Hello and happy National Women’s History Month!

As we celebrate women’s history, we want to also recognize the incredible women in our midst; they offer vital contributions to our institution and our history. We applaud them for their astounding achievements and thank them for the meaningful moments they share with us and others.

Heersink School of Medicine strives to reflect the spirit of National Women’s History Month year-round. For example, the 2023 Women’s History Month theme, "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories,” aligns with the purpose of our annual Women in Medicine & Science Promotion Reception. For 2022, we celebrated the remarkable stories of 12 women promoted to professor and 35 promoted to associate professor. As we support women in our community, we remain committed to telling their stories about how they are shaping medicine and science.

The Heersink chapter of the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) also plays a significant role in telling women’s stories by providing opportunities for women's voices to be heard all year round with panels, working sessions, and speakers who discuss timely topics important for personal and career fulfillment. Each topic is selected to help motivate and educate our school’s community members. We encourage everyone to take advantage of these opportunities to engage with one another in ways that lead to greater knowledge, inspiring ideas, and meaningful connections.

A particularly important day celebrated during Women’s History Month is International Women’s Day (IWD), commemorated on March 8. We celebrated IWD by hosting Dr. Elizabeth Ofili as the guest speaker for the Women in Medicine and Science Grand Rounds on March 1. Dr. Ofili is a professor of medicine and the director & senior associate dean at the Clinical Research Center & Clinical and Translational Research at Morehouse School of Medicine. Her lecture, Inclusive Excellence: Democratizing Discovery Health, aligned with the 2023 IWD theme #EmbraceEquity. For us, the theme means embracing diversity and inclusion by creating an environment where everyone is welcome and treated fairly. The theme, like Dr. Ofili’s talk, reflects the important work of recognizing and addressing barriers, bias, and discrimination, and it reminds us of our commitment to provide resources and support that help create a level playing field for everyone.

In closing, let us take time to reflect on the important contributions of women—both past and present. In this time of reflection, we both feel grateful to those who paved the way for progress and those who continue paving the path forward.

Please join us in celebrating Women's History Month and stay tuned for stories about women in medicine and science who are making a mark on our institution and on history.

Best regards,