OUR MISSION
- To support the advancement and leadership of women in academic medicine
- To promote education and research in women’s health

Archived Fall Conferences
(all ranks)
| Fall 2012 | Fall 2011 |
| Fall 2010 | Fall 2009 |
| Fall 2008 | Fall 2007 |
| Fall 2006 | Fall 2005 |
| Fall 2004 | Fall 2003 |
| Fall 2002 | Fall 2001 |
| Fall 2000 |
Archived Spring Conferences
(assoc/full professors)
| Spring 2009 | Spring 2008 |
| Spring 2007 | Spring 2006 |
| Spring 2005 | Spring 2004 |
| Spring 2003 | Spring 2002 |
| Spring 2001 |
Archived Conferences
2007 (Archived)
Successful Strategies for Women in Academic Medicine
(A CME-certified Course, supported by the School of Medicine and the trustees' Council of Penn Women)
Date: November 16, 2007 (Friday)
Time: 7:45 am - 4:30 pm
Location: The Hilton Inn at Penn
3600 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine recognizes the importance of women in academic medicine and supports various initiatives that address recruitment, retention, promotion, and overall job satisfaction for women medical faculty. In 1997, with support from the School of Medicine, FOCUS expanded its original mission in order to address the well-documented national issue that, relative to their male colleagues, women medical faculty are over-represented in the junior ranks and are less likely to attain promotion or tenure. The overall program, FOCUS on Health & Leadership for Women, maintains a dual mission: to support the advancement and leadership of women in academic medicine, and to promote education and research in women's health.
This conference, Successful Strategies for Women in Academic Medicine, is designed to promote the retention and advancement of women faculty as they face the challenges and realities of academic medicine at Penn. Through plenary sessions and interactive workshops, faculty will have opportunities for skill building and networking designed to support their career progression.
Upon completion of the conference, participants should be able to:
- Discuss current trends, challenges and realities of academic medicine
- Employ crucial leadership skills to efficiently and successfully navigate the dynamic environment of academic medicine
- Gain skills for effective communication and presentation of scientific work
- Clarify personal and professional development goals and create a career agenda
- Establish mentoring relationships that foster support, growth and professional success
CONFERENCE AGENDA:
| 7:45-8:15 | One-on-one CV Review Sessions with Senior Faculty Members (optional and pre-registration required) A one-on-one mentoring session for assistant professors paired with senior women colleagues for an in-depth review of your CV and career plans. The idea is that a senior woman from your own institution (but not from your department) reviews your CV to discuss with you your strengths and weaknesses and how both might be addressed to optimize your success in meeting your goals. |
| 8:00-8:30 | Registration and Continental Breakfast |
| 8:30-8:45 | Welcome Stephanie Abbuhl, MD Executive Director, FOCUS |
| 8:45-9:45 | MORNING PLENARY SESSIONS Navigating the Career Journey Monica McGrath, PhD Did you know there are some distinct career stages unique to women? The career path for a woman might not be the traditional one we have come to expect. At each stage of a woman's career, there may be a different focus to work and life. This session will discuss these stages of a women's career, how a woman can navigate through these stages, and how to build a personal plan for all areas of her life and work. |
| 9:45-10:00 | Group Discussion |
| 10:00-11:00 | The 10 P’s of Success in Leadership in Academic Medicine Julie A. Freischlag, MD To be successful in leadership one must possess many leadership styles and know when and how to use them. Dr. Freischlag will discuss the cornerstones of such leadership styles through the use of her own personal stories as she has traveled through her first 5 years as Chair of Surgery at Johns Hopkins. |
| 11:00-11:15 | Group Discussion |
| 11:15-11:30 | Break |
| 11:30-1:00 | CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS The Josiah Macy Foundation “Women and Medicine” 2007 – How to Make It a Reality Julie A. Freischlag, MD Dr. Freischlag participated in the Josiah Macy Foundation retreat which focused on the barriers to leadership for women in academic medicine. June Osborne, MD (President of the Macy Foundation) has recently published these findings. A discussion of how to get “there from here” will be the topic of this workshop. Clear, Concise & Compelling Presentations: The Art of Speaking Science lisa B. Marshall This session will cover organization, delivery and design of a professional presentation. While utilizing specific examples from various areas of academic medicine, lisa will offer suggestions and guidelines for effective biomedical presentations:
Building a Game Plan Monica McGrath, PhD We will discuss in more detail a women's life journey, how women tend to learn throughout their life and the type of work experience most likely to provide leadership development opportunities. This interactive workshop will define in detail the possible obstacles and challenges women might face while crafting a career and the impact of these challenges on leadership roles. We will work on a development and learning plan to capture the realities of our lives and our dreams and ambitions. |
| 1:00-1:45 |
Lunch (Structured networking at tables) One-on-one CV Review Sessions with Senior Faculty Members (optional and pre-registration required; see description above) |
| 1:45-2:00 |
Award Presentations 2007 FOCUS Award for the Advancement of Women in Medicine <link> 10th Anniversary FOCUS Founder's Award Arthur Rubenstein, MBBCh Dean, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Stephanie Abbuhl, MD Executive Director, FOCUS |
| 2:00-3:00 |
AFTERNOON PLENARY SESSION Passion and Personality: How Effective Women Presenters Inspire Others lisa B. Marshall Drawing on examples of inspirational women speakers, lisa will provide tips on how you can inspire others by sharing your passion and personality. One style does not fit all. From Jane Goodall to Janine Benyus, you’ll learn techniques to show enthusiasm, tell stories, use gestures, and use language to show off YOUR unique personality and passion while delivering professional presentations. |
| 3:00-4:30 |
CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS The Josiah Macy Foundation “Women and Medicine” 2007 – How to Make It a Reality (see description above) Julie A. Freischlag, MD From Stress to Success: The Art of Speaking Science lisa B. Marshall This session focuses on stressful presentation challenges: overcoming presentation disasters and handling the Q&A period. You loose your train of thought, the projector dies, you run out of time---you’ll learn how to remedy common presentation disasters and prevail. For many, the most dreaded two letters of any presentation are Q&A. lisa will provide specific guidelines to handle the stickiest situations you might face during your Q&A period...the rambler, the stage hog, and (heavens no) the hostile questioner. Building a Game Plan (see description above) Monica McGrath, PhD |
| 4:30 | Evaluation & Adjourn |
Accreditation
The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Designation of Credit
The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 8.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)T. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Disclosures
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Office of Continuing Medical Education adheres to the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support. Faculty disclosure information will be made available during the activity. Faculty members are also expected to disclose to participants any discussion of off-label and/or investigational use of pharmaceutical products or devices during their presentations.
PRESENTER BIOS
Julie A. Freischlag, MD <link>
The William Stewart Halsted Professor
Chair, Department of Surgery
Surgeon-in-Chief
Department of Surgery
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Monica McGrath, PhD <link>
Founder and CEO, Resources for Leadership, Inc.
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Management Department
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Monica McGrath, PhD is the operating principle of Resources for Leadership, Inc. and an experienced leadership development consultant and executive coach. Recent clients have included FMC Agriculture Products, Bowne, Inc., Women's World Bank, Siemens Medical Systems, Colgate Palmolive Company, Yves Rocher North America, Hills Pet Nutrition, and Unisys Corporation. Dr. McGrath also serves as adjunct faculty at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and as co-leader for Wharton's first leadership course for women, Women in Leadership: Legacies and Opportunities. She is the academic director for a number of Wharton Executive Education programs including The Executive Coaching Workshop and an innovative new program for women, Career Comeback: A UBS Fellowship Program for Professional Women Reentering the Workforce. Dr. McGrath received her PhD in adult learning and organizational psychology from Temple University. She is a graduate of a Harvard University Kennedy School executive program, The Art and Practice of Leadership Development. She continues to evolve in her own leadership and teamwork capabilities as a member of a competitive women's dragon boat team and has completed the Wharton Leadership Trek to Mt. Everest region and Wharton's Leadership Trek to Bhutan. More information can be obtained on her website: www.resourcesforleadership.com
Lisa B. Marshall <link>
Entrepreneur
Lisa B. Marshall has background and experience in technology, science and adult education and has been delivering communication programs for over a dozen years. Programs include seminars and workshops in areas such as public speaking, teambuilding, interviewing and podcasting. A sample listing of her institutional clients includes Stanford University, Harvard University, Genentech Inc, NY Academy of Science, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and University of Pennsylvania. However, she also works one-on-one with professionals, at all levels, in both industry and academia. She has a BS from Drexel University and dual concentration MA in organizational communication and interpersonal/intercultural communication from the State University at Albany. She is currently working on a book and blog with the same name -- Art of Speaking Science.
Now here's the REAL story: One day--a long time ago, my boss Jane, called me into her office to give me a bit of advice. She told me, "Lisa, you are just too passionate!" She went on, but all I heard was "blah, blah, blah, blah, blah" (remember the teacher on the Charlie Brown cartoons?) I thought to myself...WHAT?? Is she nuts? It is IMPOSSIBLE to be TOO passionate. This was one of the few things I was absolutely certain about. By example, John had taught me just how important it is to share passion and inspire others. You see, when I met John he was terminally ill. He had been infected with HIV from infected blood products yet was NEVER negative or sour about his situation. In fact, John was dying from a horrible disease yet he was the most alive person that I have ever met. That's why I married him. He was full of zeal. Maybe you have met someone like this? He was the kind of person that naturally attracts other people-like a magnet. His passion was contagious and he inspired me to find my passion and share it with others.
I felt deeply (and still do) that communication was perhaps the most important skill for professional and personal success so I decided on a masters degree in communication with a double concentration: interpersonal /intercultural and organizational. During those years I received not only a formal education from the University of New York, but also, through John, I was getting an informal education in communication and passion. Eventually, John died. I was sad, but I never lost my passion for communication. In 2001, it was time to devote myself full time to my passion. From public speaking, to teambuilding, to podcasting, I knew I wanted to help people to improve their ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and compelling manner. My focus has been on scientific professionals because I like working with smart, passionate leaders. Although I am very pleased with my prestigious client list, I am most proud of the genuinely enthusiastic emails and phone calls that I get. I love it when I hear that my client landed their dream job, or they got additional funding, or that they received glowing compliments on their communication skills. It is these successes that inspire me to continue to share my passion for effective communication. Today, I continue to be passionate about my business and I'm also passionate about two big additions to my life-- my identical twin daughters, Ariana and Daniela. Am I too passionate? Impossible.

