Women in Medicine
Our Women in Medicine (WIM) program seeks to foster gender equity within the BWH IM Residency and beyond. We sponsor curricular programming to nurture leadership and self-advocacy skills among residents who self-identify as female, as well as social and curricular events open to residents of all genders that raise awareness of gender-related issues in and outside of medicine. We seek to be an inclusive and affirming community within the residency and to partner with other equity-related initiatives from an intersectional stance.
In addition to formal programming, we have spearheaded initiatives to study instances of unconscious gender-related bias within our residency (e.g. gender disparities in faculty discussants at morning report and gender disparities in recognition of resident scholarship) and have implemented solutions to address these.
Brigham combines rigorous clinical training with the support and schedule you need to be a whole, happy human outside of medicine. You can do anything here, and you will be supported!
A major reason was the primary care track. I have enjoyed having a smaller network of people within the larger program who love primary care and who are passionate about social justice and health equity.
Having co-workers who not only want the best for patients and their families, but also for their colleagues and daily provide support for each other to ensure this is realized.
We take our jobs seriously without taking ourselves too seriously.
We get to do something meaningful for people every day. Watching my co-interns and residents take care of patients is one of the most transformative professional and personal experiences of my life.
Everyone has their own focus and ability to contribute to making medicine (and the world) more equitable and just. We are all able to uplift and encourage each other in whatever we choose to do.
It is such a vibrant community of talented residents who advocate for their patients and colleagues!
Faculty leadership
Sonja Solomon
Faculty Advisor
Ore Odejide
Faculty Advisor
Resident Leadership
2024-2025
Hannah Borowsky (Chief Resident)
Rachel Gardner (PGY3)
Boubini Jones-Wonni (PGY3)
Lauren Waldman (PGY2)
Dawn Comstock (PGY2)
PROGRAMMING
Retreats
The WIM program sponsors 3 annual half-day retreats for residents who self-identify as female. Each retreat comprises structured skill-building around a theme.
- Senior Retreat: Negotiation Skills
- Junior Retreat: Effective Self-Promotion and Communication
- Intern Retreat: Transition to Junior Year / Leading Teams
Other Events
We sponsor special events throughout the year to bring together residents and faculty for networking, camaraderie, learning and good food. Some of the events are hosted for residents who identify as female. Others are open to the entire residency community. Events include:
- Resident-Faculty dinners twice per year
- Annual noon conference on recognizing and addressing gender bias
- Annual medical grand rounds coinciding with Women in Medicine month
- Ice Cream Social welcome event for new interns
- Guided tour of MassArt Museum exhibit on the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts (2021)
- Curated tour of Gender-Bending Fashion exhibit at Museum of Fine Arts (2019)
- Financial planning workshops
