Women's History Month

What are you most passionate about in your field? 
I am most passionate about improving the healthcare system to better meet the needs of marginalized patients. Specifically, I want to improve the emergency department to a place that not only treats emergencies but also helps to prevent them from happening in the first place.

Who has inspired you in your drive to advance? 
As a first-generation Nigerian American, I’m inspired by my parents who had trouble navigating the healthcare system as immigrants. As an emergency medicine doctor, I’m inspired by patients like them who use the emergency department as their primary (and oftentimes only) source of healthcare.

Are there unique contributions that being a woman allows you to bring to science or medicine? 
As a Black woman, my experience allows me to better understand structural barriers that impact patients and provides me with insight into solutions to help them overcome these barriers and achieve their health goals. 

Given your career path, what advice would you give to other women? 
My momma's best advice to me is “If you don’t take care of yourself then who will?” As tempting as it can be, you can’t pour from an empty cup. I’ve learned that I can better serve my patients when I’m mindful of my own well-being and needs.

What are you most passionate about in your field? 
I am deeply passionate about the integration of Lifestyle Medicine into the practice of primary care as well as the transformative power of Lifestyle Medicine in our ability to support patients on their journey towards a healthier, happier life. The core of my enthusiasm lies in empowering individuals to take charge of their health, guiding them to make sustainable lifestyle changes that not only improve their well-being but also have the potential to reverse chronic diseases. Witnessing the positive impact these changes bring to someone's life is incredibly rewarding. It reaffirms my commitment to this field and fuels my dedication to continue advocating for lifestyle medicine approaches.

Who has inspired you in your drive to advance? 
Two remarkable females have profoundly inspired my journey and drive to excel in Lifestyle Medicine and Internal Medicine. The first, my mother, has been my beacon of inspiration from an early age. She instilled in me the belief that I should always aim to be the best version of myself and reach my fullest potential. Her unwavering support and encouragement have been foundational in shaping my aspirations and achievements. The second source of inspiration comes from my daughter. In my efforts to encourage her to embrace her authentic self and pursue her passions, I found myself inspired by her resilience and determination. Witnessing her journey has motivated me to mirror that courage and authenticity in my own life. This mutual exchange of inspiration led me to pursue further education, embarking on an MBA. This decision was driven by a desire to acquire new skills that would propel my career forward, enabling me to aim higher and achieve more significant milestones. Together, my mother's legacy of striving for excellence and my daughter's example of living authentically have been pivotal in guiding me to advance in my field and life.

Are there unique contributions that being a woman allows you to bring to science or medicine? 
My experiences as a woman have shaped certain attributes that are beneficial in my practice. One such attribute is empathy. My approach to patient care is deeply rooted in empathy, allowing me to understand and connect with patients on a personal level. This empathetic understanding helps me meet people where they are in their health journey, providing support and guidance tailored to their individual needs.

Given your career path, what advice would you give to other women? 
In my journey thus far, one pivotal lesson stands out: the importance of pursuing your passions. For other women carving their paths in science, medicine, or any field, I urge you to follow what genuinely drives you. Your passion will guide you through challenges and inspire you to persevere even when obstacles arise. Equally important is finding mentors who resonate with your aspirations and values. These individuals not only illuminate the path forward but also offer invaluable support, wisdom, and encouragement to navigate the complexities of professional growth. I also encourage you to embrace the role of a mentor yourself. In doing so, you contribute to creating a supportive ecosystem for the next generation of women in your field. Mentoring allows you to pay forward the guidance you've received and offers you a unique opportunity to refine your leadership skills. To sum up, let your passion lead you, seek and offer mentorship, and remember that your journey can inspire and enable others to achieve their dreams. This cycle of guidance and empowerment is vital for nurturing a more inclusive, supportive, and dynamic professional environment for women everywhere.

What are you most passionate about in your field? 
I am passionate about the very personal, everyday interactions with my patients and figuring out ways to help them live their lives as fully as possible. I am also passionate about looking at our existing systems and processes for primary care and figuring out ways to advocate for change for more equitable, sustainable, and high-quality healthcare.  

Who has inspired you in your drive to advance? 
My mentor in medical school was my small group leader Mary Jo Lechowicz and my mentor in Family medicine was Suzy Alfonso. My mother's own successful career in health policy has also been a major source of inspiration. 

Are there unique contributions that being a woman allows you to bring to science or medicine? 
In the primary care setting, I think my perspective as a woman allows me to better appreciate how the health of the individual patient is intertwined with their family members and community. We may see just the individual, but without an awareness of their caretaking responsibilities and what they are giving to others, we are missing a big piece of the picture. Women still provide the large majority of informal caretaking in our society, and I think that being a female provider leads to more patients confiding in me what are their responsibilities and how those stressors and demands affect them.  

Given your career path, what advice would you give to other women? 
Medical training is intense and can encourage unrealistic expectations of ourselves. Your best will vary from day to day. Not everything you do will be optimized every day, and that is okay. Give yourself some grace and be content with knowing you gave it your best at the time. Then try to continue to learn from past experiences without shouldering too much self-blame about how you could have done something different. 

What are you most passionate about in your field? 
At a high level, I am passionate about the development of primary care as the foundation and basis for high-quality healthcare provision in the US. As a UK-trained physician, I've been afforded perspectives that have shaped how I value and believe in primary care as the cornerstone of healthcare delivery. I'm excited about the future of primary care and development within Emory and I'm motivated as a leader in primary care to educate about and recruit into the specialty. Daily it is my patient and team relationships, the ability to provide continuity of care, and the challenge of maintaining a broad medical knowledge base that drives me as a primary care physician. I find it very rewarding to manage whatever comes into my exam room and to continue my lifelong learning journey every day.

Who has inspired you in your drive to advance? 
I am lucky to come from a family of women who are leaders in their respective fields, and they have served as role models for me from a young age. For me my mother was the ultimate superwoman successfully balancing her medical career with her family life - she raised 3 physician children! Knowing these women personally inspires me to know that I can achieve what I set my mind to and gives me motivation to pursue my interests and goals within medicine.

Are there unique contributions that being a woman allows you to bring to science or medicine?
As a female primary care doctor, my journey through medicine has afforded me ample empathy and a holistic approach that I strive to bring to all my patient encounters. Providing women's health and being able to care for female caregivers, women of color, career women, and geriatric matriarchs comes a little easier and is a privilege I attribute to being a female physician. I am naturally inclined to look at certain disease processes and medical conditions with a feminist lens and likely have a heightened awareness of differences in clinical presentation between men and women and a radar for identifying biases in the diagnosis and management of conditions in male versus female patients.

Given your career path, what advice would you give to other women? 
I was told that it would be impossible as an international medical graduate to get into my first choice of residency program despite coming from a strong academic medical background in the UK. Don't listen to naysayers. Hold on to the folks that believe in you. Not only did I get into my first choice of residency, but I served as co-chief resident and am now in a leadership position at my primary care practice with teaching responsibilities at the Emory Family Medicine Residency program. If you had asked me 10 years ago if I believed this was where I would be it would have been hard to imagine given the daunting obstacles in my path. If you are passionate, driven, and dedicated your authenticity will show through and with a little luck and the help of great colleagues and mentors you will succeed.

What are you most passionate about in your field?  
I am most passionate about ending health injustice and increasing access to quality health care. Obstetrics and Gynecology is specially poised to meet the needs of patients and communities holistically; and by serving and uplifting the health of persons with female reproductive organs, we effectively also improve the health of their families and communities. 

Who has inspired you in your drive to advance?  
I have a whole team of supporters and inspiration! If I had to choose one person, though, it would be my late mum – Dr Bochiwe Hlezipi Hara-Kaonga. She was brilliant, wise, industrious, caring and so unbelievably strong. There were never any limits – in personal and professional growth and development – and she made sure I knew that. She (along with my dad) also reminded me to remain humble and grounded and to always remember our ancestry and heritage because to know where to go, I must always remember who I am and where I am from. 

Are there unique contributions that being a woman allows you to bring to science or medicine?  
Being a person with female reproductive parts is powerful, and being of African descent is a gift. We [people with vaginas] have an innate ability to connect, problem-solve and act on tough challenges in completely different ways than what has been the standard. By being overlooked or on the sidelines for far too long, we have cultivated a rebellious and energetic spirit, and I think that sort of energy, thinking and collective spirit is what will advance medicine, science and society; and we are starting to see those shifts! 

Given your career path, what advice would you give to other women?  
This is just my own opinion: There is no set pathway, and there is a lot of opportunity along the way. Be open to experiences and see how they resonate for you. Also, set up a dynamic board of directors for different aspects of your life (people you trust who can offer thoughts and advice and also push you (constructively) to do more). 

What are you most passionate about in your field? 
Becoming a clinical geneticist was my lifelong dream. I’ve always wanted to understand the etiology behind a patient's complex symptoms. The quick advancements in testing have allowed us to provide diagnosis for a growing number of genetic conditions. Providing a patient with a molecular diagnosis makes available the accrued medical information on a condition, opens up the possibility of finding a community of those with similar lived experiences and also the possibility to participate in research. The reality, though, is that few genetic conditions have approved therapies, but I’m passionate about helping close that gap by being an investigator in clinical trials and patient registries, collaborating with experts worldwide and partnering with patients and families to tailor care to their unique needs. 

Who has inspired you in your drive to advance?
Both of my parents inspired me greatly.  My mother is a child psychologist, and my father is a pediatrician and they both work in academic settings, so I grew up in a household that provided service to patients, families and communities and contributed to mentoring the next generation of learners. I’ve also been inspired by many mentors in my career, including my mentors at Emory. I strive to follow in all their footsteps and make my own contributions to science and society as a whole.

Are there unique contributions that being a woman allows you to bring to science or medicine? 
As a Hispanic woman growing up outside of the US, I have some insight into the barriers that minority and immigrant populations face in their care. In the clinic, this insight drives me to spend additional time talking to my patients with complex diseases and go beyond genetics and into social determinants of health. I strive to promote equity and inclusion for people living with disabilities. I also strive to promote equity and inclusion for women because I lived, and witnessed disparities based on sex during my early career years. I now know how to recognize them, ameliorate them and talk to other women about them too. I’m lucky that I am now part of a very diverse and inclusive team.

Given your career path, what advice would you give to other women? 
Here is the advice I needed for myself: Learn to negotiate and don’t be afraid to ask tough questions. Learn how and when to say no. Practice work-life balance as much as possible. Be an up-stander for yourself and others around you.

What are you most passionate about in your field? 
I am passionate about championing diversity in the PA profession and the importance of training and supporting diverse and well-equipped PA's to provide excellent patient care and contribute to the diversity of the healthcare provider population. I find this vital to combatting the health disparities and inequities we continue to face in many communities.

Who has inspired you in your drive to advance?
My mother is my greatest inspiration. My mother was a leader in her profession (finance) throughout my childhood and taught me the importance of a solid education with a career in leadership and advocacy while also finding balance in life. Following retirement, she has worked harder than ever, becoming a community change agent for black women’s rights and equality. My mother’s passion for advocacy has influenced me to find purpose, joy, and fulfillment in a career focused on helping others. She also taught me the importance of prioritizing my family and not compromising my values.

Are there unique contributions that being a woman allows you to bring to science or medicine?
I think women have a unique ability to provide a different perspective and lens on inequities and underserved areas, which is an advantage. Women in medicine and science have had to navigate traditionally male-dominated professions and therefore continue to add diverse opinions, experiences, and solutions in medicine and science as we consider the varied impact on diverse populations and communities. 

Given your career path, what advice would you give to other women? 
I advise women not to limit themselves in their career journeys based on their plans for family. To do this most effectively, we must stay focused on our values and the long-term goals of what we want to add to our fields. When we are depleted, we have nothing left to give, so it is imperative to find that balance between work and personal life to keep our reservoirs full. It is important to prioritize the joy in your personal lives and allow our passions to blend and thrive beyond career aspirations.

What are you most passionate about in your field? 
I am passionate about reducing disparities in women's health.  As a black OB/GYN physician, I aim to provide culturally competent care to all of my patients, especially those from underserved communities.  I seek to improve outcomes in obstetric and gynecologic care and participate in research aimed at improving postpartum conditions and fibroid care.  I also seek opportunities to teach the next generation of physician leaders on and off the wards about the compassionate care of women and improving outcomes.  

Who has inspired you in your drive to advance?
I was born to a low-income family in South Los Angeles, and I was the first to graduate college in my family.  I am inspired by my mother's life challenges including domestic violence, rape, housing and health insurance insecurity and drug addiction.  I aim to overcome the obstacles my family (and others around us) faced by becoming a doctor who provides the best care and education to their patients, peers and trainees daily to bridge the disparities faced by women similar to those in my home community.  

Are there unique contributions that being a woman allows you to bring to science or medicine?
Being a black woman in medicine, who is from a low-resource community, I have a unique lens that I can apply to everyday encounters with patient care and research. I can understand fears that fuel misconceptions and misinformation spread today through the internet and social media. I can build a rapport with my patients to dispel those myths while teaching learners how to employ those same skills in their patient interactions.  I apply this lens to the research projects I am involved in that contribute to the scientific literature that propels medicine forward. 

Given your career path, what advice would you give to other women? 
I recommend seeking mentorship in every aspect of your career journey and being proactive about fostering those relationships.  Having more than one mentor is wise and can help you to craft your career in a path that is unique to your passions and goals.

What are you most passionate about in your field? 
The opportunity to make an impact on a child’s developmental trajectory and thereby change the course of the rest of their life is what drives me every day. I work with children who are profoundly impacted by their autism diagnosis and who need high levels of support, sometimes for years. Our services often result in children acquiring meaningful communication with others, which drastically improves the quality of their lives as well as their families’ lives. In the context of this work, we partner very closely with caregivers and are able to provide them with a sense of hope and direction in the midst of the often-confusing world of autism intervention. The families that my team works with are incredible and inspiring—the amount of sacrifice, love, and support that they give their children is mind-blowing—and being able to give a little bit back to them is really gratifying. 

Who has inspired you in your drive to advance?
From a very young age, my parents instilled in me the idea that I could become whatever I wanted. While acknowledging I am the recipient of much privilege, I am also forever grateful that my parents instilled a sense of power and confidence in me as a young woman. Their guidance, as well as the work of countless other women who paved the way of opportunity before me, enabled me to believe that as a woman I could advance in whatever field I chose. Throughout my professional career, I was mentored by several brilliant woman who were my teachers, coaches, and biggest cheerleaders. In my current role, I’m thankful to have the support of several wise, talented female leaders who provide mentorship on what it means to be a woman in academic medicine and in leadership. 

Are there unique contributions that being a woman allows you to bring to science or medicine? 
In my current role, I supervise several large teams of providers and behavioral technicians. I’ve learned that for our teams to be successful in their clinical roles, they need to feel supported, validated, and challenged. I think a strength that many women possess is the ability to connect with others on an emotional level. Being able to accurately discern when a team member is struggling and having the skills to facilitate a discussion around emotions has proven to be a critical skill in the work that I do. I’ve worked hard to capitalize on this natural strength in my attempt to be a safe, supportive supervisor in the context of the work that we do, which often brings up challenging emotions! 

Given your career path, what advice would you give to other women? 
In my current role, I supervise several large teams of providers and behavioral technicians. I’ve learned that for our teams to be successful in their clinical roles, they need to feel supported, validated, and challenged. I think a strength that many women possess is the ability to connect with others on an emotional level. Being able to accurately discern when a team member is struggling and having the skills to facilitate a discussion around emotions has proven to be a critical skill in the work that I do. I’ve worked hard to capitalize on this natural strength in my attempt to be a safe, supportive supervisor in the context of the work that we do, which often brings up challenging emotions!