Women, Leadership, and Health UN Commission on the Status of Women March 3, 2006 By Norma J' Goodwin

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Women, Leadership, and HealthUN Commission on
the Status of WomenMarch 3, 2006 By Norma J.
Goodwin, M.D.Founder and PresidentHealth Power,
Inc.
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Leadership and Decision-making

• In all fields
• Both leadership and decision-making are
  connected, or cross-cutting.
• Thus, hereafter, the term leadership will be
  used.

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Informal Leadership

• Often, the person without the fancy (or formal)
  title, runs everything.
• For some of them, such leadership is very
  gratifying. But, too often they are women who
  have either been denied, or overlooked for,
  upward mobility. Some of them represent
  intervention opportunities.

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Key Overlooked Informal Leaders

• Since women must go from strength to strength in
  expanding leadership, we need to acknowledge,
  learn from the examples of, and more effectively
  involve some of the most effective women leaders
  worldwide mothers and homemakers.
• Some are actually miracle makers.

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Women and Leadership in Health

• While it is not always apparent, the higher up
  one goes in leadership in the health field (and
  many others), the fewer women one finds.
• Many statistics document this.

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Key Statistical ExampleAmerican Medical Schools

• They train tomorrows physicians, whether
  sensitive to womens health needs or not
• They are major health care providers both
  directly and indirectly
• They are major employers, thus targets for
  leadership employment for women.

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Medical Schools and Women in Leadership

• According to AAMC, women are
• 38 of Assistant Professors 27 of Associate
  Professors and only 15 of full Professors
• 11 of Department Chairs
• 45 of Assistant Deans 29 of Associate and
  Senior Associate Deans and just 10 of full
  Deans.
• Association of American Medical Colleges
  2004-2005

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Special Glass Ceiling Barriers toLeadership
for Women

• Being women of color
• Being economically disadvantaged
• Having more limited formal education
• Note Because items 2 and 3 are more prevalent
  among
• women of color, they merit special
  attention.

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Targets of Leadership Opportunity for Women

• Hospitals medical, dental and public health
  schools
• Managed care organizations/HMOs
• Pharmaceutical, lab equipment companies
• Health centers and group practices

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Targets of Leadership Opportunity for Women
(Cont.)

• Policy analysts and policymakers
• - Federal, state and local elected officials
  and their staffs (the
  latter are often more powerful than the former)
• - Governmental,corporate/business, and
  non-profit organization administrators and
  managers

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Targets of Leadership Opportunity for Women
(Cont.)

• Health services researchers
• - In order to have an active role in both the
  definition and monitoring of health disparities.
• - In order to play an active role in defining,
  implementing and monitoring cultural competency
  criteria, curricula
• and programs.

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Key Strategy for Individual and Group Action

• Become knowledgeable about health
• - Preventive, public community health - Key
  personal health care issues
• - Health policy and administration
• - Health services research (to monitor,
• thus impact on health disparities)

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Key Strategy for Individual and Group Action

• Identify/develop, and participate in peer
  support groups at all levels.
• Male leaders do it, through formal and informal
  (quasi-social) meetings
• (golf outings, university club meetings, etc.)
• Women leaders and would-be leaders can also
  benefit from support groups.

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Peer Support Strategies for Women/Developing
Leaders

• Plan places and times to
• Take your shoes off (sometimes)
• Relax with selected colleagues/friends
• Talk off the record talk
• Plan and strategize for personal, social and
  business upward mobility

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Features of Effective Leadership Development
Support Groups

• Have/develop a clear mission
• Have/develop a clear plan goals, discrete and
  measurable objectivities, action steps and an
  evaluation plan
• Have/develop an active and ongoing advocacy
  component
• Note Sustained advocacy generates leaders

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Key Advocacy Possibilities

• More women in health leadership
• More womens health services
• Elimination of targeted racial, ethnic and
• womens health disparities
• Health insurance coverage issues - in the work
  place, governmental and
• managed health care/HMO settings, etc.

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Key Advocacy Possibilities (Cont.)

• Governmental policies, such as
• - Medicare Part D prescription drug issue
• - Health insurance coverage for obesity,
  depression and other conditions that
• disproportionately affect women,
• Coverage for uninsured children and teens

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A Key Health Resource for Women and Women on the
Move

• Health Powers Web Site at
• www.healthpowerforminorities.org
• Provides information and promotion services that
  are
• Authoritative - User-friendly - Culturally
  Relevant
• Key features include
• Womens Health Channel Food and
  Fitness Channel Glossary What It Means
  Racial and Ethnic Channels

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Health Powers Web Address

• WWW.healthpowerforminorities.org
• underscores our purpose
• Health Power for Minorities.
• We also actively support Health Power for
  Women.
• For both groups, remember our motto
• Knowledge Action Power!