During 1950, women made up 6 percent of physicians. Today that figure has grown to 36 percent, and female leaders in healthcare account for about 30 percent of C-suite leaders and 13 percent of CEOs, according to Oliver Wyman (a worldwide management consulting company). Healthcare leadership is gradually assimilating women ever since Blackwell Elizabeth achieved her medical degree. For young women who strive to become the next generation of women in healthcare leadership, the figures are encouraging.
For more encouragement and inspiration, here are the top five women in healthcare leadership:
Top 5 Women in Healthcare Leadership
1. Nancy Howell Agee
Nancy Howell is the Chief executive officer and president of Carilion Clinic. Before being the CEO, she served as a chief operating officer and executive deputy president. While serving as the COO, Ms.Agee co-led the reorganization of the Carilion from a network of hospitals into a physician-led and fully integrated clinic. This reorganization led to a merger with the Virginia Tech firm to form an allopathic research institute and medical school.Nancy has honorary degrees from Emory University and Virginia University. She also holds honorary degrees from the Jefferson College of Health Sciences and Roanoke College.Ms. Agee is also a part-time professor at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.
Nancy is known nationally as one of the top women in healthcare leadership and she serves currently as the Chairlady of the American Hospital Association. She has received several honors in her career such as Carilion’s Paladin Award for patient safety and quality.
As a teenager, she had a brain tumor and underwent 5 surgeries before being hospitalized at the Roanoke Hospital. She loved the way the nurses cared for her and it led her to be a surgical nurse. She began her administrative role after her nomination as Miss Hope to talk about nursing and cancer care in the state.
2. Dr. Emily Stein
After Emily’s grandmother had a stroke because of poor oral cleanliness, Dr. Stein took matters in her hands. She co-founded multiple biotechnology startups by bringing in her unique scientific experience which includes microbiology, molecular biology, and cellular and molecular immunology.Before completing her Post-Doctoral Fellowship within the Department of immunology and rheumatology at the University of Stanford, she studied the function of the Neuroendocrine-immune axis in rheumatic illness. She has a Microbiology Ph.D. from California University and a B.S in Immunology and Microbiology from Iowa University.
She’s currently the CEO and Co-founder of Primal Health and started the firm to make individuals healthier by concentrating on the provision of better oral health.
3. Mary Boosalis
Mary Boosalis is the CEO and president of Premier Health since 2017. She was also the CEO and president of the Miami Valley Hospital before being Premier Health’s Chief operating officer between 2011 and 2016.She was raised in Porterville, California, and earned her nursing bachelor’s degree in 1976 from the State University of California. She also holds a master’s degree in administration of hospital services from the Arizona Business College.
Boosalis plays a crucial role in the Dayton Community on multiple boards. Between 2010 and 2011, she was the chair of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association, former president of the American Heart Association (Dayton branch and is a board member of Sinclair community College and Dayton University.
Mary Boosalis was also recognized as among 2020’s influential medical executives by Modern Healthcare. She has also been named as one of the Top 10 Women by Dayton Daily News and recognized as Ohio’s Most Influential and Powerful Woman.
While serving at Miami Valley Hospital, Mary says one of her toughest challenges was during the 2004 and 2005 public debate with the Ohio Blue Shield and Anthem Blue Cross. She says it was a difficult negotiation and it was hard to show their position to the public in a 30-second sound bite.
Fortunately, she managed to pull through successfully and patients returned in large numbers after they went back with the Anthem.
4. Debra Canales
Debra Canales is the chief administrative officer and executive deputy president at the Providence St. Joseph Health. From her arrival at the facility in 2014, one of her main agendas has been boosting provider engagement. Debra’s efforts became successful when the system experienced lower turnover and better engagement scores in 2017.At Providence St. Joseph Health, Debra is in charge of human resources, community partnerships, and communications. Before joining St Joseph Health, she worked at the CHE Trinity Health for about 10 years. In her tenure she guided the facility through immense change, establishing synergy across the operationally and geographically diverse system.
Canales also founded new programs that addressed work-life balance such as ‘NotHere Campaign’ and ‘Me Too”. She also disclosed her experience regarding domestic abuse. Ms. Canales earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas University and decided to explore faith-based healthcare. She was encouraged her mentors, including religious sisters to join Providence Healthcare. One of her relatives, Aunt Trinity, served a religious sister and was dedicated to serving others including the vulnerable and poor. This motivated Canales to help others grow their careers.
Besides being highly ranked as a Hispanic healthcare leader, Debra is also recognized as among Women Worth Watching by the 2012 Diversity Journal. She’s a member of the American Society of Healthcare Human Resources Administration and Society for Human Resource management.
5. Dr. Hashmi Maliha
Dr. Hashmi Is a NEOM Executive and Medlab Middle East’s recent speaker of 2020. She’s among the five worldwide experts selected by WEF to share their 2030 life vision. She holds a doctorate degree in Law and Jurisprudence from Harvard Law School. Dr. Hashmi also has a master’s degree in the history of medicine and ethics from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Dr. Hashmi also works as the Leading Council Member and Expert for the Prestigious Global Future Council. She’s a V20 esteemed delegate. V20 is a worldwide platform for practitioners and experts.
She was recognized as one of the Leading Twenty College women in America. As one of the notable female leaders in healthcare, she promotes women empowerment within the GCC area.
Need more help? The books below are good resources.
1) Leadership in Healthcare: Essential Values and Skills
2) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
[ Disclaimer: this article includes affiliate links.]
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