Women in Medicine Month: RADWomen UCSF and Supporting Women in Radiology
Each year during September, the American Medical Association (AMA) celebrates Women in Medicine (WIM) Month to showcase accomplishments, advocate for women in medicine, and highlight health issues affecting women patients. The theme this year – Advancing Equity, Building on Change – speaks to the culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) we strive for within the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging. Whether they contribute through outstanding medical expertise, dedication to patient care, or by advancing life changing research, our women physicians, researchers, trainees, nurses and technologists are making a positive difference in the lives of patients.
A UCSF Chancellor Fund Needs and Enrichment Award provides honoraria for the RADWomen UCSF Grand Rounds series in which invited speakers address the unique circumstances of women in academic medicine. “A silver lining of the pandemic has been the development of advanced virtual conferencing, which allowed us to bring in a number of speakers from beyond our immediate geographic area for RADWomen UCSF-sponsored events. Our first Grand Rounds included panelists from the five UC campuses with radiology departments,” says Dr. Kallianos. “The presentations and discussions have been well-received. People appreciated the honesty and that we involved many people in the conversation.”
The fourth RADWomen UCSF presentation will feature Lori Deitte, MD, vicechair of education and vice president of continuous rofessional development at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Deitte’s lecture, “The Intersection of Diversity and Well-being” is scheduled for Thursday, September 23, 2021, in conjunction with Women in Medicine Month. All are invited to attend the session. Visit the event page for registration information.
RADWomen UCSF events also allow UCSF Radiology to join DEI efforts with other departments at UCSF and beyond. “We have the power of collective action to reform the status quo,” says Dr. Jha. In addition to hosting events, the program has played a key role in advocating for women at UCSF Radiology.
“Advocacy for women in UCSF Radiology from RADWomen UCSF has included support for new mothers and was instrumental in providing a new lactation room in Radiology at the Parnassus Campus,” says Dr. Jha. “RADWomenUCSF is an effort toward fulfilling promises to women at all levels, establishing an environment where our circle of influence widely overlaps that of diversity and equity, so that we can invent a future of our imagination. I find it incredibly gratifying to be able to contribute to our departments and UCSF’s diversity efforts.”
While we know that women continue to be underrepresented in radiology globally, we’d like to take this opportunity to celebrate and highlight the hard work and accomplishments of women in radiology at UCSF. Follow us on Twitter (@UCSFImaging) as we will be sharing more content each day using the hashtag #RadWomenUCSF.
Parts of this story originally appeared in Images Magazine, our department’s annual publication. View current and past issues here. Also, don’t forget to check out the Summer 2021 issue of our UC Radiology Newsletter focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).