2023: The ‘Year of Women’
Highlighting women’s contributions to medicine over the last year
2023 has truly been the Year of Women. From Barbie to Taylor Swift, women shattered records and dismantled barriers across industries, while simultaneously bringing women-centric stories and perspectives to the forefront of public discourse.
And yet, the unprecedented scale of success women achieved in 2023 is only half the story. Behind each show-stopping accomplishment was a network of women — whether fans, peers, mentors, friends, sisters, or mothers — who used their voices and their resources to support and uplift those of us who dared to reach new heights and conquer new ground.
The medical field was no exception. Across medical disciplines and healthcare roles, women have excelled — in pioneering new scientific research, leading all-female teams in traditionally male-dominated healthcare spaces, and attaining lifetime achievement awards after years of service to the medical community. All while collaborating and supporting the women working alongside them.
Here is a retrospective of just a few of the remarkable breakthroughs, awards, and accomplishments women in medicine have achieved in 2023.
Unlocking new discoveries
Led by Jayme Locke, MD, a study conducted in February at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) found genetically modified pig kidneys may be able to support kidney function in humans. Dr. Locke and her research team are now looking for approval to start a Phase I trial on living humans, as they have only studied brain-dead subjects. If this progress continues, it could help position xenotransplantation as a viable solution to address the organ shortage.
Additionally, researchers out UAB’s Comprehensive Transplant Institute and Heersink School of Medicine made history this past May when one of their uterus transplant recipients became the first to give birth to a healthy child outside of a clinical trial. Under the joint leadership of research director Paige Porrett, MD, PhD, obstetrician Brian Brocato, DO, and IVF program director Deirdre Gunn, MD, this case serves as a massive milestone in the advancement of reproductive care.
Honoring lifelong achievement
In September, the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) presented 65 honorees from a wide array of specialties with the 2023 AMWA INSPIRE Award. As former AMWA President Nicole Sandhu, MD, PhD, said, these physicians are lauded “for their leadership and mentorship in practice, for impressive research and academic accomplishments, and for their impact in supporting and advancing the culture and community of women in medicine.” Standout recipients include a physician who ran for congress hoping to advocate for her patients as a public servant, as well as a physician who has deployed to over 15 countries to provide frontline disaster relief.
In recognition of their female faculty’s widespread accomplishments in the medical and STEM fields, the University of Florida hosted its annual UF Women in Medicine and Science Celebration this past November. At the event, faculty congratulated 32 of their female colleagues for receiving promotions throughout the year — including five achieving tenure — and 19 women who received research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Kayser Enneking, MD, and Maryam Rahman, MD, MS, also received the prestigious Diamond Award for their academic and community leadership at this year’s event.
Paving the way
The UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center’s operating room saw its first all-women team to perform a heart transplant on a female patient this past year. Amy Fiedler, MD, the team’s attending cardiac surgeon, explained in an interview with Good Morning America that the five-hour procedure was significant because heart transplant surgeries at her hospital are few and far between, and men make up the majority of adult cardiac surgeons in the country.
In Ogden, Utah, an all-female air medical flight crew is charting a path of their own within the male-dominated field of emergency response care. The crew is headed by lead pilot Jennifer Prince and includes paramedic Erica Rau and flight-nurse Jennie McEnany.
Funding the future
This year’s Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women was awarded to Yoshiko Iwai, MS, and Oluwadamilola M. Fayanju, MD, MA, MPHS, for their project entitled “Surgical Instrument Ergonomics and Gender Disparities.” Designed to help identify and address issues faced by female physicians, the fund provides scholarships of up to $10,000 to support research advancing the study of women within the medical profession. Dr. Iwai and Dr. Fayanju will use their funding to study the impact of surgical instrument ergonomics on female surgeons.
As the first postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Medical Education at UAB, Alejandra Colón-López, PhD, received a MERIT award from NIH/NIGMS to continue her research on the student experience within medical schools. The Mentored Experiences in Research, Instruction, and Teaching (MERIT) Program allows postdoctoral scholars opportunities to pursue research and teaching experiences. Dr. Colón-López will spend 75% of her time on research funded by this grant, and 25% on teaching and educational opportunities to improve her skills as an instructor.
Safeguarding their stories
Determined to document the historical impact women of color have had on the medical field, first-year Weill Cornell Medical College student Pauline Flaum-Dunoyer began a special archival project in 2019. Now, four years later, Flaum-Dunoyer has captured the professional and personal experiences of more than a dozen women physicians of color on tape during recorded interviews, preserving their insights and legacies for future generations. All recordings and transcripts are housed by the Medical Center Archives of New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine and are accessible to the public.
The dedication, academic excellence, and ingenuity exhibited by these women have given us much to celebrate this year — and much to look forward to in 2024.
Support the Foundation
The collective action taken by women to support women over the last twelve months has inspired a feeling of collective success. If one woman succeeds, all women succeed, and therefore all women are welcome to share in the success — a sentiment that lies at the heart of The Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation’s mission.
As a member of our community, thank you for your continued support. And if you aren’t a member, today’s the day to become one.