Lessons Learned: Stories from Women in Medical Management

Lessons Learned: Stories from Women in Medical Management ©2013, 252 pages Women physicians now comprise 50 percent or more of most U.S. medical school classes. Yet relatively few fill the most senior management positions within the health care system. In "Lessons Learned: Stories from Women in Medical Management," editor and author, Deborah Shlian, MD, MBA, profiles 24exceptional female physicians who have defied the odds. They share their personal and compelling stories— including obstacles and challenges faced in balancing work, family and personal life—as their career paths take them from clinical medicine to leadership within government, academia, hospitals, provider groups, managed care, pharma, consulting and entrepreneurial venture. The lessons they learned are not only relevant to women and not just applicable to health care—they are universal. At a time when most agree that the U.S. health care delivery system needs fundamental change, this book makes the case for talented women physician executives, articulate in the language of health care policy and business, to be among those leading the way. Deborah Shlian, MD, MBA, has three decades of clinical, management, consulting and physician executive recruiting experience. She has authored two books related to health care management and careers in the industry. This is an amazing book of stories by pioneering women in medicine. Not only does it serve as a record, but as a resource for future generations as an inspirational and motivational textbook for the next generation of women to finally shatter the glass ceiling on the shoulders of these giants. Carolyn D. Runowicz, MD Past President of the American Cancer Society; Past Chair of the National Cancer Advisory Board; Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University I recognized many of the stories, emotions and quotations in this book and felt I had found many friends who had experiences similar to mine. The honest reflections of these amazing women about their careers is powerful. There are many learning moments in each and every chapter. It is a must read and more important a must have to refer back to when one is struggling with one’s own management issues during a tough day...week...or year! Julie Freischlag, MD The William Stewart Halsted Professor Chair, Department of Surgery Surgeon-in-Chief, The Johns Hopkins Hospital Everyone knows that “girls are smarter than boys” and this wonderful book just proves the rule! I should know. Member of the second co-educational class at Vassar, (Class of 1977), co-founder of Dual Doctor Families (1982), successfully married to another physician for 32 years (and counting), and proud parent of fraternal twin daughters in medicine and health policy. I am confident that all aspiring physician leaders of both genders will greatly benefit from reading this delightful book! David B. Nash, MD, MBA Dean, Jefferson School of Population Health 1015 Walnut Street - 115 Curtis Building Philadelphia, PA 19107 The insights of the authors combined remind us of how far we have come and how far we have yet to go. Donna E. Shalala Former Secretary of HHS While women have made enormous progress in breaching the glass ceiling in medicine, there are still many obstacles in the way towards achieving true gender equality. This book will go a long way toward giving women the tools they need to navigate those obstacles for themselves and be in positions to eliminate them entirely for other women. Linda Babcock, PhD James M. Walton Professor of Economics, Carnegie Mellon University’s H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management; Founder and faculty director of the Program for Research and Outreach on Gender Equity in Society (PROGRESS) This book could not be more profound and timely! ‘Women in Medicine and Management: A Mentoring Guide’ offers a remarkable inside-look at healthcare from pioneering women physicians at the forefront of one of our nation’s most critical issues. Not only are the stories personal and compelling, they are sure to inspire the next generation of women leaders! Leslie Sanchez Former director of the White House Initiative on Hispanic Education and author of “You’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe: Sarah, Michelle, Hillary and the Shaping of the New American Woman” These stories represent invaluable roadmaps for younger women who want to aim for the highest reaches in the health care industry. They show how these women have been on their own, working out individualized solutions to structural problems in rigid workplaces designed for traditional male breadwinners. Kathleen Christensen, Ph.D. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Founder and Director of the Workplace, Workforce & Working Families Program and its National Workplace Flexibility Initiative