Physicians from around Florida gathered in Jacksonville on April 4 for the University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville’s Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) Leadership Conference. The event, co-sponsored by the Florida Medical Association (FMA), was organized by Madeline Joseph, MD, Associate Dean for Faculty and Engagement at UF, with support from WIMS Executive Committee Chair Tracy Ashby, DO, and Vice Chair Rachel Carpenter, MD.
The conference centered on the theme “Getting Unstuck – Crafting Your Journey to Work-Life Excellence.” Attendees participated in a range of sessions including talks by featured speakers, breakout discussions, and networking opportunities. Dr. Joseph opened the event with introductory remarks before FMA President Lisa Cosgrove, MD, addressed the audience about community among women physicians.
“The conference theme is spot on because our professional and personal lives are always in motion,” said Dr. Cosgrove. “As someone who raised three sons during my career as a practicing pediatrician, I can honestly say that one of the most important things you can do to meet those challenges is to remain in community with other physicians.” She highlighted how organized medicine offers connection as well as mentorship and inspiration from women leaders.
Dr. Cosgrove also noted changes she has observed over her career: “I’m a third-generation physician who worked as a nurse at Miami Children’s Hospital before going to medical school,” she said. “When I started practicing medicine in 1984, women made up about 16 percent of the country’s physician workforce compared to 38 percent today.” She added that women now make up more than half of U.S. medical students: “To put that in perspective, there were two women in my father’s medical school class at the University of Arkansas.”
American Academy of Pediatrics President Susan Kressly, MD followed with advice for navigating complex healthcare environments.
“You need to get high enough to look down and see where the exits are for your personal and career trajectory,” Dr. Kressly said. She emphasized controlling thoughts and decisions even when circumstances cannot be controlled.
“You can reframe how you think about things,” she said. “You can reframe your message when you’re trying to influence change in your organization or your personal life. You can decide how much you’re going to let others and other external forces personally impact you and put guardrails around how much it’s going to impact you.”
Dr. Kressly encouraged attendees to stay connected with their purpose: “Know yourself; be honest with yourself,” she said. Using an analogy about plants needing specific environments to thrive, she explained that self-awareness helps individuals understand what they need for fulfillment.
“Make sure that you’re getting a daily dose of something that fills your cup,” Dr. Kressly advised while sharing her motivation comes from advocating for children and mentoring trainees: “There is nothing more satisfying as a leader than mentoring yourself out of a job.”
She concluded by urging continued advocacy: “Every opportunity that physicians don’t show up (for) is a lost chance to influence what happens for our patients,” she said. “You are planting seeds for the future. Every day you show up is a better day for patients.”
A panel discussion covered family planning topics relevant to physicians’ careers including fertility preservation options presented by Samuel Brown, MD; an overview of fertility medications from Karen Whalen, PharmD; and Melissa Parsons-Tucker, MD’s research showing higher infertility rates among female physicians compared with national averages—she stressed open conversations about these issues within the profession.
Dr. Cosgrove shared her own experiences related to fertility challenges while noting research indicating that between 15-20% of female physicians do not have children.
Mindfulness was another focus area led by psychiatrist Rachel Carpenter, MD who introduced mindful eating practices before lunch sessions began again with Rania Sanford EdD discussing appreciative inquiry—a technique used for team building through questioning assumptions and collaborative problem-solving exercises during breakout groups.
Other workshops included mindfulness training led by members of UF-Jacksonville’s psychiatry department (Rachel Carpenter MD Kitty Leung MD Amal Bhullar MD) along with Colleen Kalynych EdD & Jessica O’Leary PhD presenting on artificial intelligence applications titled “Pixels to Possibilities: Enhancing Medical Education with AI Image Generation.”
The conference ended after closing remarks from Dr Joseph followed by informal networking time among participants who reported feeling energized following engagement throughout sessions focused on leadership wellness reproductive health technology integration into practice settings across specialties statewide.
Rebekah Bernard MD member FMA Board Governors chaired this year’s FMA Women’s Physician Committee; she practices family medicine at Gulf Coast Direct Primary Care Fort Myers authors books such as “Imposter Doctors: Patients at Risk” contributes regularly publications like Medical Economics KevinMD.
