Women in Pediatrics

Women comprise the majority of pediatricians in the United States and yet there has been slow progress in leadership diversity and equity in the field overall. While there have been many academic journal articles that examine women’s roles, challenges and successes in the field, there is not one, overarching book that follows the path of women into the profession, the challenges they encountered in the early years – and still encounter - the successes they’ve had, and what the future might look like. This book fills that gap in medical literature.

Because women are so well-represented in the field, one would think that pediatrics should be leading the way in gender equity achievements, but this is not the case. This text examines the disparities, the boundaries that are in place, the impact of intersectionality on equity, the toll gender discrimination has on the health and wellness of women in pediatrics, and best practices that can help achieve gender equity in the field. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the disparities that women, and in particular women with intersectionality, face. This book also examines the immediate impact of the pandemic on women in pediatrics, what future implications may be, and how we can potentially mitigate them. Equity strategies that can be implemented by healthcare institutions, professional societies and other medical organizations are also discussed.

The book is divided into three main sections. The first section gives an overview of the history of women in pediatrics by describing stories of early leaders and the early days of women in pediatrics. The second section reviews the current state of affairs in women in pediatrics. Chapters in this section detail women entering and practicing in pediatrics; leadership; women of color; women conducting research; national campaigns and efforts focused on gender equity; and childbearing, adoption, motherhood and eldercare by women in pediatrics. The final section describes the future of women in pediatrics. The seven chapters in this section discuss leaders in pediatrics supporting women; policies and programs to advance equity; allies in gender equity efforts; research, funding and publication for women; networking, mentorship, sponsorship, coaching, and career development activities; advocacy efforts; and supporting the health and wellbeing of women in pediatrics.

Written by experts in the field, Women in Pediatrics is a valuable resource for all pediatricians in academic or community-based medicine, as well as those involved in pediatric sub-specialties. On a broader level, this text is also of interest to all other women involved in medicine and science.

Dr. Nancy Spector is a Professor of Pediatrics and serves in dual roles at the Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM): as Executive Director of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) program, a part-time year long, national leadership fellowship program for women in academic medicine, dentistry, public health, and pharmacy, and as Vice Dean for Faculty. Known for her leadership abilities and her facilitation skills, Dr. Spector is sought after as a speaker and a visiting professor. Her contributions to academic medicine are in leadership skills development, professional development, gender equity, mentoring and sponsorship, and curriculum development and implementation. She is a member of PROWD (Promoting and Respecting Our Women Doctors).  In addition to her roles at DUCOM, she has been the educational leader of the I-PASS Handoff Study Group and serves as the Chair of the I-PASS Executive Council and is a co-founder of the I-PASS Safety Institute.

Dr. Spector was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha and is member of the Society for Pediatric Research and the American Pediatric Society.  She has received numerous awards for teaching, mentoring and innovation, including the Robert S. Holm Award for her extraordinary contribution in pediatric program director leadership and mentorship from the Association of Pediatric Program Directors, the Elias Abrutyn Mentoring Award from Drexel University College of Medicine, the Miller Sarkin Mentoring Award from the Academic Pediatric Association, the Elizabeth Bingham Award from the Association for Women in Science, Philadelphia chapter, the Women in Medicine Summit She for She Award, the American Medical Association Inspiration Award, and the Association of American Medical Colleges GWIMS Leadership Award for an Individual. The I-PASS Study group that she leads was a HBS/HMS health acceleration challenge finalist and received the Cox Award, and the I-PASS Handoff Program received the John M. Eisenberg National Patient Safety and Quality Award, Joint Commission and National Quality Forum.

Dr. Jennifer O’Toole is a pediatric and adult hospitalist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati Medical Center, and a professor of pediatrics and internal medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCOM). She serves as program director of Cincinnati’s Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency Program as well as the Director of Education for the Division of Hospital Medicine and Co-President of the Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) Organization at Cincinnati Children's. From 2015-2018 she served as co-chair of the APA’s Hospital Medicine Special Interest Group and co-chair of the planning committee for the 2018 PHM Conference. Since 2010 she has held the role of site principal investigator at Cincinnati Children's for the I-PASS Study Group and she is also a member of the ABP’s PHM sub-board. For the past two years, Dr. O’Toole has led a steering committee working to launch an organization known as ADVANCE PHM. This organization will strive to achieve equity, leadership, and advancement for the women of Hospital Medicine in collaboration with national organizations. Dr. O'Toole has received the Emerging Leadership Award for an Individual from the AAMC's Group on Women in Medicine and Science, the Society of Hospital Medicine's (SHM) Award for Teaching Excellence, the inaugural Med-Peds Program Director's Brendan P. Kelly Award, and the Cincinnati Children's Faculty Education Achievement Award.

Barbara Overholser, MA, is the director of stakeholder engagement and communications for the Drexel University College of Medicine Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) program. She is responsible for planning and executing the engagement and communications strategies for ELAM and for strengthening the program’s relationships with its fellows, alumnae, key partners and external stakeholders. She holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA in communications from Temple University.