The third annual National Women Physicians Day takes place Feb. 3. The date marks the birthday of Elizabeth Blackwell, MD, the first woman in the U.S. to obtain a medical degree, according to The DO.
2017 marked a significant year for women in medicine. It was the first time in history more women than men were enrolled in U.S. medical schools. Women around the world also sought to recreate the cover of an April 2017 issue of The New Yorker to highlight the number of women and minorities working in surgery.
"Today's cultural and educational changes make this an exciting time in medicine. When I rose through the ranks 20 years ago, the picture looked different," said Octavia Cannon, DO, president-elect of the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists and co-owner of Charlotte, N.C.-based Arboretum Obstetrics and Gynecology. "Times change, but it's always an honor to work with women of every age and ethnicity, and to know they trust me with the health of their unborn children and themselves. It takes a village to raise a phenomenal woman!"
To honor the NWPD 2018, Becker's Hospital Review identified 27 female physician executives who have made significant strides at their respective institutions. The women were also profiled in Becker's Hospital Review's annual "130 women hospital and health system leaders to know 2017."
Here are 27 women physician executives to know in healthcare.
- Elaine Batchlor, MD, CEO of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital (Los Angeles)
- Amy Beiter, MD, president and CEO of Carondelet St. Mary's Hospital (Tucson, Ariz.)
- Adrienne Boissy, MD, chief experience officer of Cleveland Clinic
- Amy Compton-Phillips, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer of Providence St. Joseph Health (Renton, Wash.)
- Susan Ehrlich, MD, CEO of Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.
- Ann Errichetti, MD, chief operations and academic officer of Presence Health (Chicago)
- Melinda Estes, MD, president and CEO of Saint Luke's Health System (Kansas City, Mo.)
- Laura Forese, MD, executive vice president and COO of NewYork-Presbyterian (New York City)
- Lisa E. Harris, MD, CEO of Eskenazi Health (Indianapolis).
- Margot Hartmann, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Nantucket (Mass.) Cottage Hospital
- Rhonda Medows, MD, executive vice president of population health for Providence St. Joseph Health (Renton, Wash.)
- Sonia Mehta, MD, CEO and CMO of Loretto Hospital (Chicago).
- Susan Melvin, DO, CMO of MemorialCare Long Beach (Calif.) Medical Center
- Nanette Mickiewicz, MD, president and CEO of Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
- Redonda Miller, MD, president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore)
- Elizabeth Nabel, MD, president of Brigham Health (Boston)
- Janice Nevin, MD, president and CEO of Christiana Care Health System (Wilmington, Del.)
- Marsha Rappley, MD, vice president of health sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University and CEO of VCU Health System (Richmond, Va.)
- Lynn Simon, MD, president of clinical operations and CMO of Community Health Systems (Franklin, Tenn.)
- Penny Wheeler, MD, president and CEO of Allina Health (Minneapolis)
- Laurie Glimcher, MD, president and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston)
- Susan Turney, MD, CEO of Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic Health System
- Joanne Conroy, MD, president and CEO of Dartmouth-Hitchcock (Lebanon, N.H.)
- Julie Ann Freischlag, MD, interim dean of Wake Forest Baptist School of Medicine and CEO of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
- Ginger Williams, MD, president and CEO of Oaklawn Hospital (Marshall, Mich.)
- Paula Muto, MD, founder of UBERDOC
- Cynthia Deyling, MD, chief quality officer of Cleveland Clinic
Editor's note: We at Becker's Hospital Review understand this list is not exhaustive. Please email arege@beckershealthcare.com if you are or know of a female physician executive who belongs on this list. This article was updated Feb. 5 at 2:23 p.m. to include additional nominations.