Photo: National Nurses United A spotlight on NNU’s Executive Director Bonnie Castillo, RN April is National Minority Health Month—a time to highlight the women of color who are passionate advocates for health equity in medicine. Whether for patients or providers, the medical field needs women to raise their voices when disparities in treatment—or safety—are observed. Bonnie Castillo, RN, has been doing just that for over twenty years. As the Executive Director of National Nurses United (NNU), California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC), she bridges the worlds ..read more

Photo: National Library of Medicine Celebrating a pioneer at the forefront of women’s health and cardiovascular care “Women's health is an equal rights issue as important as equal pay. It's an issue of the quality and the integrity of science and medicine.” -Dr. Paula Johnson, “His and Her Healthcare,” TEDWomen 2013 In celebration of both National Heart Health Month and Black History Month, we’re highlighting a leader in the medical field whose trailblazing career represents a crucial convergence of women’s cardiovascular health and social justice: Paula A. Johnson, MD, MPH. The 20 ..read more

Foundation President Dr. Laraque-Arena forecasts 2024  Every January 1 brings the promise of earnest resolutions to achieve long-sought goals and the opportunity to make things right. In these early days of 2024, Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation President Danielle Laraque-Arena, MD, FAAP has a nuanced view of what this year will mean for women in medicine and for the Foundation.   “It’s a complicated question, even for an optimist,” she said, before adding, “I have some hopeful signs.”  The journey Dr. Laraque-Arena points to Elizabeth Blackwell, and Rebecca Lee Crumpler ..read more

Turning Dr. King’s legacy into a resource for all  As medical professionals, we know that once knowledge is gained — through close study, collaboration, determination, testing, and retesting — it must be shared. At the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation, we believe the same principle applies to women’s histories. Their lived experiences, writings, lectures, passion projects, and interviews hold as much potential to guide and inspire the next generation of doctors and scholars as their professional achievements — and therefore should be safeguarded alongside their work. That’s why we crea ..read more

Highlighting women’s contributions to medicine over the last year 2023 has truly been the Year of Women. From Barbie to Taylor Swift, women shattered records and dismantled barriers across industries, while simultaneously bringing women-centric stories and perspectives to the forefront of public discourse. And yet, the unprecedented scale of success women achieved in 2023 is only half the story. Behind each show-stopping accomplishment was a network of women — whether fans, peers, mentors, friends, sisters, or mothers — who used their voices and their resources to support and uplift those of u ..read more

Women pursuing motherhood while practicing medicine face age-old challenges There’s been a recent flurry of articles on working women delaying motherhood until they’ve established their careers.  According to a survey cited by Forbes, 36 percent of women over the age of 35 who choose to have a child later in life do so because they want to achieve their professional goals first.  For women in medicine, the choice to have a child can come at a particularly unhealthy cost.  Calculating the situation and its consequences A JAMA article — pointedly titled “Childbearing, Infertility ..read more

Oral history project gives women in medicine the chance to share their stories in their own words When you sit across from someone who’s lived a full life, it’s natural to have questions. Where have they been? What have they done? What did they learn? And with all that experience and perspective, what advice would they give you? Oral histories provide an opportunity to ask these questions because they capture a life in the words of the person who lived it. They tend to focus on the individual’s accomplishments while leaving room for them to weave in stories and surface insights — making oral h ..read more

From left: Carol Nadelson, MD; Nanette K. Wenger, MD, MACC, MACP, FAHA; and Ellen Gritz, PhD Preserving past Alma Dea Morani Award recipients’ unique perspectives  On October 26, legendary cardiologist Nanette K. Wenger, MD, MACC, MACP, FAHA, will accept the 2023 Alma Dea Morani, MD Renaissance Woman Award.  At this year’s virtual ceremony, Dr. Wenger will join the ranks of those who have received this award — the highest honor bestowed by the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation. This illustrious group of women includes a Nobel Prize laureate; the researcher who identified the BRCA1 ..read more

“It never occurred to them that any women wanted to be surgeons.” Leading up to the 2023 Alma Dea Morani Renaissance Woman in Medicine Award ceremony, the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation takes a look back at the award’s namesake: Alma Dea Morani, MD, FACS. You can learn more about Dr. Morani’s trailblazing career on the HUB. The daughter of Italian immigrants, Dr. Morani was born in New York in 1907. She had a deep love for art which she learned from her sculptor father, Salvatore Morani, who studied sculpture for eight years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples and for six years at the A ..read more

The Foundation’s 2023 ADM Awardee looks back at a trail blazed Nanette K. Wenger, MD, MACC, MACP, FAHA, is an icon—and even that is an understatement. Her career in cardiology spans seven decades, her list of professional publications tops 1,700 (with seven more currently under review), and her curriculum vitae, at last count, runs to 172 pages.  World-renowned for her pioneering research on women and heart disease, geriatric cardiac care, cardiac rehabilitation, as well as her lifelong commitment to promoting equitable care for all, Dr. Wenger has received numerous accolades in the medic ..read more