Critical Care Physician at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton 

Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, and Academic Chair of Critical Care at McMaster University 

What barriers have you encountered as a woman in healthcare? How did you overcome them?
One of the barriers I initially faced is believing that there is a single, preferred leadership style. Then I realized how leadership takes many forms, and different types of leadership bring value to an initiative and an organization. Another barrier was thinking that an invitation is required to lead. I came to understand that permission is not required to step in and try to reach people with your values when you have a vision to share. You don’t need a title to channel your passions and live by your principles to make the world a better place.

What does inspiring inclusion mean to you? How do you inspire inclusion?
Inspiring inclusion means role modelling inclusion myself, as well as calling forth an inclusive approach in the environment. It is important to do this without expectation about what involvement might look like for different people. Inclusivity means respect for culture, ethnicity, role, experience and more, while suspending predictions about possible contributions and without judging their value.

It is also important to note that inclusivity is not just about a voice, it is also about true visibility. For example, in the ICU, critically ill patients are silenced by their illness and families are terrified. We need to include the patient and family views more intentionally in all that we do, even though we ultimately practice, teach and do research for them. Including patient and family views is a work in progress in critical care medicine, and we are getting there.

How can we ensure women are represented in leadership positions?
My approach to ensuring women are represented in leadership positions includes allyship, sponsorship, and mentoring individuals with diverse backgrounds, roles, and interests to help them be their best self. I try to encourage everyone to be brave enough to take risks, to get outside your comfort zone, and keep an open mind to opportunities around you. Without challenging yourself, you are not growing.

Do you have any advice for women seeking a leadership role in healthcare?
I believe that everyone, not just women, lead best when their work brings personal meaning, directly or indirectly. Make it clear what you stand for, seek initiatives that align with your sense of purpose, then commit to make a difference. We all succeed by intentionally creating change, while also helping others to leave the world a better place.

Learn about group dynamics, identify how people with different goals and personalities work, and develop your own style of both group membership and group leadership. An underappreciated leadership skill is the ability to watch and listen first, to understand before speaking up. After that, you are better situated to jump in, step up, and ask yourself how you can bring your A game to the enterprise.

Informatics Specialist – Non-Clinical at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton  

What barriers have you encountered as a woman in healthcare? How did you overcome them?
The most significant challenge I have faced as a woman, irrespective of the industry, was managing my family and work responsibilities while my children were young. To overcome this, I had to prioritize and balance my personal and professional life. I was able to achieve this balance through the support of my management team at St. Joe’s. As my kids grew older and became more independent, I was able to dedicate more time to my professional growth and further my career.

What does inspiring inclusion mean to you? How do you inspire inclusion?
Inspiring inclusion involves utilizing the knowledge and skills we gain through education, work, and life experiences to positively impact our families, communities, and workplaces. I inspire inclusion by embracing my cultural identity and dedicating time and effort to leading and organizing community initiatives that encourage diversity. This commitment reflects the values of St. Joe’s as an organization.

How can we ensure women are represented in leadership positions?
We can ensure women are represented in leadership positions by identifying their capabilities, learning about, and understanding the barriers they face to support their growth, and providing the necessary resources to empower them.

Do you have any advice for women seeking a leadership role in healthcare?
The greatest leaders are those who are passionate about their work and lead by example. I have witnessed substantial career growth in leadership positions for some of my female colleagues, whom I admire greatly for their passion and work ethic and consider champions of success for women in healthcare. My advice for women seeking a leadership position is to connect with and learn from those who lead by example and to factor in any barriers that can be overcome in stages.

Clinical Research Manager at The Research Institute of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton 

What barriers have you encountered as a woman in healthcare? How did you overcome them?
As a woman working in healthcare research, over the last 16 years I have encountered numerous barriers. When I was a young graduate student, my voice was often not heard and my opinions were minimized.

Then as I moved into employment, it was assumed that I probably wouldn't want professional growth and development because I would want to be (or should want to be) home with my kids. I remained committed to my work and my opinions were valued and being a woman or a mom was not a negative thing.

Women are often considered to be "overreacting" when we stand up for what we believe is right or voice opinions that may go against what others believe. I will always remain true to myself to stand up to injustices and respectfully voice my opinions in an effort to improve a situation or environment for those around me.

What does inspiring inclusion mean to you? How do you inspire inclusion?
For me, inspiring inclusion means creating a comfortable environment, whether it be at work, school, or at home, where everyone feels that their values, opinions, experiences, and goals are heard and supported. I think it's really important to celebrate our differences, learn from one another, and support each other in our growth and aspirations.

I want my co-workers, family, friends, and my kids’ friends, to know that I will always embrace our diversity and strive to create a safe environment where everyone feels comfortable being themselves and providing their opinions, and in situations where they maybe aren't able to articulate their thoughts or needs, I will advocate for them.

Additionally, within our research team, I inspire inclusion by encouraging our female staff members to take advantage of opportunities presented to them whether it's sharing their work with the scientific community or furthering their education. Where opportunities for growth, advancement, and empowerment don't already exist, I try to create them even within our small group.

How can we ensure women are represented in leadership positions?
There are many elements to ensuring that women are represented in leadership positions, but I think it ultimately starts with ensuring that there are equal opportunities for career advancement and access to leadership training and mentorship programs.

Do you have any advice for women seeking a leadership role in healthcare?
My advice for women seeking leadership roles in healthcare is to focus on building leadership skills through educational courses and/or mentorship programs, and to seek out roles within institutions that value diversity and foster an inclusive work culture.

Physiotherapist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton 

What barriers have you encountered as a woman in healthcare? How did you overcome them?
In my role as a physiotherapist and educator, the typical most talked about “successful” path would be to do an orthopaedic training specialty and then open up a private practice. This was a path that I thought I wanted, but thankfully did not work out for me. So, I would say that a few of the barriers that I faced as a woman in healthcare are:

1. Finding mentorship and/or networking opportunities for career advice and career progression.
2. Achieving a work-life balance while trying to advance my career.

Being a mother of two and trying to stay ahead of a rapidly changing healthcare world takes a lot of time and resources. It was hard trying to navigate a career path and there was no accessible guidance on how to figure it out. For me it mostly ended up being a path of trial and error. I had to try different positions, worked in a variety of settings, and I have done a myriad of post-graduate training to discover where I fit in best. Along the way I sought out female colleagues who were doing similar or different work in order to get their perspectives on what led them to where they were. Finally having a good support system, which for me was my mother who was always there to provide help with the children when I needed to run off for a course or to teach a class.

What does inspiring inclusion mean to you? How do you inspire inclusion?
To me inspiring inclusion means to create a work environment that is empathetic, caring and respects everyone’s viewpoints for both staff and patients.

Part of my role is to create and supervise exercise programs for patients with chronic lung diseases. I ensure that all of my patients regardless of their race, gender or disabilities are made to feel equally heard and that their individual needs are respected. In the work that I do, a portion of it is completed in a group setting, so its really important for the person leading the group to set standards of mutual respect and tolerance.

Inclusion to me also means fairness and equity. To do that, we have worked hard in our program through a team-based approach to identify barriers to participation that we can address. These barriers may include housing insecurity, food scarcity, or barriers with transportation and/or mobility, to name a few. This way we try to ensure that there is greater access to our program for all patients that are in need. By removing or reducing the barriers, the greater the chances that an individual could participate in the program.

How can we ensure women are represented in leadership positions?
Organizations can implement policies and practices that support work-life balance and flexibility, such as flexible working hours, remote work options, parental leave policies, and childcare support. These measures can help remove barriers that may disproportionately affect women's career advancement opportunities.

Universities and educational institutions, particularly in traditionally female dominated professions like physiotherapy, should invest in leadership development programs specifically designed for women, providing them with the skills, knowledge, and support they need to succeed in leadership roles. This can include training in areas such as communication, negotiation, strategic thinking, and networking.

Do you have any advice for women seeking a leadership role in healthcare?
My advice would be to try to talk to and meet people in your line of work and network. Don’t be afraid to ask questions as there is always something to learn from someone else’s journey. Learn networking skills earlier on and develop good working relationships with people within and outside your organization. I also think that it’s important to advocate for yourself and take ownership of your professional development. Building your skills is empowering, and leads to a larger perspective in your area of expertise.

Director, Medical Affairs & Medical Education at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton

Click here to read Huyam’s reflections on gender equality and eliminating bias in healthcare. 

Senior Portfolio Business Manager, Mental Health and Addictions Program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton 

What barriers have you encountered as a woman in healthcare? How did you overcome them?
In my early years of transitioning into healthcare from a separate sector, I encountered a perception-based barrier. As an extrovert, there was a situation where my personality and demeaner were criticized. It was implied that I would appear more ‘professional’ if I was less engaged and less communicative.

I approached this feedback first with internal reflection, followed by feedback and discussions with my direct supervisor at the time as well as previous supervisors and leaders I had worked with in other organizations, to objectively determine if their impressions and thoughts of my conduct were similar. I received unanimous feedback that my input was valuable and that there was no aspect of my demeanor that appeared ‘unprofessional’ to them.

There are instances where there are specific expectations made on women with regards to how they should communicate or conduct themselves, and some environments may not support the growth of individuals with strong or extroverted personalities. I am happy to say that at St. Joe’s, I have always been given continuous opportunities to gain expertise in various initiatives across the organization, and have been given access to learn from leadership at all organizational levels.

What does inspiring inclusion mean to you? How do you inspire inclusion?
To me, inspiring inclusion means creating a safe environment where persons of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds feel comfortable, confident and empowered enough to contribute to the growth, improvement or development of any initiative or area that they choose or are passionate about. This could be seen in different ways, such as giving feedback to improve team environments and cultures, or providing input to design health services that are applicable to all persons and are bias or discrimination-free.

You inspire inclusion by opening doors and providing access, allowing individuals to experience opportunities that they are interested in, regardless of who they are and to value their input equally. You also inspire inclusion by sharing learnings with the younger generation and building confidence in young leaders to try new opportunities without fear of failure or fear of an invisible ‘ceiling’ or ‘wall’.

How can we ensure women are represented in leadership positions?
It is important to ensure that equal professional development opportunities are available for women in all departments and organizational levels, and that there are objective processes put in place for access to leadership roles, such as formal selection processes for interim and permanent leadership opportunities that are open to anyone within the organization to apply.

Do you have any advice for women seeking a leadership role in healthcare?
The healthcare sector is majority-staffed by women, and they make a significantly higher proportion of the workforce relative to other industries. However, the prevalence of women in executive positions is still not equivalent to the proportion of the remaining workforce. I think there is significant progress seen in recent years towards balancing that disparity, and there is great opportunity for women to continue to grow and develop their leadership brand within healthcare.

My advice is to engage other women leaders and learn from their experiences, hear their stories and understand where it may apply and align with yours. Secondly, apply to opportunities that may further your career development without fear, and try new experiences that you may previously have avoided.

Director of Acute Care Surgery, Director of Postgraduate Education, and Interim Senior Medical Director & Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton 

Associate Professor of Surgery at McMaster University 

Click here to read Dr. Nenshi’s reflections on gender equality and eliminating bias in healthcare.