Growing Impact of Women Physician Leadership

By Erin Tally, Senior Member Relations Administrator, Member Engagement
& Communications

The face of physician leadership at the Medical Society continues to evolve and expand, with dynamic women at the forefront, taking on influential roles and driving impactful change. Their leadership is shaping a bright and inspiring future for medicine, ensuring progress and innovation for generations to come.

In 2019, the MMS began collecting and analyzing comprehensive demographic data to produce a study on gender equity, featuring membership; representation in the House of Delegates; reference committee makeup; and leadership positions within the MMS, including the Board of Trustees, Councils, and Section governance, plenary speaker invitations, recognition awards, and grant funding. The findings, disseminated in annual reports to the House of Delegates with recommendations to support ongoing gender equity efforts, provided valuable insights to both the membership makeup and the leadership positions self-identified female members take on at the Society. The most current data shows that women outnumber men in officer positions, reference committees, standing committees, and section chairs, to name a few.

Highlighting Women Section Chairs

The Sections are interest-based groups that offer members the opportunity to shape MMS policy, increase relevant knowledge and skills, and interact with peers with similar interests or backgrounds. We’re pleased that newly elected women physicians currently chair three MMS Sections: International Medical Graduates (IMG), Women Physicians, and Early Career Physicians.

Sarita Bajracharya, MD
Chair, International Medical Graduates Section (IMGS)

The IMG Section, representing approximately 3,100 members, provides a forum for addressing the unique needs and concerns of IMGs, including discrimination, residency training, and licensure.

Dr. Bajracharya describes the MMS as having “a diverse membership where international medical graduates play a significant role in different settings, including community medicine, research, and academic medicine. International medical graduates help provide culturally competent care to our diverse ethnic and racial patient population; however, their journey to become a licensed medical professional is not easy.

As chair, I aim to further the mission and goal of the IMGs to advocate for the unique challenges faced by these members, including pursuing residency in Massachusetts and the subsequent licensure process. I am proud to promote the IMG Section as a secure professional home that encourages active participation and advocacy from all its members. As a woman, I understand unique challenges faced by female physicians. I am committed to encouraging their participation and providing a forum for advocacy, leadership development, mentoring, and networking.”

N. Lynn Eckhert, MD
Chair, Women Physicians Section

The primary objectives of the Women Physicians Section (WPS) are to influence and contribute to MMS policy and program development on issues of importance to self-identified women physicians. There are approximately 9,000 medical students and physician members of the WPS.

Dr. Eckhert “applauds the growing commitment of women to pursue medicine as a career; over half of medical students are women, and this percentage continues to rise each year. In our role to support and promote women in their medical careers, the WPS seeks innovative solutions to assure women can thrive in their complex roles as clinicians, researchers, patient advocates, and teachers while they also care for their families and their communities. The WPS advocates and prepares women to be leaders in the profession and key players in reimagining a more inclusive health care system.”

Caroline Yang, MD
Chair, Early Career Physicians Section (ECPS)

Focusing on physicians aged 40 and under or within their first eight years of practice, this section, with approximately 3,000 members, identifies issues and sponsors educational and social programs specific to early-career physicians and lowers barriers to their participation in Society activities and governance. The MMS-ECPS also represents the interests of its members to the AMA-Young Physician Section and the MMS House of Delegates.

Dr. Yang shared, “As incoming ECPS chair, I hope that we can engage both new and returning members while also amplifying the voices of our constituents, both on the state and national stage. Many members are less active due to competing life and career responsibilities, so I’m hoping to explore creative ways to lower the barrier to entry. We represent a unique life and career stage that offers us a valuable perspective on important health care issues, so I want to ensure our voices are heard.”

Celebrating Women Physician Colleagues

We encourage you to attend the Women Physicians Section and Committee on Women’s Health’s 2024 Women in Medicine Awards Ceremony and Networking Event at MMS Headquarters on Monday, November 4, 2024, at 6:00 PM.

This year, two women physicians will be honored at the event. Manisha Bahl, MD, an associate professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School and Breast Imaging Division and quality director at the Massachusetts General Hospital, will be honored as the 2024 recipient of the Women’s Health Research Award, which recognizes a physician for outstanding contributions advancing women’s health research in Massachusetts.

Also being honored is Kathryn Martin, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and practicing clinician in the Reproductive Endocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Martin will be awarded the 2024 Women’s Health Award, which recognizes a physician for outstanding contributions to advancing women’s health in Massachusetts.

This program will also feature a presentation, “Healthcare in US Jails,” with speakers Marcella Alsan, MD, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

Meet and network with other medical students and physicians from around the state. All are welcome to attend. To register, please visit www.massmed.org/wim2024.