Women in Medicine Summit to amplify women, promote gender equity in the field
The Women in Medicine Summit, taking place Sept. 13 and 14, in Chicago, will provide attendees skill building, networking and other opportunities to amplify women in medicine and work toward gender equity in health care.
“When I started this summit, my initial goal was to bring together incredible women in health care and allies from around the country to share their stories and challenges, and at the end of the day, come up with solutions for how we can drive change, not only in the systems within which we work, but also for our own personal and professional lives,” Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, associate professor of medicine with tenure in the division of hematology/oncology at University of Illinois Cancer Center in Chicago, and consulting editor for Women in Oncology, told Healio.
The summit does just that through educational content — lectures, workshops and breakout sessions — ensuring that attendees go home with new tools and skill sets.
“I also wanted to create networking opportunities where people could connect with individuals from other specialties, states and institutions who may be able to help them in their own professional development or in personal challenges they face,” she said. “This is now our sixth year of the summit, and the amount of feedback and positive reinforcement I have received for the fact that we have achieved this in many different levels among the hundreds of attendees who have joined our network is truly humbling for me — to hear the stories of people who have been touched by some of our programming, who have utilized and leveraged those networks to help improve their own careers. Many of whom have gone back to their own institutions or at national levels to use those networks and skills to drive positive change.”
This year’s agenda will feature new sessions, including how to negotiate like an auctioneer, as well as using improv comedy to find joy in your career. In addition, keynotes at the summit will include:
- Jessi Gold, MD, MS, chief wellness officer at the University of Tennessee System and associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, who will be introducing her book coming out in October, which will be available for attendees to purchase and get signed in-person.
- Julie K. Silver, MD, senior associate dean for faculty experience and success at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, who was one of the first keynote speakers at the first summit and has led the Career Advancement Women in Health Care Leadership Conference at Harvard University.
- Kimberly Manning, MD, FACP, FAAP, professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine, and associate vice chair of diversity, equity and inclusion in the department of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, who has spoken before in a variety of avenues at the summit.
- Jen Gunter, MD, an OB-GYN and pain medicine physician in San Francisco, who’s voice and advocacy efforts have empowered and inspired so many, who is speaking for the first time ever at the summit.
Jain’s ultimate hope is for attendees to leave the 2-day summit inspired and empowered to change the world.
“My hope is that attendees leave with not only feeling inspired, but also the tools required to enact that change,” she said. “People have told me they attend over and over not only because of the networks and connections they’ve made, but also the skills they learn and the leadership training they receive is the best they’ve experienced compared with any other conference they’ve attended.”
In addition to the educational aspect, this year’s summit will feature the first-ever Friday evening gala that will include raffles for prizes and “a time to let loose and enjoy with friends,” according to Jain.
She also noted that the summit is for people of all genders — not only women.
“My husband is a physician who has attended every year since inception of the summit,” she said. “The first year, he came to support me, but now he comes because of the content. I love having him there and he is there to support me, but the content itself is something that people are amazed by because of the caliber of speakers.”
This is not your everyday conference, Jain added.
“We have tailored the summit to the many needs of physicians and other health care professionals. We want people to keep coming back and to have a good time while they’re there,” she said. “This summit is built on what I want to experience at conferences and what my friends and colleagues tell me they want to see and experience.
“If it is your first year attending, we would love to have you. If you’re coming back, we’d love to see you again,” Jain said. “It is truly a fun couple of days, along with very educational and empowering content, and I am looking forward to seeing all of you there this year.”
Jain noted that there will be another upcoming event in March 2025.
“We will have our first-ever Women in Medicine CME cruise to the South of France, which will feature Dr. Manning; Mark Hertling, DBA, a retired lieutenant general in the U.S. Army; Vijayakrishna (VK) Gadi, MD, PhD, professor and associate director of internal medicine in the division of hematology/oncology at University of Illinois Cancer Center College of Medicine; Cecilia Zapata-Harms, MS, MHA, founder, an entrepreneur and executive; Laurie K. Baedke, MHA, FACHE, FACMPE, president and CEO of LIFEworks Consulting Group, Inc., myself and other speakers,” she said.
“The Women in Medicine CME Cruise is going to be an amazing retreat. The programming, which is optional, will be fantastic,” Jain continued. “Attendees can sip wine, enjoy the culinary offerings and go on excursions in the south of France. The entire ship is reserved for our group, so you can bring a group of friends and make it a fun girls’ trip or make it a fun vacation with your spouse or partner. It’s truly going to be an incredible event, and I strongly encourage people to sign up for that now before it sells out because there’s limited space on the ship.”
References:
- Women in Medicine CME International Cruise. Available at: https://www.cmeriverconference.com/cme-provence-conference.
- Women in Medicine Summit. Available at: https://www.womeninmedicinesummit.org.
For more information:
Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, can be reached at sjain03@gmail.com.
Collapse
Healio Interviews
Read more about