By Caleb White
Last December, the Gender Equity, Advancement, and Empowerment Committee (GEAEC) hosted its first event in the Albert Sherman Center Cube, bringing together over 30 faculty to discuss the Committee’s vision and goals. The GEAEC was established by Christine Bielick Kotkowski, MD, assistant professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Medicine-Pediatrics, and Deepika Devuni, MD, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, to achieve gender equity within the Department of Medicine.
“The idea of this group began when I planned a dinner for one of our invited Medical Grand Rounds speakers, Dr. Jennifer Taylor-Cousar, who has done excellent work in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Dr. Bielick Kotkowski, chair of the GEAEC. “I invited other women physicians from divisions across the department because I felt we could have really great conversations about gender equity. Our discussion gravitated towards ways we could enhance professional development, career advancement, and mentorship among women and gender diverse physicians.”
Dr. Devuni, chair-elect of the GEAEC, added that the dinner discussion set everything into motion. “It gave us the impetus to create a formal committee we could all benefit from,” she said. “We’ve also been joined by incredible people to make this initiative possible. Dr. Deborah Blazey-Martin, who is on our leadership team and has spearheaded gender equity initiatives at other institutions, has been a key mentor throughout the process.”
To build an inclusive culture conducive to equal advancement, the GEAEC was established with three subcommittees: career development, advocacy and research, and wellness and outreach. The career development subcommittee is led by Drs. Devuni, Elizabeth Murphy, and Jennifer Reidy, and plans for various workshops, mentorship opportunities, and sponsored events such as the AAMC early- and mid-career Women Faculty Leadership conferences. Drs. Blazey-Martin, Lauren Feld, and Jennifer Kodela lead the advocacy and research subcommittee, which aims to assess data on leadership positions and academic promotions, increase collaboration among junior and clinical faculty, and advocate for workplace policies that achieve equitable outcomes. Dr. Bielick Kotkowski co-leads the wellness and outreach subcommittee with Dr. Suzanne Sprague, assistant professor of medicine and teaching faculty at the Westborough Internal Medicine and Pediatrics clinic. Their first-year priority projects include improving the integration of clinicians from the Community Medical Group (CMG) with faculty from the Department of Medicine, planning initial networking events, and assisting with newsletters to highlight faculty achievements.
Integration and collaboration is a major aspect of the GEAEC, which aims to bridge the communication gaps across different divisions. Dr. Devuni points out that CMG clinicians, who work separately throughout central Massachusetts, can be negatively impacted by these gaps. “Clinicians have very busy schedules which can impede them from accessing resources for wellness and professional development already in place,” she said. “Besides their clinical responsibilities, some of them may also have childcare responsibilities directly after work. That’s why we structure our after-work events and subcommittee meetings with this in mind.”
“From a wellness perspective, it’s about getting people into a room together,” added Dr. Bielick Kotkowski. “People are craving for the opportunity to talk about their shared experiences. I had seen a post in a Facebook group for women physicians asking, ‘How can I get more connected? I want to get to know other doctors at UMass.’”
As each subcommittee develops its priorities for the year, the GEAEC is planning on-campus events that will include residents, fellows, and administrative staff as well as faculty for workshops on finance, wellness, work-life integration, and faculty promotion. The leadership team is confident that as the GEAEC grows, it will form new leaders dedicated to an equitable workplace culture. “There’s a lot of excitement in the group about what we’re doing,” Dr. Bielick Kotkowski said.
We thank Drs. Bielick Kotkowski and Devuni for leading this initiative for gender equity in the Department of Medicine!