Empowering Women in Emergency Medicine Leadership: A Journey Through Women's Leadership Timelines (AWAEM Sponsored)

Women make up a minority of leaders in medicine, and there are few opportunities for women to receive guidance from women in leadership on the skills needed to be successful in administration and leadership. Additionally, women often follow a different timeline than men as they progress through their career and finding support for atypical pathways can be challenging.

This is an opportunity for women to come together and learn from each other, raise each other up with a goal to increase the number of women in leadership in Emergency Medicine. Dedicated programming designed by women for women is vital to reaching gender equity. Our facilitators and coaches come from diverse practice settings, represent a wide range of expertise, and have a passion for supporting women leaders. Closing remarks will include resources for participants for continued work toward their leadership goals.

We will start with an introduction to provide information on the unique career timelines for women in EM. This will be followed by a guided activity in which participants will complete a personal timeline identifying pivotal personal and professional moments to share with the group and consider barriers to professional advancement. Finally, we will break into small groups based on participants’ self-identified skills needs. These will include (1) Communicating with clear language, (2) Effectively running meetings and leading in high-pressure situations, (3) Understanding operations, contracts, and finances, (4) Learning to negotiate and delegate. Small groups will be moderated and will be solution-oriented, providing participants with tools to take on future obstacles. The large group will reconvene, and lessons learned will be shared with the cohort. Upon completion, the participant will be able to (1) understand career timelines/gender variation in EM (2) Identify barriers in leadership advancement for women, (3) develop personal strategies to overcome barriers.

Presenters:

Laura E. Walker, MD, MBA
Kathryn E. Redinger, MD
Judy A. Linden, MD
Hannah M. Mishkin, MD MS
Nikki M. Binz, MD
Kinjal N. Sethuraman, MD
Penelope C. Lema, MD, FPD-AEMUS
Wendy W. Sun, MD
Melissa Platt, MD

Authors

Laura E. Walker, MD, MBA

Mayo Clinic

Dr. Walker has served as ED director, quality chair and regional hospital practice chair and is currently the Vice Chair of Digital Emergency Medicine at Mayo Clinic. She has an academic focus on health systems improvement and care delivery and is actively engaged in exploring, implementing and understanding the effects of virtual care, AI and maching learning into the clinical space. She believes women belong at all leadership tables and is a passionate about supporting their equitable advancement.
Kathryn E. Redinger, MD

Western Michigan University School Of Medicine - Kalamazoo, MI

Dr. Kathryn Redinger is an accomplished emergency medicine physician and educator. She holds a medical degree with Honors in Bioethics and Professionalism from Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine and completed her residency at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, where she served as Chief Resident. She is a board-certified emergency practicing physician in Michigan. Dr. Redinger is actively involved in medical education, holding an Associate Professor position at Western Michigan University's Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, where she also serves as the Assistant Dean for Clinical Applications. Dr. Redinger is also a dedicated researcher with publications in the American Journal of Bioethics, Medical Education, the Journal of Emergency Medicine, and West J Emerg Med. Her commitment to healthcare extends to various leadership roles and community engagement activities. Dr. Redinger's passion for improving patient care and medical education continues to drive her contributions to the field.
Judy A. Linden, MD

Boston Medical Center

Judith Linden, MD, MED, Emergency Medicine, is Professor of Emergency Medicine at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, and Executive Vice Chair in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Boston Medical Center. She has mentored hundreds of medical students, residents and junior faculty. She is passionate about increasing diversity in academic Emergency Medicine, and has published in the literature on disparities in leadership and promotion in Emergency Medicine. She was founder and creator of the AWAEM letter witers bureau.. She currently serves on the SAEM Equity and Inclusion Committee, the Membership Committee and the SAEM Scientific Assembly Porgramming Committee. She is active in AWAEM (Academy for Women in Emergency Medicine) Administrative Leadership Development and research committees.
Hannah M. Mishkin, MD, MS

Drexel University

Dr. Mishkin is the Emergency Medicine Residency Program Director at Reading Hospital-Tower Health in West Reading, Pennsylvania, and an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Drexel College of Medicine. With a keen focus on medical education, Women in Medicine, Wellness, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, she brings a wealth of expertise to her roles. Previously, Dr. Mishkin serves on the Pennsylvania ACEP (PACPE) Board of Directors, chaired the Wellness Committee and served as a Pennsylvania deleegate at ACEPs Council. She is an active member of AWAEM's Leadership Committee and the Women in Medicine and Sciences Committee at Drexel University.

Dr. Mishkin holds a Master’s of Science in Developmental Biology and earned her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in 2005. After completing her Emergency Medicine Residency at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, she gained valuable experience working in the community while raising a young family. Dr. Mishkin later transitioned back to academic medicine, playing a pivotal role in developing Reading Hospital's new 3-year ACGME accredited Emergency Medicine Residency Program. Since 2019, she has served as the Program Director, overseeing its growth and success.

Residing in West Chester, PA, with her husband, three boys, and two dogs, Dr. Mishkin enjoys various activities in her free time, including reading, traveling, hiking, biking, HIIT, yoga, and experimenting with new recipes.
Nikki M. Binz, MD

University of North Carolina

Dr. Nikki Binz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, NC. She was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri but has called North Carolina home for over 20 years. She graduated with Honors from UNC Chapel Hill with a double major in Biology and Spanish and continued her medical education at the UNC School of Medicine. She then completed an Emergency Medicine Residency at UNC Hospitals. For these reasons, she proclaims herself a “Triple Tar Heel.” She has served as faculty in the medical school since 2011. She works clinically in the Emergency Department and teaches in graduate and undergraduate medical education. Since 2015, she has served as the Residency Program Director for Emergency Medicine, which graduates 12 residents annually. Within the Department of Emergency Medicine, she is also the Associate Chair for Academic Affairs and the Co-Director of Faculty Development. She is active within the national Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine and the Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine. She is trained as a Certified Professional Coach and coaches internally within her department. She has received awards from the UNC Academy Educators including the Educational Research Mentor Award and the Medical Student Advisor Award. She is currently recognized with a UNC Medical Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professorship, a 4-year program to honor and support UNC School of Medicine mid-career faculty who have demonstrated a track record of sustained leadership in teaching medical students as well as educational innovation. In April 2023, she became UNC’s first Associate DIO with GME.
At home, she is married with 10yr old identical twin boys and 2 bonus kids. She enjoys being outdoors at the beach or in the mountains with her Vizsla pup named Tilli.
Kinjal N. Sethuraman, MD, MPH

University of Maryland

Dr. Sethuraman is the Medical Director of the Center for Hyperbaric and Dive Medicine at R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at The University of Maryland School of Medicine. She is a practicing emergency medicine physician at the University of Maryland Medical Center where she teaches medical students and residents . Her research interest includes hyperbaric oxygen as a treatment for carbon monoxide toxicity, radiation injury, decompression illness, ophthalmic conditions, traumatic brain injury and necrotizing soft tissue infections. She engages in basic science research related to hyperbaric medicine. In addition, Dr. Sethuraman is a gender equity researcher. Her area has specifically focused on gender equity in emergency medicine.
Penelope C. Lema, MD, FPD-AEMUS

Columbia University Department of Emergency Medicine

Dr. Penelope (Penny) Lema is the Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs and an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed her Emergency Medicine Residency and Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship at Northshore University Hospital at Manhasset (now Northwell), where she served as Chief Resident. Dr. Lema has been a nationally recognized leader in Emergency Medicine and within Emergency Ultrasound. She is the past Chair of the ACEP Emergency Ultrasound Section, past Treasurer and Board of Director of SCUF, and current Secretary-Treasurer and member of the Board of the NY Chapter of ACEP. She is an active member of SAEM AEUS and AWAEM. Dr. Lema is a passionate educator and advocate for Emergency Medicine, dedicated to inclusion and equity in medicine and faculty professional development.
Wendy W. Sun, MD

Yale University School of Medicine

Dr. Wendy W. Sun is an Administration Fellow and Instructor of Emergency Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. She is passionate about patient quality and safety, physician wellness, and health innovation. Having served as a past President of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Residents and Medical Students (SAEM RAMS) and the Resident Member on the SAEM Board of Directors, she continues to be invested in the advancement of Emergency Medicine through research, mentorship, education, and advocacy.

Dr. Sun earned her undergraduate degree at Columbia University in Biomedical Engineering. She subsequently obtained her Doctor of Medicine from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine where she was inducted into the Gold Humanism and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Societies. Most recently, she completed Emergency Medicine residency at Yale - New Haven Health where she served as Chief Resident. She continues to further her education as a candidate of the MBA for Executives at the Yale School of Management. A Canadian from Toronto, she now resides in New Haven.
Melissa Platt, MD

University of Louisville

Melissa Platt, M.D. is a Professor in the University of Louisville Department of Emergency Medicine and the Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education for the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She has been a core faculty member for 19 years with areas of expertise including health law, heat illness, and women's health. She firmly believes in education and organized involvement to influence positive change in health care.