Closing the Gap: Why Healthcare Needs More Gender Diversity in Leadership

The following is a guest article by Dr. Erica Barnell, MD, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Geneoscopy Women comprise 70% of the healthcare workforce and 59% of medical, biomedical, and health sciences graduates, yet are the minority at leadership levels — holding only 25% of senior executive roles. As a result, the lack of women in significant decision-making positions is evident. According to U.S. Census estimates, no single ethnic or racial group will represent a majority of the U.S. population by 2055. The potential for more positive patient care experiences, greater innovation, and improved organizational performance exists by creating more balance in healthcare leadership. Existing Disparities and Challenges Over a century ago, women founded, led, and operated hospitals. Today, they comprise most of the healthcare workforce — but not in leadership positions. Women represent only 25% of top leadership roles in healthcare while holding an even lower percentage of corporate board seats (~14%) for publicly held life sciences companies. Within privately held companies, these numbers are even more underwhelming. Despite significant advancements, we have a long way to go to address existing gender disparities in education and careers within STEM. As few as ten years ago, I was one of only a handful of women scientists in research labs and often the only woman in the boardroom. During presentations, I was asked more questions about my personal life than my bus...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: C-Suite Leadership Clinical Health IT Company Healthcare IT Dr. Erica Barnell Dr. Erica Barnell MD PhD Gender Bias Gender Diversity in Healthcare Leadership Geneoscopy Women in Healthcare Women in Leadership Women in STEM Women's H Source Type: blogs