Women in Oncology: The Value of Female Leadership

Catherine E. Lai, MD, MPH, an associate professor and physician leader of the Leukemia Clinical Research Unit at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, moderates a discussion with Courtney DiNardo, MD, MSCE; Eunice Wang, MD; and Jessica Altman, MD, on how they turned career obstacles into opportunities and what they have learned from being women in the leukemia field.

DiNardo is an associate professor in the Department of Leukemia and Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Wang is chief of the Leukemia Service, medical director of Infusion Services, professor of oncology, and an assistant member of the Tumor Immunology Program in the Department of Immunology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Altman is a professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.

In this episode, DiNardo, Wang, and Altman highlight the importance of building a supportive network of friends and colleagues at institutions beyond their own. They also share the benefits of having mentors and colleagues who are also close friends, rounding out the relationship between work and personal life.

Additionally, the 3 experts discuss their experiences as female leukemia physicians, including facing double standards with their male colleagues, feeling insecure about sharing details of their home lives at work, and often being some of the only women in the room. However, they also express their gratitude for the female role models they have worked with and learned from over the years, and noted how women in prominent career positions can inspire other women to follow in their footsteps.