A Letter from Dr. Jain
Author: Shikha Jain, MD, FACP
Keywords: women in medicine, leadership, sponsorship, mentorship, allyship, professional development
My name is Dr. Shikha Jain, I am a medical oncologist, and the Founder and President of the Non-Profit Women in Medicine® (WIM). WIM is a mission-driven organization dedicated to finding innovative strategies to address and close the gender gap in healthcare. Data consistently shows that diverse leadership is better for organizations and also for patient outcomes, and these disparities impact all of.
WIM was founded in 2019 with the launch of the inaugural Women in Medicine Summit, and we have grown into a large international nonprofit organization. Our organization takes a multi-pronged approach to maximize our efforts and empower both women and men to change the system, while also providing leadership development, toolkits, and other opportunities for community building and professional development.
To work towards this goal and fix the system, not the women, WIM initiatives fall under five pillars. These include education through CME programming, innovation and thought leadership opportunities to elevate women such as our WIM Speakers Bureau and the creation of networks and communities across the globe, the first of its kind dedicated programming to allyship for male leaders, a focus on amplifying and empowering the next generation through mentoring, sponsoring, and educational programming, and strategic partnerships through collaborations and networking.
In our education arm, the Women In Medicine Summit is a multi-day conference led by diverse women leaders from multiple specialties from across the country. Additionally, WIM has three longitudinal leadership programs. One is focused on early career women navigating a path to leadership, one focused on mid-career women being successful in leadership roles and further advancing, and the first of its kind Inclusive Leadership Lab for male allies dedicated to educating and empowering male leaders on skills that will help them become more inclusive, equitable leaders. The two programs for women in medicine are dedicated to help cohort members advance in their own careers, gain professional fulfillment, and create communities where members can lift up others as they rise. We know the system won't change without all voices at the table working towards change.
We provide opportunities to amplify and elevate women as thought leaders through our WIM Speakers Bureau, the WIM Research Lab, and strategic partnerships with initiatives such as with the Her Story podcast with Think Medium. We elevate and amplify the next generation of leaders through coaching and mentorship programming, student volunteers who are given opportunities to present, publish and collaborate, opportunities for scholarships, and more. Through our multi-pronged approach, we have created networks and communities across the globe that have helped countless women.
With our multi-pronged approach, our goal is to change the system by educating and empowering women to advance in their careers, provide interventions and opportunities for advancement, bring all stakeholders to the table and drive the narrative towards inclusive leadership, and lift up the next generation of leaders. Championing women will benefit all of us, and the time for equity in healthcare is now.
About the author: Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, is an oncologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the founder of the Women in Medicine Summit (Twitter: @ShikhaJainMD)
