To belong is a basic human need and a strong sense of belonging is essential to a positive work experience for women in medicine. There is a large body of research on belonging and some recent reports have begun to focus on how it relates to burnout, employee productivity and retention, and patient safety. In this session, Dr. Siver will provide a roadmap for individuals to use science and practical wisdom to increase their own sense of belonging and for leaders to foster a sense of belonging among people in their organizations. This presentation will empower people to become change agents for their organizations and for women in medicine nationally and globally.

• Define belonging according to the scientific literature.
• Identify at least 2 recent studies that focus on belonging and how it affects women in medicine.

List at least 3 strategies to enhance a healthcare environment that supports a sense of belonging for women in medicine.

In this era of increased awareness of gender inequity within academic medicine, why are there still roadblocks to achieving equity in leadership? Women in academic medicine continue to face significant disadvantages throughout their careers, driven by unconscious biases, stereotypes, societal pressures, and persistent overt discrimination and harassment. We’ll discuss the systemic barriers that exist and then active ways that we can work together to break them down including allyship, sponsorship, graceful self-promotion, collaboration with professional societies and funding agencies, and more.

Dr. Riess, a global authority on the benefits of empathy in medical practice will introduce Self-Empathy as the best-kept secret in medical education and professional fulfillment. Self-empathy is the opposite of selfishness. It is the fuel that women in medicine do not sufficiently consume to meet the daily expectations they face at work and at home. An unequal division of household labor is a key driver of global gender inequality and the reduction of women’s full participation in the professional workforce, affecting women’s health and well-being. This is predominantly due to cognitive overload associated with household management and child-rearing responsibilities that fall disproportionately to women. Self-Empathy must be taught and learned. Dr. Riess will present evidence that courses in Self-Empathy based on her research result in increased wellness scores, decreased burnout, and significant increases in clinician retention.

• Learn the definition of empathy as a human capacity
• Define Self-Empathy
• Explain the difference between self-empathy and self-compassion
• Identify areas of women’s lives that require redistribution of responsibilities
• Discover how to advance wellness in the workplace by advocating for institutional commitments to prioritize self-empathy

Women are often expected to do it all: Have high achieving careers, take on extra work without saying no, and be caregivers in every aspect of their lives. But, for women in healthcare, especially, that has consequences. In this presentation, Dr. Gold will discuss burnout in healthcare as a woman, including her own experiences with it and the data surrounding it. She will then provide tips and tricks that have helped her and patients cope in a medical culture that always wants more.

• Define burnout and moral injury in healthcare
• Describe the impact of burnout on women in healthcare, including the role of the pandemic
• Describe strategies individuals can use to cope in a broken culture

Many of us feel overwhelmed now and lack the bandwidth to even consider future opportunities. This session will provide practical strategies for identifying and pursuing new professional paths. Participants will begin by evaluating their current commitments to identify areas of overwhelm and gaps in their experiences. The session will then emphasize leveraging resources like peers, mentors, conferences, and social media to uncover opportunities. The presenter will also discuss how to assess the potential impact of these opportunities. Finally, attendees will explore the benefits of creating catalogs to track potential opportunities and developing measurable plans to hold themselves accountable.

• Develop a process to assess your current task list and audit your needs and interests
• Identify key Microskills needed to assess a potential opportunity as valuable or not
• Utilize tools that measure your progress towards gaining new opportunities.

This inspiring leadership panel will feature women leaders from diverse sectors in healthcare. The session will explore the vital role women play in addressing and integrating sex and gender differences into healthcare practices. Participants will learn strategies to raise awareness of these differences within leadership roles and healthcare systems. The panelists will identify common barriers to effectively integrating sex and gender considerations in various healthcare settings, fostering a collaborative discussion aimed at creating actionable solutions. This is a unique opportunity to gain insights from trailblazers in the field and to enhance your understanding of inclusive healthcare leadership.

This panel will explore the ethical challenges and considerations surrounding collecting and utilizing women’s health data. As healthcare becomes increasingly data-driven, addressing the unique concerns and potential risks associated with handling sensitive information related to women’s health is crucial. Key topics include privacy and consent in collecting women’s health data; data security measures for protecting sensitive health information Ethical use of women’s health data in research and clinical practice; addressing bias and ensuring diversity in data collection and analysis Balancing data utilization with patient autonomy and rights.