A Conversation on Women's Leadership and Career in Medicine: Jennifer Frontera, MD

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes

"I love working with women because I know they're going to get the job and there's going to be the attention to detail that there needs to be. I have a lot of fantastic male colleagues but, I think a lot of women bring something a little bit different to the table and that's super important.”

National Women Physician Day, held February 3, 2024, is a day of recognition for women in healthcare community. This acknowledgment of women in the field of medicine is held on the birthday of Elizabeth Blackwell, MD, who overcame years of discrimination to become the first woman physician in the United States. Originally from England, Blackwell returned to her birth country to champion the participation of women in medicine by opening her own private practice and medical college for women.1-4

Blackwell's actions in medicine paved the way for the modern era of women in a field that has since thrived with their contributions to science. Currently in the clinical practice, women make up 37% of physicians in the United States compared with just 5% in 1970, according to a news release.5 Overall, women physicians are critical to the dynamic of the healthcare arena by bringing unique perspectives and challenging providers to be more equitable in their care.

At the 2023 International Congress on the Future of Neurology (IFN) Annual Meeting, held September 22-23, in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jennifer A. Frontera, MD, gave a talk about challenges for women in the field of neurology and leadership opportunities for their career. During the meeting, Frontera, professor of neurology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, sat down with NeurologyLive® to discuss alignment between leadership roles and true passions, considering the potential for disconnection in the progression of a career. She also talked about how women leaders share unique perspectives, and how organizations can benefit from fostering diverse leadership styles. Additionally, Frontera spoke about how women in medicine can break away from traditional, linear career paths to embrace the flow of a dynamic medical professional journey.

Click here for more coverage on IFN 2023.

REFERENCES
1. National Women Physicians Day. Yale School of Medicine. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://medicine.yale.edu/owm/recognition/national-women-physicians-day/
2. History of Women in Medicine. University of Alabama-Birmingham. 2015. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.uab.edu/medicine/diversity/initiatives/women/history
3. Women physicians over the centuries. Yale Medical Magazine. 2018. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/women-physicians-over-the-centuries/
4. Weiner S. Celebrating 10 women medical pioneers. AAMC website. March 3, 2020. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/celebrating-10-women-medical-pioneers
5. Why Did You Become a Doctor? Reflections on National Women Physicians Day. News Release. Hartford Healthcare. Published January 30, 2024. Accessed February 1, 204. https://healthnewshub.org/why-did-you-become-a-doctor-reflections-on-national-women-physicians-day/