Healthcast Episode 2: Women in Research, Medicine and Leadership

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Hello and welcome to Healthcast. My name is Carol Gomes, and I serve as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Stony Brook University Hospital. 

It’s Women’s History Month, and we have an exciting lineup today of women in research, medicine, and leadership, all to discuss some of the barriers we’ve faced as women in these fields, how far we’ve come, what the future holds and more.

I myself have been a woman in health care for many years and a woman in a position of leadership for about 15 years. It’s been my absolute privilege to serve the Stony Brook community in this capacity, and I’m looking forward to this conversation today. 

First, we have Dr. Sharon Nachman and Dr. Stella Tsirka joining us today.

Sharon Nachman, MD

So nice to see everybody. My name is Sharon Nachman. I’m the Division Chief for Pediatric Infectious Disease at Stony Brook Children’s. And like you, Carol, I have been here for many years. 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Welcome. We’re really pleased to have you here today. Dr. Nachman, I look forward to the conversation. Thank you. Also, Dr. Tsirka, can you introduce yourself as well? 

Stella E. Tsirka, PhD

Yes, of course, Hi. I’m a part of the faculty in the Department of Pharmacology and I also serve in the School of Medicine as Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs. I have been here for three millennia. 

1:55 Inspiration for Pursuing a Career in Research

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Let’s get ready to dive in and start with a question. Sharon, would you like to answer this one? What inspired you to pursue a career in research? 

Sharon Nachman, MD

So interestingly enough, most people talk about a teacher that they had or a professor. I’m actually going to talk about my grandmother, who was a very strong individual, a survivor of World War II, who actually moved her family and my father and my uncle from nothing where they were living in Siberia to the United States. 

What she clearly showed me was that you have to have a goal. You have to be strong. You have to stay and work with your family. And all of you together can attain that goal. And she was quite interested in my ideas of going into medicine. And she said, if you want to do it, you will do it and you will succeed, and you have to believe in yourself. 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

What a fabulous role model. That’s a great story. Thanks for sharing that fellow. How about you? 

Stella E. Tsirka, PhD

Well, my initial attraction to research came from a silly book that I read when I was little, and that involved Marie Curie, my inspiration for those shows. And that was the first person that I read about doing war, doing science, doing chemistry.

That was my initial drive towards research— curiosity and Marie Curie. Then I was very, very supported in that decision by my mom, who was a dentist. Her particular desire was to move towards health care and not so much research. But the idea of pushing this curiosity and discovering and reaching new areas of discovery was what she wanted me to do. And she encouraged me and pushed me.

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

It’s great to know that there are people in your lives that help to encourage you, and thank goodness for that because we have you here today at Stony Brook. So we’re really pleased about that. Asking the next question, What women in your life have had the most influence on you and in what way?

Stella E. Tsirka, PhD

I mentioned my mom and she was, in fact, the person who pushed me all the way. My mom’s version of that was if you do what you want to do right, you go seek as much education as you need to seek.

So she was the one who encouraged me after I finished my PhD in Greece to move to the States to continue my studies, even though I would be leaving them behind. 

Sharon Nachman, MD

You know, you never really leave them behind. They’re always with you. So true, even when the children leave the nest, they come back.

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

They do. I’m hoping so.

4:55 Current Research Projects

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Dr. Nachman, what research projects are you currently engaged in? 

Sharon Nachman, MD

There’s so many unanswered questions in medicine, and pediatrics that we need to sit and think about. Recently we started a Nayak-funded investigation for congenital CMB across the state. We were always bothered by the fact that we don’t know what happens to the children who acquire CMB during pregnancy and they look fine at birth. Do they do okay? Do they not do okay? 

So about a year and a half ago, the NICHD funded us here at Stony Brook along with the Wadsworth Labs, to actually look across the entire state, test every baby born for CMB and then follow all those kids for several years. And what we’re seeing unfortunately are some surprises that we anticipated and are not happy about. Some babies who are born with CMB have hearing loss. But the vast majority don’t. 

What we’re seeing now in our follow-up is some babies who looked absolutely fine at birth and had no hearing loss are starting to get hearing loss by the time they’re two or three. And that’s quite worrisome. And it teaches us that maybe we need to test hearing earlier—not just when your child gets to school, because that may be a child who will, in fact, be identified as infected, but more importantly will benefit from hearing, testing and treatment.

This is an effort that includes the entire New York state. So there are no biases. We’re not selecting populations. We’ve taken every single baby, and any parent who wanted to sign up, signs up.

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

That’s really exciting. What’s the next step in the process of your research? 

Sharon Nachman, MD

So that is just one of the projects that we’re doing here. As you know, Stony Brook is heavily invested in research across the generations. And while we’re doing stuff for CMB, another project that will be coming to fruition soon will be treating pregnant women for Hepatitis C. As you know, on long Island in as well as in New York State, and in many other areas, we have a large population of women that are hepatitis C infected.

And right now those babies have a risk of being born and being infected. The aim of this study, and it is funded, is to treat those women during their pregnancy and thus avoid any risk that those babies will be infected. And that will be rolling out in the next few months. 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

These are really life-saving initiatives and we are so grateful for the work that you’re doing. It’s really exciting.

Sharon Nachman, MD

And what’s more exciting is they involve the entire family, and that’s really you’re not just treating one patient, you’re treating the family as a whole, and that’s really important as well. 

Thank you so much for sharing that. And we always anxiously watch you on the news when you’re representing Stony work so well and serving as an expert.

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

7:56 Advice for the Start of One’s Career in Science and Research

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

What advice do you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?

Stella E. Tsirka, PhD

That it’s not always a straightforward path. You follow all that dance and all the directions. Just follow what fascinates you and you’re going to get where you’re going.

Science is fascinating. It’s exciting. And you stay young in doing science because you pursue what? Yeah, what drives you. And then that’s the way to go. I mean, it’s as I said, it’s not always straightforward, it’s not always easy, but it’s the way to go. And you gave me a lot of things to think about with your research.

Part of what we are doing in our lab is looking at neuroinflammation in different models of disease. And although we’re focusing right now on specific models, one being glioblastoma, brain cancer, so a neurological target, and the other being neuropsychiatric, we’re looking at stress-induced behavioral changes and stress-induced depression. We see that neuroinflammation is highly modulatory in these diseases.

So unexpectedly, for example, in depression, if you take away your inflammation, if you downregulated your inflammation, you drastically at least in the preclinical models, you change behavioral outputs of depression, so that it’s no depression and you reestablish inflammation and depression symptoms come back, which is fascinating to me. So we are working on that and trying to understand what exactly is happening.

But in the glioblastoma on the other end, we’re looking at using inflammation as a tool to attack recurrent tumors recovered in the oblast. This has no treatment at this point. It’s only experimental, but nothing specific or prescribed as a standard treatment. So modulating neuroinflammation at least again in preclinical models can have an effect and be quite efficient.

10:33 Collaboration at Stony Brook Medicine

Sharon Nachman, MD

One of the things that’s so interesting about Stony Brook is the cross-pollination in that you can walk in the hallway and see someone else doing something completely different, strike up a conversation, and come away with “a ha” moment. That’s an interesting idea and I’ve been fortunate to work with Stella as well as many of our colleagues on the main campus, Department of Chemistry, etc., to actually say, What are you doing? What am I doing? Let’s do something together. And I think that’s a huge strength of the university. 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Yeah, I couldn’t agree more. I’m seeing that more and more as the years go on and as the departments become connected in a collaborative way to share different ideas in science, in clinical care, and moving from that basic science to translational research to the clinical arena.

And what a wonderful way to bring together our tripartite mission at Stony Brook Medicine. So this has been just an absolutely wonderful conversation and I truly thank both of you for sharing as we celebrate Women’s History Month. 

Please stay tuned. And we’ll be right back with two more panelists to discuss women in medicine.

Women in Medicine

11:50 Introductions

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Welcome back to Health Quest. I’m now joined by two of our physicians, Tara and Olga. Tara, if you can introduce yourself?

Tara Houston, MD, FACS

Thank you, Carol. Sorry. My name is Tara Houston. I am an alumna of the Renaissance School of Medicine, class of 2001, and I’m now a full professor of surgery. I’m president of the Steinberg Medicine Medical Board and faculty chair of our Committee on Admissions for the medical School. 

Olga Aroniadis, MD, MS

I am Olga Aroniadis and I am a professor of medicine here at Stony Brook and the division chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology here. 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Fantastic. We’re so happy to have you here, and I’m going to dig right into it. First, I’d like to ask, what inspired you to pursue a career in medicine? 

12:30 Inspiration for Pursuing a Career in Medicine

Olga Aroniadis, MD, MS

You know, so when I think about what led me to medicine, it really stems from my parents. And I am a product of two immigrant parents who came to this country really with nothing more except for their determination, resilience and grit, and with a truly unwavering belief in the power of education.

And so they really did everything they could to create a better life for our family. And they all the while, they also contributed to their community in very meaningful ways. And I think that seeing their journey really instilled in me this passion for hard work, for perseverance and for service to others. And that’s what truly led me to medicine.

I wanted to be able to honor their sacrifices and dedicate my life to helping others. In addition, medicine not only offers the opportunity to really create very profound and meaningful impacts on people’s lives, but it also offers the opportunity to have constant intellectual challenge and stimulation. And that was really appealing to me. And specifically for gastroenterology, it was the combination of the technical skills and the cognitive elements that were a particular draw.

You could fix the problem immediately in gastroenterology by a therapeutic procedural intervention, but then you could also create these long-lasting, meaningful relationships with patients over time. And that combination was really what pulled me in. 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

That’s a fascinating story. Thanks for sharing, Tara. How about you? 

Tara Houston, MD, FACS

So for as long as I can remember, I knew I was going to grow up and be a physician. If you had asked me in kindergarten, what do you want to do when you grow up? I would say I want to be a physician. I loved school, like Olga was saying, education was very important to my parents. In high school, I fell in love with science research and decided I wanted to go to the most difficult college I could choose, the most difficult major I could to best prepare me.

In college, I took a number of classes about the health inequities and disparities in research between men and women, and I wanted to go to medical school and become an OB-GYN so that I could further the field of women’s health. I felt we needed more help. In my third year of medical school, I quickly realized that OB-GYN was not a good fit for me, and I fell in love with surgery a couple of months later.

And then it took me six years into my surgical training to realize I didn’t want to take people apart anymore, I wanted to put them back together again. And then after ten long years of surgical training, I found plastic surgery and that was the right fit for me. And I’m so blessed to be able to do what I do.

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

You know, I think sometimes we have to go on a journey to get where we eventually belong. And it sounds like you went on that journey and you found where you belong. So we’re really glad to have you here in this. 

15:24 Facing and Overcoming Challenges as a Woman in Medicine

What challenges have you faced as a woman in your field and how did you overcome these challenges?

Olga Aroniadis, MD, MS

I think the main major challenge in medicine really is that women are underrepresented in medicine in general and in certainly in procedural subspecialties like ours. And that really requires navigating that tricky space so you develop confidence and advocacy, and that you have appropriate mentorship and that you seek out that mentorship. And I think for me personally, that’s been really important and impactful.

Demonstrating your skills, developing an ability to speak up, and really seeking out mentors, both male and female, that are going to help you navigate and overcome the challenges that you face. I think another key challenge is learning how to balance both personal and professional responsibilities in a really demanding space, in a demanding field and developing boundaries, setting boundaries and, you know, creating a very strong support system as well as embracing flexibility. I think that has been really key and instrumental in navigating that particular challenge.

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Did you have women mentors along the way as you were going through medical school and into your residency? 

Olga Aroniadis, MD, MS

I did. I was very lucky in that I had both exceptionally strong women mentors and also male mentors as well. And I think the combination just allowed me to see multiple different perspectives and that was extremely helpful, seeing strong women navigate the field and navigate the space and challenges as well as seeing how a male would interact and navigate a particular challenge.

Tara Houston, MD, FACS

I think you bring up a good point with male mentors for female medical students and trainees.

When I was a medical student here, we had very few women in the Department of Surgery. And I remember way back when, when I did fall in love with surgery, looking ahead and not seeing very many women. I think it’s very important for young women to be able to see those of us who are a generation ahead of them in the field and happy and successful and possibly having families that that’s something that interests them as well and enjoying our careers.

One of my favorite quotes is “you have to see it to be it.” You don’t have to, but it makes it a lot easier. And we actually know in surgery, one of the most important factors for young women choosing a career in surgery is seeing women surgeon attendings being successful and happy. 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

I think it’s important as we progress in our careers, to think about paying it forward to those who are in need of mentors and how much we’ve learned from our mentors and how it’s helped us to grow professionally. I love the “see it to be it.” I think those are very wise words of wisdom. So thank you.

18:22 Gender Perceptions in Medicine

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

How have gender perceptions in medicine changed over the course of your career? 

Tara Houston, MD, FACS

I’ll get started with that one. When I started medical school, in the late 90s, we had 50% of women in the entering class and we’re now up to 55% of women entering classes of medical students.

So I think from the medical student perspective, we were just all students together. But one big difference from then to now, and although alluded to this earlier, but it’s women in leadership and a generation ago when we didn’t have quite as many women in leadership, we figured, well, you know, the generation prior to us, it was mostly men in medical school, so it makes sense.

But now I think it’s very important that the young women in school and in training see strong women leaders such as yourself at the helm of our institution to know that they can one day be there. In procedural specialties such as surgery for me, gastroenterology, and gastroenterology for Olga, I think it’s a lot more normal now to see a woman in those fields.

For years, you would say there are surgeons and there are woman surgeons or there are female surgeons because it was something completely different or there are gastroenterologists and there are female gastroenterologists. So I think one change that I believe is happening, that I hope is happening, is that it’s just normal for both men and women to do the same things. And we don’t separate into one field or another based on our gender. 

Olga Aroniadis, MD, MS

You know, I think another thing that’s been really impactful and something I’ve seen over the years is that conversations, these difficult conversations, are happening in a much more open forum now. There’s been active discussion and there’s a lot of engagement and investment from all parties to discuss these issues that are so germane to helping women develop opportunities in the field.

I think that that’s been extremely helpful and beneficial. And, you know, much like Tara was saying, although I had great mentorship from women in medicine and the procedural subspecialty that was less so. So you had a demonstration of what it was to be possible, what could be. But then again, in those procedural subspecialties, these conversations are much more open and active. That’s really been fueled and sparked by the fact that there are women in leadership now who are driving, helping to drive the discussions. 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

I love this conversation. And I think also many times communication techniques as well are often brought into gender perceptions. I know that many times people may criticize others for being too kind, for instance, and kindness does not equate to weakness.

In fact, people who are kind can be quite decisive, make difficult decisions, and hold people accountable, but do it in a respectful way. I think that over time, different gender perceptions may morph as we see more women in leadership roles just with different, perhaps different approaches. 

Olga Aroniadis, MD, MS

Carol, you bring up such a great point because I think that, you know, I had wished that someone would have said to me a long time ago that success in medicine doesn’t mean sacrificing your authenticity, that skills like compassion, resilience, collaboration, they’re just as important as assertiveness and really that taking that whole package into account. Those are some of the traits that make women uniquely strong actually in leadership positions and in medicine in general. 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Really well said. Thank you for that. That was a great summary to that question. So thank you. 

What excites you about the future of women in medicine? 

Olga Aroniadis, MD, MS

Yeah, so I can then take this one or at least start it off. But I think, you know, the thing that’s really exciting is that women are not just participating in medicine. We are leading. We’re taking on leadership roles. We are participating in groundbreaking research and really moving that needle forward and we’re innovating. And so that’s a very exciting thing to see—the way that the space has evolved and how women are really shaping what health care looks like in the future.

I think we’re doing it with a sense of collaboration, a supportive community where we’re lifting one another up, which I also think is something that’s particularly exciting to me. 

Tara Houston, MD, FACS

I am very excited that there are more women in leadership. This is something that we both alluded to earlier, but it’s so critical in shaping the future of medicine. 

I’m the first woman to be president of the Stony Brook Medicine Medical Board in our 50 year history, and I’m very proud of that. It’s an elected position that my fellow physicians allowed me to fulfill, and I’m completing my three year term. But I think it’s important for our younger faculty to see women in these positions. 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

So, true, again, it’s all about role modeling.

23:38 Advice for the Start of One’s Career in Medicine

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

What advice do you wish someone had given you at the start of your career? 

Tara Houston, MD, FACS

Two major pieces of advice. One, enjoy the journey. It’s grueling to go through medical school, to go through residency. A lot of us are getting married during that time. We’re starting our families.  But as best you can, enjoy the journey.

And number two, don’t let anyone tell you no. A lot of people are going to try to discourage you along the way, create obstacles, but believe in yourself, remain determined and you will achieve your goals. You know, I think hard work isn’t enough. You have to really advocate for yourself and then really step up and own your space because no one’s going to do it for you.

Olga Aroniadis, MD, MS

I think that’s very important and something that I wish I had known earlier on. I also think that it’s important to be able to have your own voice and for that to be strong. My advice to young women in medicine is don’t ever shrink to fit into spaces that were not designed for you. You can redefine those spaces and own your voice, know your worth, and lift as you climb.

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

What great advice to end this segment. Thank you both so much for joining me here today. 

Women in Leadership

25:28 Introductions

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Welcome back. We are now joined by Carolyn Santora and Patricia Cooper, two of my fellow leaders at Stony Brook Medicine. Carolyn, would you like to introduce yourself? 

Carolyn Santora, MS, RN

Hello, I’m Carolyn Santorum, the chief nursing officer here at Stony Brook University Hospital. I have been here for 45 years and have had all kinds of positions, and find myself in this wonderful position right now.

Patricia Cooper, JD

Hi, I’m Patricia Cooper. I’m the chief compliance officer here at Stony Brook Medicine, and I joined just shy of three years ago. What’s absolutely beautiful is that I actually received my graduate degree in nursing here at Stony Brook. So it’s like being home again. Very nice. Full circle coming.

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Full circle. Well, we’re glad you’re here to tell us. Kick it off right away. Just tell me in in your own words, what do you believe the definition of an effective leader is? 

26:20 Effective Leadership

Patricia Cooper, JD

Well, for me, what an effective leader is, is someone who is able to inspire and motivate others, but with kindness and humility. I think those are essential.

Carolyn Santorum, MS, RN

In order to be an effective leader, I think you have to have a passion for the mission and a commitment to the people who make that mission happen. So it’s that passion leading from the heart.

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Those are great definitions for effective leadership. You mentioned inspiration and motivation and I often think about followership and the folks who wish to follow people who are inspiring and motivational. So I think that’s very important when you’re leading an organization is to ensure that people have that comfort level to follow. 

27:26 Women in Leadership in the Healthcare Space

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

So what unique qualities do women bring to leadership in health care? Can you describe any from your perspective?

Carolyn Santorum, MS, RN

I think it has to do with the inspiration that Pat talked about. The concept of authentic leadership that particularly fits women nowadays because women have a high level of emotional intelligence and they do have that passion that they bring, especially to health care, especially when you’re talking about nurses. And it ultimately leads to being able to have others follow you and do what it takes to be done to meet the mission.

Patricia Cooper, JD, RN, CHC

I’d also add to that that as a woman, you’re also resilient. Right. Things come your way and you find a way to come up with creative solutions to be able to respond to those items or areas. And I think that’s what also makes us unique. And we’re also very empathetic. 

Carolyn Santorum, MS, RN

And women tend to build networks of empathy with those that they work with. So it’s really important that they can increase productivity that way, that people trust them. And there’s good data to support women as being emotionally intelligent and giving that authentically worship quality. 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

You know, we talked a little bit previously in another segment around communication, and I know that there’s also great research about even how women situate themselves at a meeting around a table in a more of a circular pattern and, you know, directly face to face and just different research techniques that I’ve learned about in response to how women communicate amongst each other.

Patricia Cooper, JD, RN, CHC

The other piece is the collaboration. We’re always willing to bring everyone to the table to hear different viewpoints. And I think that that’s really essential because we’re cognizant of those ties and we’ve been in a room and we weren’t heard. And so we take the time to ensure that every voice is heard. And I think that’s really important too.

29:53 Importance of Women in Leadership Positions

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Great point. I’m glad that you added that. That’s perfect. So why is it important for women to be in a position of leadership from your perspective? 

Patricia Cooper, JD, RN, CHC

Well, from my perspective, I think it’s because we provide a wide array of perspectives. I believe that we as women tend to listen more. We’re more willing to, again, collaborate with others, and bring additional people to the table.

And quite honestly, statistically, I think you mentioned the research. We tend to be more productive. We enhance collaboration, we inspire organization and dedication. And I think these are also very important for women leaders. 

Carolyn Santorum, MS, RN

The other reason, of course, is to set an example that people can see women in leadership and aspire to do that also. You know, it’s interesting, in nursing, of course women are the majority of this profession. 12.5% are men, but they represent 25% of leadership in nursing. So you’ve got to question, what is that about and how did that come about? 

I don’t want to in any way diminish how important men are in our profession and what good leaders they really are. But why aren’t women reaching those levels? We really have to support women, set an example, and then be good at what we do.

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

So really what you’re saying as well is, as women leaders, we should serve as role models and mentors for others to come.

Patricia Cooper, JD, RN, CHC

I love that you mentioned the mentorship. I think that’s essential. Oftentimes, people look up to mentorship, like who can mentor me?

But I think that as we get to be leaders, we should also seek to mentor others as well. I think that’s absolutely essential. That’s how we build community with one another, but also how we build other leaders when people are willing to invest in others. 

32:26 Development Opportunities for Women in Leadership 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

It’s so important to pay it forward. I can think of so many women leaders who took the time to provide career advice, to listen to various woes over the years and, just provided such sound advice that really, I feel, made me a better leader. It’s really important to pay it forward and to recognize those who are hoping to aspire to become leaders in the field as women. And we should support them. 

Are there programs or associations for women in leadership that you’re aware of? 

Carolyn Santorum, MS, RN

Well, actually, you don’t have to look any further than the School of Nursing. They have a master’s program in leadership, in nursing leadership. So you can get a master’s degree in that. 

They also have a certificate program in leadership. So if you’re already in a leadership role, if you already have a master’s degree, you can get the certificate. They concentrate on leadership qualities, on leadership structure, and what you need to do to actually move on as a leader.

So look at our own school—walk across the bridge and you’ve got it here.

Patricia Cooper, JD, RN, CHC

Another one is chief. It’s a group of women executives. And what they do is they work collaboratively with other leaders so that they can share ideas. It’s a thought leadership type of group that’s really great. But the other thing is we often forget about just our own community and building our own community, right?

Because part of those organizations start with just a few people working together. And then you surround a shared idea and you can be a community for one another as well. 

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Great suggestions. And I’m sure those who are listening will take heed. So thank you for sharing those thoughts. What steps can healthcare organizations take to ensure gender equity in leadership positions?

Patricia Cooper, JD, RN, CHC

So I think for gender equity is to look at everyone to ensure that every resumé that passes through someone’s desk. Any opportunity you have in which you can look for other people to be able to fill, to fill a role, I think that’s really important. And really just not being exclusionary, I think that’s essential. 

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of mentorship as well, because then you can create your own type of pipeline as well.

Carolyn Santorum, MS, RN

As I said, there is a disproportionate number of men in nursing in leadership positions. There’s also a disproportionate number of men in medical leadership. So even though now almost 50% of graduates are women, only about 20% of leadership positions in medicine are held by women.

So I think we need to be cognizant of that and try to figure out what it is that is holding women back and does it have to do with their own personal lives, with their aspirations? Are women less likely to put themselves out there for leadership positions? And then support people in those things, to help them to be able to do what they need to do in order to move on to leadership?

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

Thank you. And, you know, I’m very proud to be part of Stony Brook Medicine. I think I said that in a former podcast as well. And I’ve had the opportunity to grow professionally here, and I’m in the C-suite, and I’m really excited to be part of that, and especially as the first woman CEO at Stony Brook. 

I feel that Stony Brook has really given all of us this opportunity as women leaders in C-suite, to be recognized for the work that we do. So I’m proud to be part of Stony Brook Medicine for that reason. 

36:09 Advice for Women Seeking to Climb the Ladder

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

So finally, do you have any advice for women seeking to climb the ladder to a leadership position, particularly administratively? 

Patricia Cooper, JD, RN, CHC

For me, I really think you need to work on yourself. I think in order for you to walk into any position, you need to work on developing your personal plan. What is your vision for your life? What are some things that you’d like to accomplish and allow other experiences? 

Stony Brook has really great resources, like LinkedIn Learning. You can learn a skill. There are a number of things you can do and really develop yourself so that that way prepares you for any opportunity when it comes your way.

Carolyn Santorum, MS, RN

I think you need to be a clinical expert. You have to know your business, I said that before. Leading from the heart. Understanding what’s important in the work that we do and ensuring that others get support to do that also. Always lead from the heart. Lead from the heart. Lead from the heart. 

37:30 Closing Remarks

Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ

While this has just been a really informative series of conversations today, I’d like to thank all of our panelists and I’d especially like to thank you all for tuning in.

Let’s celebrate the advancements we’ve heard about today while remaining committed to building a future in which women’s leadership potential is fully realized. The stories of successful women leaders inspire us all. We can use these examples to pave the way for the next generation of female leaders to reach their full potential. Thank you.

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