange for your donation. To make a donation, please follow this link to download a sponsor form and submit to: 100 N. 20th St. Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

 

May you, your families, and loves ones including pets! enjoy a wonderful Holiday Season and a healthy, successful and promising New Year!

 

Warmest regards and I hope to see each of you in Chicago, May 9 - 10, 2014!!!

 

Sandra K. Willsie, DO, MA

WESH President, 2013-15

SAVE THE DATE:  WESH Spring Summit
 
Save the Date...May 9 - 10, 2014
  

 For the WESH  SPRING  EXECUTIVE  LEADERSHIP  SUMMIT

at the  Palmer House Hilton in Chicago!

 

"Soaring on the Winds of Change....

Leadership Conversations in the Windy City"

 

This action/packed one and a half day conference will leave you with enhanced skills, stimulating, fresh ideas, and new friendships.

 

The program includes a half-day career workshop for senior women leaders with Executive Coach Janet Bickel, MA.

 

We are excited to have presentations by:

 

♦  Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean,   Global Health at the University of Chicago/Pritzker School of Medicine;

♦  Joanne M. Conroy, MD, Chief Healthcare Officer, AAMC;

♦  Sharon O'Keefe, MSN, CEO of University of Chicago Medical Center;

♦  Luanne E. Thorndyke, MD, Vice Provost for faculty affairs and Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center;

♦  Elizabeth Travis, PhD, Immediate Past President WESH; Associate Vice President for Women Faculty Programs; Mattie Allen Fair Professor in Cancer Research at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center;

♦  Eve M. Tyree, BS,  Philanthropist, President, James Tyree Foundation

♦  Terri E. Weaver, PhD,  RN, FAAN, CNO & Dean, College of Nursing University of Illinois;

 

and many other notable speakers. Topics will include:

 

♦  "Rolling with the Punches: Resiliency and Re-invention"

♦  "Healthcare and Science in the ACA/ACO environment: Working with the C-suite during a time of transition"

♦  "Behavioral Interviewing for Women Leaders"

♦  "Healthcare-Research-Industry-Transitioning the Triad"

♦  "A View from Above the Glass Ceiling"

 

and several other sessions. In addition there will be a special workshop for those who wish to post  information about colleagues who are women leaders on Wikipedia, a hot topics lunch, as well as time to network!

 

We hope you will join us for this jam-packed and really spectacular Chicago conference. Details of the final program will be posted on the WESH website.

 

Program Chair:  Susan R. Rosenthal MD, MS

    Associate Dean for Student Affairs

    Jefferson Medical College

    1020 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

     T. 215-503-6988; F. 215-503-7510

     Scholar in Residence

     Arnold P. Gold Foundation For Humanism in Medicine

New Year's Wishes & Thx!

You are getting this message from me because at some point along the way you have deeply influenced my work as a productivity presenter and coach. 

 

I've had inspiring conversations with many of you about various productivity issues, and you have served both as sounding board and role models for me.  Some of you invited me to do a presentation - sometimes sight unseen (with your fingers crossed, no doubt), or you flawlessly facilitated some of those same events. Others (and this actually includes most all of you) have served - perhaps unknowingly - as my mentors.  And one or two of you have never met me at all, but I have been inspired by the work that you do.

 

I am grateful to each of you.

 

I wish each of you a happy, healthy, peaceful, healing - and productive - 2014.

 

Warmly,

 

Susan Rosenthal, MD

 

P.S.  And for those of you who may be wondering after reading the post, my team did lose, and I have recovered!

 WESH at AAMC 2013

Thank you, Mug� Simsek, MBA for the WESH Poster* for AAMC

 
Click here to view the poster *Transforming the Women's Leadership Paradigm: WESH (Women Executives in the Sciences and Healthcare) Evolves
Mug� Simsek, MBA

 

WESH wants to extend its sincerest appreciation to the creative and brilliant graphics artistry of Mug� Simsek, MBA, the Senior Metrics Analyst of the Women Faculty Programs at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (www.mdanderson.org/womenfacultyprograms). 

 

Ms. Simsek spent many creative hours to transform an abstract, some snippets of the history and morphing of SELAM to WESH, pictures of WESH activities, and our present/past president photos into a polished academic poster for the GWIMS (Group on Women in Medicine and Science) Poster Session at the November 2013 AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) annual conference in Philadelphia, PA.

 

The WESH poster,"Transforming the Women's Leadership Paradigm: WESH (Women Executives in the Sciences and Healthcare) Evolves"*,  was so impressive that GWIMS requested that it be displayed on their web site (https://www.aamc.org/members/gwims/).

 

Look for the *poster on the WESH web site (weshleadership.org) and see it on display at the May 9-10, 2014 WESH Executive Leadership Summit, Soaring on the Winds of Change, at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago, IL.

 

Thank you so much, Mug� Simsek, MBA!!

 

*Kunkel, E.J., Travis, E., Willsie, S., Brown, W., Pauly, R.W., Wisdom, J.P., & Doty, L. (2013).  Transforming the Women's Leadership Paradigm: WESH (Women Executives in the Sciences and Healthcare) Evolves.  AAMC, Nov. 1-6, 2013. Philadelphia, PA Annual Conference. (http://weshleadership.org/)

2013 WESH Award for Excellence

WESH was pleased to present the 2013 WESH Award for Excellence to Raymond S. Greenberg, MD, PhD, Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs in the University of Texas Health System, Austin, Texas. Liz Travis, PhD, FASTRO, and Immediate Past President of WESH, presented the award to Dr. Greenberg on November 21, 2013 during the University of Texas' Womens' Networking Group meeting at the UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Greenberg, originally nominated by his colleagues during his tenure at the Medical University of South Carolina, was selected for the WESH Award of Excellence because of his strong track record for development, support, and advancement of outstanding women leaders within his institution. Congratulations Dr. Greenberg!
Liz Travis, PhD, FASTRO & Raymond S. Greenberg, MD, PhD

See link: http://weshleadership.org/cms/uploads/greenberg_wesh_award_cropped_001.jpg 

Leadership: Groom Your Grit

Whether achieving an MD, DO, PhD, JD or any other terminal degree or rising up the corporate ladder to the top position, grit is essential. Whether leading your institution toward high-level goals such as becoming a top-ten research university or being listed as a Forbes top-ten organization,

grit is an essential component of women leaders. Grit entails enduring passion and perseverance to achieve long-term goals that lead to success.1 Women with grit have the sense of purpose, sustained commitment, and perseverance to outperform their own (often very humble) expectations as they strive toward their dreams and achieve success. (Note we are using the positive semantics of grit such as fortitude, courage, and perseverance not the negative semantics of grit such as sandy, dirty, or dusty.)

 

Manifesting heavy-duty, resilient grit is essential in order to address different challenges while juggling different career-family-community responsibilities.  Just as a gritstone (comprised of hard sandstone) is sturdy and durable, women leaders should be strong, hardy, and enduring.  Just as a gritstone is tough and versatile enough to construct buildings, sharpen blades, grind wood into pulp for paper, and mill cornmeal and flour2, women leaders need substantial, spirited, adaptable, and irrepressible grit to reach major career goals no matter if the endpoint is researching the basis of a disease and uncovering its cure, building a model institute of excellence, gaining the presidency of a prestigious national professional organization, heading a foundation or board to set national policy, and, most challenging of all, keeping a career-family balance so that personal relationships are close, healthy, and strong.

 

According to research at the University of Pennsylvania Duckworth Lab, among the components of grit are: 3-5

 

♦  Goal-mindset [ability to develop high goal(s), plan steps and persist toward goal(s)]

♦  Motivation (internal drive/passion to achieve)

♦  Focus (avoiding distractions; staying on the path toward a goal)

♦  Positive approach (can-do attitude and actions despite obstacles)

 

Building Grit

Sometimes it takes a few years to accomplish a goal. Throughout life, our experiences mold our grit to become durable, supple, and resistant to defeat. Grit forms during childhood as we learn to walk, make it through a year of piano or violin lessons to survive our first recital, overcome imbalance anxiety and wobbling to ride a 2-wheel bike or ice skate, and survive the physical and social awkwardness of puberty.  In adult life, grit continues to build as we complete college then graduate school, pass exams for licensing, are inducted into a professional honor society, and climb the career ladder to a high academic or corporate executive position.

 

The stamina we gain as we grow through those early challenges builds the grit that helps us pursue ever greater responsibilities and higher goals. The seeds and development of grit are evident in a C.V. Sustained commitment and perseverance toward accomplishments become evident in the listings of certificates acknowledging achievements, honors and awards, service as an elected officer such of school or community organizations, scholarships, grants, publications, invited lectures (especially as a keynote speaker at national or international meetings), indoctrination into an honor society or hall of fame, or participation in international consortia or exchange programs of experts.

 

Augmenting Grit

The family, friends, pets, and helpers which guide us through the trials of our early years teach us about the importance of a support system later when we become adult professionals.  A network of colleagues, mentors, sponsors and personal relationships can complement our grit with their grit in partnerships on projects such as building a program, writing a book, or developing a global health policy. Learning from the grit, strength of character, and wisdom gained from the experiences of others can augment our grit to work through crises such as major budget cuts, corporate mismanagement, or federal government frictions leading to political inertia or shutdowns.

 

Reinforced with support from our network's comparable, high motivation for achievement and by brainstorming with our grittier (remember this is the positive semantics of grit) network links, we can pool our grit.  The amplified grit can lead to a wider reach such as what happens with social networks, and cobbling more creative strategies to address unpredictable events and more arduous barriers that seem to accompany ever greater goals.

 

From Negatives to Positives

Frustration and confusion can result from unpredictable events, such as restructuring in an organization, a cancelled contract or grant, or team members suddenly withdrawing from a project. A woman leader may interpret such events in personal ways that attack her self-confidence. Negative messages such as the following erode self-confidence, fog a leader's focus, and impede progress toward the targeted goal:

 

♦  This new glitch defeats the whole project; why didn't I see this coming?

 

♦  With Corporation X's release of their new product, our new design has been scooped...was my timeline too long and management style too loose?

 

♦  Without Dr. Y to run the special tests, this research stops.  Dr. Y seemed so committed to this project; how did I miss plans to leave me hanging?

 

♦  I cannot  continue this program with a 35% budget cut. I am such a failure.

 

Decline in self-confidence may lead some people to avoid further pursuit of a goal.  On the other hand, harnessing grit will mobilize a positive attitude with a positive shift or new direction toward the same goal or an adaptation of that goal. People with an internal reservoir of grit can transform damaging self-messages into positive approaches such as:

 

♦  What can I learn from this struggle?

 

♦  What steps can I take to turn this change (or problem) into a plus?

 

♦  How can I create a success from this mistake?

 

♦  What kind of ideas, strategies, or changes can our team develop to adapt to the challenges and roadblocks while moving ahead step by step toward our current goal or revised goal?

 

A positive approach transforms a mistake into a benefit or a deficit into developing a new plan, direction, team, or skill-set.  There is a lesson to be learned from the creators of Ivory soap who were chagrined that their soap floated but then were extremely successful in using the floating characteristic to promote sales.  Just as an artist turns a wayward line on a canvas into a tree that brings new depth to the painting, a mistake or obstacle may lead to an end result that is greater than the original goal.

 

Women leaders should set their GRIT in motion when:

 

♦  Your paper, book, or video have been rejected for publication five or more times.

   

     Setting GRIT into motion: After remembering the strong merit of your work, ask a mentor to look at it, make revisions, and resubmit it, 500 times if necessary.)

 

♦  The National Institutes of Health or National Science Foundation does not award (or renew or even read) your superb multi-site research project.

    

     Setting GRIT into motion: Obtain feedback from the NIH/NSF officer, identify their research priorities for the next few years, check with trusted colleagues in your national network about changing research priorities, pull together your multi-site team for serious and creative brainstorming, and try again. An alternative strategy may involve accessing different possible funding sources (some significant fundraising has occurred on the internet) or restructuring the protocol for a different research approach.]

 

♦  Your State Legislators develop a new State Strategic Plan which includes moving your organization into the category of nonrenewable funding and cutting 80% from your annual budget.  

 

     Setting GRIT into motion: Mobilize the voters and the related formal and informal organizations throughout your State to "educate" the Legislators and Governor about the important work of your organization/project, its essential services to the voting public throughout the State, and the lives/health/dollars saved as a result of your activities.  Help families who have benefitted from your organization/project to visit the Legislators and Governor to make the issues real. Then request that your organization/project be returned to the Line of Renewable Funding with full funding. Be gracious about informing the Legislators and Governor that though your waiting list for services needs extra funding, you are not requesting additional funding at this time but are pursuing major funding from national and statewide sources to supplement the State's support.  As a back-up position, consider offering to work with a 10% cut in funding and show how that impacts current services and other activities. Then thank the Legislators and Governor orally and in writing (many political leaders prefer email or other non-paper letters) for their attention to the needs of their voters....Legislators and other elected officials love "thank-you" feedback.

 

Summary

Women leaders should value their reservoir of grit and its role in helping them maintain a sense of purpose, commitment to personal and professional values, perseverance to achieve goals, and success as high level leaders. It may take decades to accomplish a goal such as earning a college degree, endowed chair, or vice-president appointment; identifying the root cause(s) of a disease and a cure such as in the case of Alzheimer's disease; or setting up an independent corporation to market a new invention such as medical or safety device.  Women leaders should be cognizant of the value of a track record showing grit whether evident in a formal C.V. or in casual conversational anecdotes.  Brief anecdotes may readily summarize how a woman leader morphed a barrier or burden into a successful outcome.  An added touch of humor adds a personable dimension to the anecdote as well as heralding the grit, depth, and future success of the woman leader.

 

CoAuthors:      Leilani Doty, PhD, Director, University of Florida Cognitive & Memory Disorder                                     Clinics and WESH, Communications Chair

 

Simin Dadparvar, MD, Editor, WESH Spotlights

 

References

1.  Robertson-Kraft, C. & Duckworth, A.L. (in press, 2014). True grit: Trait-level perseverance and passion for long-term goals predicts effectiveness and retention among novice teachers.Teachers College Record. www.sas.upenn.edu/~duckwort/images/publications/truegrit.pdf.

2. Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., & J.A. Jackson, J.A., eds. (2005). Glossary of Geology (5th ed.). Alexandria, Virginia, American Geological Institute. 779 pp. ISBN 0-922152-76-4

3. Duckworth, A.L. (2013). True grit. The Observer, 26(4), 1-3.

4. Shechtman, N., DeBarger, A.H., Dornsife, C., Rosier, S., & Yarnall, L. (2013). Promoting grit, tenacity, and perseverance: Critical factors for success in the 21st century. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

5. Goodwin, B. & Miller, K. (2013). Resilience and Learning Research Says / Grit Plus Talent Equals Student Success. Educational Leadership, Sept 2013; 71(1);74-6.

Congratulations Dr. Edith P. Mitchell!

 

Edith P. Mitchell, MD, FACP
Edith P. Mitchell, MD, FACP
Kudos to WESH member Edith P. Mitchell, MD, FACP, who was recently inducted into the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Hall of Fame for distinguished service to her country and Alma Mater, as well as achievements in her field of endeavor, Medicine. Dr. Mitchell is a Professor of medicine and medical oncology at the Jefferson Medical College, Director of the Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities for the Kimmel Cancer Center, and Associate Director for Diversity Programs at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA.

 

For more than 22 years, the Hall of Fame has celebrated inductees in the following fields: Arts & Entertainment, Athletics, Business and Industry, Community Service, Education, Faith and Theology, Government & Law, Medicine, Science and Lifetime Achievement.

 

Well deserved congratulations go to Dr. Mitchell!

WESH Membership

Dear WESH Members,

 

What a great year!  WESH membership is growing and we are asking for your help to keep it growing!  The Board and Membership Committee ask each WESH Member to recruit ONE new member to join Women Executives in Science & Healthcare. Our members are our best resource for spreading the word about this great organization.

 

Here is a sample email to send out to a potential Member:

 

Have you heard of WESH?  (Women Executives in Science & Healthcare) I'm a member and thought you would really enjoy and benefit from joining this great network of professional and academic women.

 

Benefits of membership:

  • Learn more about leadership development and executive career advancement strategies
  • Network both face to face and across the miles with other women colleagues
  • Recognize and support colleagues in your field
  • Keep up to date on issues important to women leaders
  • Annual CME WESH Summit (2014 Summit in Chicago,IL on May 9-10 at The Palmer House Hilton)
  • WESH Spotlights Newsletters (open access; check out the latest issues)
  • WESH Leadership Journal (open access; check out the latest issues)
  • Opportunities fostering mentor-, coach-, and sponsor-relationships, for you and others

Consider joining WESH today.  I look forward to seeing you at our highly anticipated 2014 Spring Executive Leadership Summit in Chicago,IL on May 9-10 at thePalmer House Hilton.

Don't just take my word for it; here is what another WESH Member has to say:

 

"WESH has provided me with a valuable and unique networking opportunity.  Being connected with other senior women leaders who experience similar challenges and understand and appreciate my career goals has been invaluable.  The opportunity to peer-mentor other women is also something that brings value to my life.  I recommend WESH to women leaders in science and healthcare as an important resource."

 

Kathleen Clem, MD

Professor and Chair

Department of Emergency Medicine

Loma Linda University Medical Center    clem

 

Click here to join and learn more! http://weshleadership.org
 

 

 

 

 

 

WESH Board Members 2013 - 2014

President:  Sandra K. Willsie, DO, MA

Immediate Past President:  Elizabeth "Liz" Travis, PhD

Treasurer & Development Committee Chair:  Jennifer Pelt Wisdom, PhD

Secretary: Voichita Bar-Ad, MD

Membership Chair:  Deborah O'Donnell, JD, BSN, RN

Program Chair:  Susan Rosenthal, MD, MS

Northeastern Representative:  Lindsey Grossman, MD

Western Representative:  Kathleen Clem, MD

Southern (Central) Representative:  Linda Van Horn,PhD,RD

Communications Chair:  Leilani Doty, PhD

E-Communication Chair:  Pascale H. Lane, MD    

Editors of Women Executives in Science & Healthcare

WESH Leadership Journal:  Kristine "Kris" M. Lohr, MD, MS:  kmlohr2@email.uky.edu

WESH Spotlights:  Simin Dadparvar, MD, FACNM, FACR:  sdadparvar@aol.com

 

Note: Editors of WESH Publications invite your articles on leadership issues, etc.

New Chair Elect of Steering Committee of AAMC GWIMS
Elizabeth L. Travis, Ph.D., FASTRO, Associate Vice President of Women Faculty Programs, Mattie Allen Fair Professor in Cancer Research, Professor of Experimental Radiation Oncology and Pulmonary Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, was appointed Chair-Elect of the Steering Committee for the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Women in Medicine and Science (AAMC GWIMS). Dr. Travis has been a longstanding member of this group whose mission is to advance the full and successful participation and inclusion of women in all roles within academic medicine, and to provide a venue for women to participate in advancing the AAMC mission to improve the nation's health.  

Congratulations Dr. Travis!!
Elizabeth L. Travis, PhD, FASTRO

 

WESH Thinks You Should Know
WESH Central Regional Representative
Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD
The WESH Central Representative is Dr. Linda Van Horn. Dr. Horn is a tenured Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Associate Dean for Faculty Development in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago.  Her expertise includes nutrition research, medical nutrition education and public health policy development. Her research focuses on diet in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic and other chronic diseases with a special focus on women and children. Currently, she is the Principal Investigator of a new study funded by NIDDK /NHLBI called MOMFIT, aimed at prevention of excessive gestational weight gain in overweight and obese pregnant women through a DASH-type diet and lifestyle intervention. Dr. Van Horn Chaired the 2010 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.  She also served on the NHLBI Advisory council and contributed to three expert panel guideline reports.  She was the Editor of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics from 2003-2013. Dr. Van Horn is a WESH Board member and member of the WESH Program Committee.
HERS Summit 2014

You are invited and welcome to attend the upcoming HERS Summit for Women Presidents & Chancellors: Leading Transformation/Transforming Leadership, April 10-12, 2014 (Thursday 4pm - Saturday Noon), Four Seasons Hotel, Denver, CO. This gathering will offer a unique setting for women presidents to engage in open conversations about the challenges and opportunities faced in leadership and to craft strategies for raising the voices of women presidents and chancellors on the changes needed in higher education today.

 

Plenary sessions will feature research reports and personal observations of women leaders taking on the critical issues of transforming higher education to provide access and excellence for all our communities.  Varied small groups will explore the "wicked problems" pressing higher education and personal quandaries posed for women leaders.

 

Registration for this event is limited to women who serve or have served as president or chancellor.  A limited number of other women leaders will be invited to share their perspectives in these conversations.  Reporters will not be allowed in the HERS Summit sessions.

 

More information about the Summit can be found on the website:

http://www.hersnet.org/summit.

 

Submitted on behalf of:       Judith White

   President & Executive Director

                  Higher Education Resource Services (HERS)

 

Subject: HERS Summit 2014 Wikipedia and women in science

For further information, contact: Elizabeth Suarez [email:Elizabeth.Suarez@du.edu]

 

As most of Wikipedia submissions are made by men and women are less likely to self-promote Brown did this nice program to give some women in STEM some extra print space. You may have to cut/paste this into your browser.

 

http://www.bradenton.com/2013/10/17/4776921/women-scientists-put-wikipedia.html


NEAL Program - Save the Dates!
The New and Emerging Academic Leaders Program will once again be accepting applications in January 2014. We hope that you consider applying for the 2nd cohort of this unique program.

 

SAVE THE DATES for the 2014-2015 program:

 

Module 1: September 29-October 2, 2014

Module 2: January 19-22, 2015

Module 3: May 11-14, 2015

 

 

 

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Jaclyn McCaffrey

Project Coordinator

Learning About Sponsorship
Read what Elizabeth L. Travis, PhD, Leilani Doty, PhD, and Deborah L. Helitzer, ScD have to say about Sponsorship in Academic Medicine, October 2013 issue

 

"Leadership Tips: Learning about Sponsorship"*

 

The percentages of women in the highest levels of executive and leadership have risen very little in the past decades.  While faculty development programs, mentoring and, more recently, coaching have helped some women to move up the career ladder, the numbers are still surprisingly low in the C-suite. Considered to be the highest level of a position of administrative leadership, the C-suite is the idiom used to describe the CEO/chief executive officer, COO/chief operational officer, CIO/chief information officer, CFO/chief financial officer, etc. The October 2013 publication of Academic Medicine makes a strong case for the importance of sponsorship programs to help women and others from diverse backgrounds to advance to top levels of leadership. Go to  http://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/pages/default.aspx and read about sponsorship in:

 

*Elizabeth L. Travis, PhD, Leilani Doty, PhD, and Deborah L. Helitzer, ScD. Sponsorship: A Path to the Academic Medicine C-suite for Women Faculty? Academic Medicine: Oct 2013; 88(10);1414-1417.doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182a35456.

 

Also, Watch a Brief Video on Sponsorship

Sylvia Ann Hewlett launched her latest book, Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor: The New Way to Fast-Track Your Career, captured in a 56 minute video (September 9, 2013) available at http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Finda#. In the video she reports that men and women with sponsorship are 26% more likely to get that next higher level job than people without a sponsorship. She urges women and minorities to find a champion, someone at the decision-making power-table to guide them to take a career step that involves risk. Sylvia Hewlett emphasizes how important it is to identify such a champion, but stresses also the importance of the sponsor to identify her own unique talents and special skills that may contribute to the interests, roles, and/or work of the sponsor, and thus build reciprocity in the relationship.

 

In the video strong supporters of sponsorship programs, Edward Gilligan, President of American Express, Rosalind Hudnell, Vice President of Human Resources at Intel, and Jennifer Steinmann, Chief Talent Officer of Deloitte Consulting, discuss the value of their sponsorship programs in helping to advance women and minorities into leadership positions as well as build and increase the success of their corporations.

 

Reported by:   Simin Dadparvar, MD, Editor, WESH Spotlights

                      Leilani Doty, PhD, WESH Communications Chair,

                      Director, University of Florida Cognitive & Memory Disorder Clinics, Gainesville, FL

WESH Southern Regional Representative
Mary Ann Knovich, MD
In 2013 Mary Ann Knovich, MD, Associate Professor in the Section of Hematology and Oncology, Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Wake Forest School of Medicine, was selected as the Southern Regional Representative for WESH (Women Executives in Science and Healthcare). Consistently elected by her national peers as one of America's Top Doctors, she has the enthusiasm, expertise, and WESH network to promote professional and academic activities to benefit women colleagues, graduate physicians, and scientists. As the Associate Director of the Office of Women in Medicine and Science and Chair of the Women Residents and Fellows Professional Development Program at Wake Forest Baptist Health, she has worked diligently on behalf of the career development of women faculty, house officers, and medical students.

 

Dr. Knovich graduated from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, and did her internal medicine residency and hematology and oncology fellowship at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, where she has been on faculty for the past 10 years.  Her clinical focus is on consultative hematology, thrombosis, and hemostasis.  She successfully manages three medical director positions, over: 1) the Hemophilia Diagnostic and Treatment Center at Wake Forest Baptist Health, 2) the Adult Sickle Cell Program, and 3) the Apheresis Service.   She has served on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Oncology Association.

 

Her research interests include thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, clinical laboratory science, and the development of novel coagulation testing and earned her a career development award from National Organization for Rare Disorders for her work in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. 

Leadership Lessons I Learned...
Simin Dadparvar, MD

Leadership Lessons I Learned.....and Moving Forward

Getting to know the Senior Editor of WESH Spotlights...

 

My major leadership lessons started when I was a mid-career academic physician with an exciting nomination from my University to participate in the 1999-2000 Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine for Women (ELAM) Fellowship. That Fall (1999) I met thirty-three very bright classmates from across the United States and Canada who were as eager as I for the vigorous ELAM educational lessons in leadership training, developing initiatives, financial planning, and upper level administration skills. At the time I had been the Director of Nuclear Medicine for more than a decade and was highly motivated to advance into the position of chair of a radiology department or associate dean of a medical school.

 

Unfortunately, due to low reimbursements at that time in my field and being part of a For Profit Organization, my position disappeared due to restructuring. Needless to say, this loss was a devastating experience since I had invested all my energy and soul as the Director and had developed one of the most successful residency programs on the East Coast along with some strong research projects and publications. As I moved on to another institution and enjoyed working in my field again, I started getting more involved in leadership of the organizations.

 

Since my graduation from ELAM, I have served in SELAM (Society of Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine) and now in WESH (Women Executives in Science and Healthcare) on different committees. The ELAM class of 1998-1999 with Christine K. Abrass, MD, former president of SELAM designed a leadership brooch in silver and gold to raise funds at the SELAM Annual Meeting to benefit leadership projects. The brooch was purchased by many of us as ELUMS. I took the liberty as Class Representative to make several scarves as a class project with the proceeds to benefit SELAM. This scarf project started with financial support from my ELAM Fellow Classmates and an initial donation from a well-known scarf designer to Philadelphia University. Each year, the senior class and graduate students participated in an award winning competition for the best scarf design. Over the years, SELAM benefited from the sale of more than 250 scarves at the Annual Meetings.

 

For the past few years initially at SELAM which is now WESH, I have served as the first Editor of WESH Spotlights. As Editor, I have had some wonderful opportunities to network with so many accomplished women leaders throughout the U.S.   

 

Leadership in Professional Organizations

 

First, I was elected as the President of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, Greater New York Chapter, which had over 2,200 members. During my two years of service, I created higher educational programs for nuclear medicine physicians and scientists and turned the organization around to be financially solid. Subsequently, the Society of Nuclear Medicine honored me as a Superb Educator with the prestigious Berson-Yalow Award, named after Rosalyn S. Yalow, PhD, who in 1977 received the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine and who with Solomon A. Berson, MD developed radioimmunoassay (RIA) techniques in the l950s. This award was heartwarming recognition of my value as a leader of a major professional organization; this peer-level confirmation of my skills reminded me of my effectiveness despite having dealt with so many years of challenges in a difficult professional environment.

 

Later, elected as the President of American College of Nuclear Physicians (ACNP), I strove to bring the organization from bankruptcy to solvency. I motivated teams of officers and ACNP members to initiate many new programs, such as "Residents As Future Leaders" which resulted in the first Nuclear Medicine Resident Organization in the U.S. Recently, the program expanded internationally to bring nuclear medicine residents from around the globe closer to share their scientific knowledge with each other. I created award winning scientific programs such as developing abstract presentations and writing up research findings for publication. To increase the value of membership, I negotiated with the several clinical nuclear medicine journals which increased the value of membership with physicians in Clinical Nuclear Medicine. Now many U.S. nuclear medicine residents enjoy free membership (along with a journal subscription) in the organization. Another innovation was the Mentorship Program, started eight years ago; each year the best mentors receive recognition and an award at the annual meeting. Additionally, for six years, I served as the Chief Editor of Scanner, a bimonthly publication.  Later the ACNP merged with the American College of Nuclear Medicine and adopted the new name American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM). It has been gratifying as a major contributor and supporter of these programs to see their success and their impact on the growth of the ACNM. Over the past ten years, I have been the recipient of many leadership awards and have continued to move the organization forward.

 

After my service as President of ACNM, I was elected as the President of the Correlative Imaging Council at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. This Society has more than 19,000 members. In addition to developing several educational programs, I worked with board members to launch the Computerized Tomography (CT) Educational Course for nuclear medicine physicians. Thus far, over 4,000 physicians have been trained and certified. The President of the Society honored my work with the Presidential Distinguished Educator Award at the 2011 Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, Florida.

 

Leadership: Respecting Cultural Diversity and Heritage

 

A few years ago, I was elected as the Treasurer to the Iranian Cultural Society of America (Shabahang) in Philadelphia. Established for twenty years, the organization works to promote and enhance Persian culture, literature, poetry, and heritage in the Tri-State of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Then I was elected as the President of Sabahang. Initially I was very reluctant to accept the position, because I was unsure about my current competence in the Persian arts and humanities since the last time I had studied Persian literature was in high school, many years ago. My high school major was science as I was very intent on going to medical school. After being encouraged to accept the office of President of Shabahang, I encountered many challenges; two important, early challenges were to strengthen the membership and re-establish the non-profit status.

 

We held a successful Fund Raising event to bring speakers from around the globe to our monthly meetings and establish an annual Scholarship Fund for university students obtaining various degrees. For the first time we created an Iranian Directory for Iranian and Iranian-American professionals and businesses in the area. The Young Chapter of Shabahang brought in concerts, movies, lectureships, and for the first time a traditional celebration of "Shab e Chahar Shanbeh Suri", which is the Fire Festival -  jumping over the fire. The event was held in a large Philadelphia park overlooking the city and the Museum of Art, on the last Tuesday evening in March before the arrival of Nowruz, the Persian New Year (March 20th).  More than 400 people enjoyed the Persian music, dance, food, and jumping (safely) over the fire with wishes for good health. The significance of the annual Fire Festival is to wish for enlightenment and happiness throughout the coming year. People leap over the flames, shouting: "Sorkhi-ye to az man; Zardi-ye man az" which means "Give me your beautiful red color; and take back my sickly pallor".

 

The Youth Chapter programs featured art, music, and a variety of talents of first-generation Iranians in the area. We established a quarterly publication, Peik (Shabahang News).

 

By the end of my term as President, we had reached out to Iranian and Iranian-Americans within a hundred mile radius. The budget of the organization had doubled. The nine monthly programs were outstanding and well-received. The four events of special celebration, Fall (Mehregan), Winter (the Yalda party), Spring (the Nowruz Celebration), and (the Sizdah Bedar picnic), were extremely successful and attended by hundreds of people. My two years of leadership invigorated the organization and the resulting enthusiasm of its members invigorated me. The valuable lesson I learned: "Accept the new challenges, learn about them and be creative to extend the organization beyond your comfort zone".

 

Reflecting...

 

Looking back, although my dream to chair a department or serve at the dean's level in a  medical school did not occur, the valuable lessons I have learned through my ELAM training and WESH networking as well as many efforts with colleagues at multiple national professional organizations have strengthened me and enriched my life. Though deep in my heart, I still miss my field of medicine, these leadership experiences have emboldened me to accept many new challenges big or small and, however I can, to move my profession and a variety of wonderful organizations such as WESH forward.

 

By:       Simin Dadparvar, MD

            Editor, WESH Spotlights

WESH Past Treasurer in New Position at University of Missouri - Kansas City
Rebecca R. Pauly, MD
Rebecca R. Pauly, MD, recently joined the faculty at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine. Professor Pauly has appointments in the UMKC Department of Internal Medicine as well as Biomedical and Health Informatics.  In addition, she will take on the challenge of developing an institute focused on faculty mentoring and academic advancement for all the departments at UMKC School of Medicine and its affiliated hospitals.

 

Prior to this new position, Dr. Pauly served for six years as the Associate Vice President for Health Affairs of Equity and Diversity at the University of Florida Health Science Center (consisting of six colleges: Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and Health Professions, and Veterinary Medicine). She was a course director in the College of Medicine and practiced as an academic internist at the University of Florida. She is concluding her term as Chair of the Group on Women and Medicine and Science for the AAMC.

 

Leadership Guidance: A Blueprint for New Leaders of Departments

Elisabeth Kunkel, MD et al. (2013) set up major points to map steps for a new chair of a department in the recent Academic Psychiatry article, "Leadership considerations for executive vice chairs, new chairs, and chairs in the 21st century". The article discusses six important areas for current, new, and future chairs to commit their serious attention, time, and resources. The six areas are:

 

1. Mentorship;

2. Faculty Development;

3. Promotion;

4. Demonstrating value in each of the academic missions;

5. Marketing and communications; and

6. Barriers

 

Emphasis throughout the article highlights benchmarks in these areas in order to foster success for the goals and success of the faculty and department.  For clear explanations and concrete tips, read the full article at: 

 

Kunkel EJ, Lehrmann JA, Vergare MJ, Roberts LW. Leadership considerations for executive vice chairs, new chairs, and chairs in the 21st century.  Academic Psychiatry. 2013 Jul 1;37(4):254-60. doi: 10.1176/appi.ap.12010019. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23820911

 

Reported by:   Simin Dadparvar, MD, FACNM, FACR

                      Leilani Doty, PhD, WESH Communications Chair, Director, University of                                             Florida Cognitive & Memory Disorder Clinics, Gainesville, FL

More Senior Women in Leadership for More Organizational Success

NICHOLAS D. KRISTOFa news and human rights journalist and, by the way, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, states the case for including more women in senior executive positions in order to reap greater accomplishments. In his October 23, 2014 New York Times editorial, he suggests that more women leaders in the business world, politics, and the news media would expand the diversity of the high-level decision makers and outperform cohort-companies. He makes a special point of encouraging Twitter to diversify its Board of seven white males and identifies examples of companies whose diversifying has led to greater performance. Read Kristof's Op-Ed piece, "Twitter, Women and Power" at:

Letters to the Editors: New York Times

Elizabeth L. Travis, PhD, WESH immediate Past President, responded to The New York Times article, "She's (Rarely) the Boss", with a recommendation for sponsorship of women to help them move up into the C-suites.  Her brief opinion piece was published 2/4/13 online in the Letters to the Editor section. Below is the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/opinion/sponsors-for-women.html?_r=0

2014 Call for Applications to the Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology

7th Annual Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology

 

August 4-6, 2014, and March 25-26, 2015, Washington, DC.

Applications due March 17, 2014

 

The Call for Applications to the 7th Annual APA Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology (2014-2015) has officially opened: http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/leadership/call.aspx. 

 

The American Psychological Association Committee on Women in Psychology (CWP) announces its seventh annual Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology (LIWP) to be held on Monday, August 4, through Wednesday, August 6, 2014, and Wednesday, March 25 through Thursday, March 26, 2015, in Washington, DC. This year we are accepting approximately 20 mid-career women psychologists who work full time in academic or academic medical settings, and approximately 20 mid-career women psychologists who work primarily in clinical or consulting settings. Mid-career women psychologists in leadership roles in integrated primary care settings in academic health centers, public, community or private sectors are encouraged to apply as well.

 

This is a competitive process and modesty is not helpful in this regard. The applications for each group (a. academic/academic medical and b. clinical/consulting) are different. Please complete one application only, for the group with which you most clearly identify and for which you meet the eligibility criteria discussed below. (Can we put the link in here?)

 

The overall mission of the APA LIWP is to empower, prepare and support women psychologists as leaders to promote positive changes in institutional, organizational and practice settings as well as APA and State, Provincial and Territorial Associations (SPTA) governance, and increase the diversity, number and effectiveness of women psychologists as leaders. The program's mission supports APA's goal to advance psychology as a science and profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.

 

Note: the APA LIWP is open to mid-career* women psychologists in academic or academic medicine, and clinical or clinical consulting settings who are full APA members in good standing. Please review the Call for Applications for a complete list of eligibility criteria. There are two separate applications housed at the link, so be sure to complete the one for the track you identify with most. Check out the APA LIWP Frequently Asked Questions here:

http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/leadership/faq.aspx

 

*Mid-career is defined by the APA LIWP Executive Committee as being no more than twenty (20) years and no less than ten (10) years post-doctoral degree. If you are more than twenty years post-doctoral degree and feel you are "mid-career", please explain why in the appropriate section of the application.

 

Should you require additional information or assistance, please contact Wynter Oshiberu at 202-336-6044, or woshiberu@apa.org

 

Who should apply?

Mid-career (10-20 years post-doctoral degree**) women psychologists with demonstrated leadership experience, strengths and goals who are APA members in good standing and holding either full-time, paid faculty appointments at the associate professor or clinical associate professor level or above in academic or academic medicine settings.***  Or working 20 or more hours per week in clinical or consulting settings. If you are in a clinical setting, you must be a licensed psychologist to apply to the LIWP.  Women of color, lesbian and bisexual women, transgender women and women with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

 

**If you are more than 20 years post-doctoral degree but view yourself as mid-career, you may apply but must provide careful justification for your application as a mid-career psychologist.

 

***If you are in an academic setting that does not have traditional faculty ranks and promotion processes, you may apply if you can provide an articulate justification for being at a career development state that is comparable to that of Associate Professor or Associate Clinical Professor, or greater.

 

Program components

The core curriculum includes highly interactive, skills-focused workshops with experts in the field:

            Leadership models

   Managing work-life balance

   Negotiation skills

   Fiscal, program and personnel issues

   Mentoring networks, including gender and diversity issues

   Mid-career management, goal Setting and planning

 

Previous institutes and Web seminars during the year have also addressed:

Sustaining and funding a research program

Strategic planning

Dealing with difficult people

Ethics from the leadership perspective

 

Applications and supporting materials (CV/resume and one letter of recommendation) are due by 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday, March 17, 2014. Please make sure you complete either the application for mid-career women in academic and academic medical settings or the application for mid-career women in clinical and consulting settings. Note that the applications have different questions, requirements and guidance for letters of recommendations.

 

If selected, the fee for participation in both the fall and spring programs is $600, which helps to defray costs of the program (faculty are entirely volunteer). Application to the program indicates you are making a commitment to participate fully, including completing surveys on an annual basis regarding career advancement and leadership training needs. Participants are also invited to Web seminars on leadership issues throughout the year and have access to a mailing list for LIWP participants, faculty and staff.

 

Selections will be announced by Friday, May 31, 2014.

 

For additional information, please visit our FAQ page to review frequently asked questions or contact the APA Women's Programs Office: via surface mail at American Psychological Association, 750 First St., NE, Washington, D.C. 20002-4242 or via phone at (202) 336-6044.

 

The American Psychological Association Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology 2013-2014 funders include the APA Women's Programs Office, the Women's Caucus of the APA Council of Representatives, the Society for the Psychology of Women and the APA Commission on Ethnic Minority Recruitment, Retention and Training in Psychology.

Mark Your Calendars: AAMC Events
2014 AAMC Seminars for Women Faculty 

 

Dear GWIMS Community,

Have you considered sponsoring someone to attend one of the AAMC's seminars for women faculty? Or, perhaps applying to attend one of these popular seminars? The AAMC's seminars for women faculty provide protected time for attendees to learn the knowledge and skills needed to advance on the path to leadership in academic medicine.  Below are the dates of the 2014 AAMC seminars for women faculty as well as when the seminar applications will be available.  

 

●  2014 Early Career Women Faculty Professional Development Seminar: July 12-15-2014, Englewood, CO; *Application will open in late February/early March 2014

 

●  2014 Mid-Career Women Faculty Professional Development Seminar: December 6-9, 2014, Austin, TX; *Application will open in early September 2014

______________________

   

Call for Submissions/Registration Open: 2014 LGBT Health Workforce Conference, May 1 - 3, 2014

 

You are invited to the 2014 LGBT Health Workforce Conference, May 1-3, 2014 in New York City, NY. The conference theme is "Engineering Institutions and Empowering Individuals to Better Serve LGBT Communities." The LGBT Health Workforce Conference overviews up-to-date practices (climate and educational) in preparing the health care workforce to address the health concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. 

 

Get involved now:

* Submit a workshop or poster presentation.

* Register Now for an early discounted rate.

* Apply to join our health professional student/resident advisory

* Learn more about the conference:

* See the 2013 LGBT Perspective in Medicine and Academia video.

* Access 2013 Conference proceedings in the following publication -

S�nchez NF, S�nchez JP, Lunn MR, Yehia BR, Callahan EJ.  First Annual LGBT Health     Workforce Conference: Empowering Our Health Workforce to Better Serve LGBT                Communities. LGBT Health. Spring 2014, 1(1): 62-65.

 

If you have any questions please email us at http://lgbthealthworkforce.org/contact/

 

John Paul Sanchez, MD, MPH

Chair, Executive Committee

2014 LGBT Health Workforce Conference, NYC

______________________

 
Alpha Omega Alpha Fellow in Leadership Award


The AΩA Fellow in Leadership Award will recognize and support further development of outstanding leaders exemplifying the qualities of leading from within, the society's professional values, and the concepts of servant leadership.

Mid-career physicians providing outstanding leadership within organizations in medicine and health care, including schools of medicine, academic health centers, community hospitals, clinics, agencies, or organizations, with a high promise for future success and contribution are eligible to apply. All applicants must be members of AΩA.

For more information about the AΩA Fellow in Leadership Award, please link to the sitewhich includes the application requirements and deadlines:
https://www.alphaomegaalpha.org/Leadership.html  

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Announcing New GWIMS Subcommittee Members

The GWIMS Steering Committee is pleased to announce the new GWIMS subcommittee members. We received a number of impressive applications, and we welcome the following ten new subcommittee members:

New Communications Subcommittee members:
Adela Casas Melley, M.D., FACS, FAAP,
Joyce Fried,
Pascale Lane, M.D., and
Gloria Richard Davis, M.D.

New Membership Subcommittee members:
Pamela Saunders, Ph.D.,
Andrea Seritan, M.D., and
Lori Wagner. M.D., M.A., F.A.C.P.

New Research and Product Development Subcommittee members:
Amy Gottlieb, M.D.,
Kathryn Rexrode, M.D., M.P.H., and
Mary Lou Voytko, Ph.D.

Congratulations and we look forward to an exciting year!
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2014 Unconscious Bias Learning Lab - Save the Date!

The AAMC and Cook Ross will hold two Unconscious Bias Learning Labs for the Healthcare Professions in 2014. Mark your calendars now!

March 12-14, 2014, in the Washington, DC Metro Area
October 7-9, 2014, in San Francisco, CA

The Lab is a 3-day evidence-based training led by Howard Ross of Cook Ross Inc., one of the nation's leading training consultants and author of ReInventing Diversity, in partnership with the AAMC. It is built specifically for academic medicine faculty and administrators. The Lab covers:
* How unconscious bias develops and how it influences perceptions.
* What impact bias is having on your own interactions and how to mitigate it.
* Cutting-edge interventions to take back to your institutions to effectively combat bias in recruitment, hiring, patient care, and more.

Learn about Dr. Valerie Romero-Legott's experience at the Learning Lab and how it has transformed her return to her job.
 
For questions, please contact Jessica Vaughan, jvaughan@aamc.org, 202-828-0507.
______________________

Medical School Applicants, Enrollment Reach All-Time Highs

Gains Increase Urgency to Lift Federal Cap on Residency Training Positions
Washington, D.C., October 24, 2013-A record number of students applied to and enrolled in the nation's medical schools in 2013, according to data released today by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges). The total number of applicants to medical school grew by 6.1% to 48,014, surpassing the previous record set in 1996 by 1,049 students. First-time applicants, another important indicator of interest in medicine, increased by 5.5% to 35,727. The number of students enrolled in their first year of medical school exceeded 20,000 for the first time (20,055), a 3% increase over 2012.

"At a time when the nation faces a shortage of more than 90,000 doctors by the end of the decade and millions are gaining access to health insurance, we are very glad that more students than ever want to become physicians. However, unless Congress lifts the 16-year-old cap on federal support for residency training, we will still face a shortfall of physicians across dozens of specialties," said AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D. "Students are doing their part by applying to medical school in record numbers. Medical schools are doing their part by expanding enrollment. Now Congress needs to do its part and act without delay to expand residency training to ensure that everyone who needs a doctor has access to one."

The overall growth in medical student enrollment can be attributed, in part, to the creation of new medical schools as well as existing schools' efforts to expand their class sizes after the AAMC, in 2006, called for a 30% increase in enrollment to avert future doctor shortages. In 2013, 14 medical schools increased their class sizes by more than 10%. Four new medical schools welcomed their first classes this year, contributing to about half of the overall enrollment increase. Since 2002, medical schools have increased the number of first-year students by 21.6%.

The diversity of students applying to and enrolling in medical school remained relatively steady, with two notable gains. The number of first-time female applicants increased by 1,102 or 6.9%, after remaining flat in 2012. The number of Hispanics/Latinos attending medical school continued to increase, rising by 5.5% to 1,826 enrollees.

Additional highlights:

As in past years, the total number of men and women applying to and enrolling in medical school is fairly equally split, with male enrollees accounting for approximately 53 percent and female enrollees accounting for 47% of the 2013 class. In addition to the increase in first-time female applicants, the total number of men applying to medical school increased 5.8% from 24,338 applicants in 2012 to 25,760 male applicants in 2013.

The overall quality of this year's application pool remained strong, with nearly three-quarters of applicants reporting research experience and two-thirds reporting voluntary community service. This year's applicants reported an average undergraduate GPA of 3.54 and a combined median MCAT� score of 29.
 
The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 141 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 51 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and nearly 90 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 128,000 faculty members, 75,000 medical students, and 110,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.
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GWIMS Toolkit Chapters on Presentations & WIMS Programs Now Available

The GWIMS Research and Product Development Subcommittee is proud to announce two new additions to the GWIMS Toolkit:

1. Workshop Preparation and Presentation by Drs. Carla Spagnoletti, Rachel Bonnema, Melissa McNeil, Abby Spencer, and Megan McNamara
2. How to Start and Maintain a Robust WIMS Organization by Drs. Julie Wei and Paige Geiger.

The toolkits should be shared with faculty and others. All GWIMS Toolkits can be found at: www.aamc.org/members/gwims/toolkit.
 
GWIMS is always looking for new toolkit submissions from the GWIMS Community. If you have an idea for a toolkit submission you would like to author, send us your idea at gwims@aamc.org.
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New AAMC Health Equity Web Pages
 
On October 1, 2013 AAMC launched a new suite of web pages dedicated to Health Equity Research and Policy. The pages aim to provide institutions and researchers with up-to-date information about current health equity-focused funding opportunities, upcoming conferences and meetings, and recently published research. Additionally, the pages will highlight exemplary AAMC member health equity research-related activity. Users can also elect to sign up for monthly "AAMC Health Equity Research Updates" by emailing healthequityresearch@aamc.org with their name, institution and title.
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W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute has launched the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities - Call for Submissions

The W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute has launched the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. The Editor-in-Chief is Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Connecticut, and the publisher is Springer. The journal reports on the scholarly progress of work to understand, address, and ultimately eliminate health disparities based on race and ethnicity. Efforts to explore underlying causes of health disparities and to describe interventions that have been undertaken to address racial and ethnic health disparities are featured. Promising studies that are ongoing or studies that have longer term data are welcome, as are studies that serve as lessons for best practices in eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. The journal is accepting original articles, solicited evolutionary reviews presenting the state-of-the-art thinking on problems centered on health disparities, and unsolicited review articles of timely interest. The first issue will be published in early 2014, and the journal is now accepting submissions. For more information, go to www.springer.com/40615.
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Announcing GWIMS Steering Committee members and 2013 GWIMS Awards

We are excited to share this year's new GWIMS Steering Committee members:

Chair-elect:
* Elizabeth Travis,PhD, FASTRO, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston,Tx

Members-at-large:
* Barbara Fivush MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
* Amelia Grover, MD, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
* Martha Gulati, MD, MS, FACC, FAHA, Ohio State University College of Medicine

GWIMS is pleased to announce this year's recipients of the 2013 GWIMS Leadership Development Award:

* Luanne E. Thorndyke, M.D., F.A.C.P., Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, University of Massachusetts Medical School
* The Task Force on Women's Academic Careers in Medicine of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine 

The new members and the award winner of Women in Medicine and Science were recognized at the Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, November 5th at the 2013 AAMC Annual Meeting in Philadelphia to honor the award winners for their extraordinary contributions to advancing women leaders in academic medicine. 
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From the The GWIMS Steering Committee

Dear GWIMS Community:
As a free online service provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges, MedEdPORTAL� aims to equip healthcare professionals across the continuum with effective and efficient educational tools to improve patient care. The program recently released a brief video which describes its three services - Publications, iCollaborative and the CE Directory. Visit www.mededportal.org/about to view the video and share with others! For more information please contact Emily Cahill at ecahill@aamc.org.

Spotlights Quotes

"Don't follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you."

Margaret Thatcher

British politician

 

"If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal. Not to people or things."
Albert Einstein
German-born theoretical physicist

"Be yourself, everyone else is taken."
Oscar Wilde
British writer

"Only one man in a thousand is a leader of men - the other 999 follow women."
Groucho Marx
American comedian & actor

"It's sort of easy to make a challenge. It's very hard to put the full fate of your government behind the challenge and make it happen. That's real leadership."
Jody Williams (1950)
American peace activist

"If the power to do hard work is not a skill, it's the best possible substitute for it."
James A. Garfield
20th U.S. President

"One thing life has taught me: if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests. They come to you...When you are genuinely interested in one thing, it will always lead to something else."
Eleanor Roosevelt
Former U.S. First Lady

"Defeat should never be a source of discouragement but rather a fresh stimulus."
Robert South
British preacher

"Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty in every age of life really never grows old."
Frank Kafka
Writer

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."
Bill Cosby
American comedian & actor

 



 
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