Posted on by ACG News Team

Celebrating National Women Physicians Day 2021

Shivangi T. Kothari, MD, FACG Chair, Women in GI Committee

February 3rd is National Women Physicians Day – the 200th birthday of a woman who was famously allowed to attend medical school as a joke. She proved everyone wrong about her “intellectual inferiority” and became the first woman in America to earn her medical degree. She was Elizabeth Blackwell.

Join me and ACG in celebrating the achievements of all women physicians in gastroenterology. The field of medicine historically has been dominated by men. Because of this, women physicians face challenges and obstacles, including earning less, that make entering and staying in the field difficult. While male doctors still make up the majority of physicians, medical schools have more women than men enrolling.

How ACG is Supporting Women Gastroenterologists

As the chair of ACG’s Women in GI Committee, it’s important to note that the committee supports women by encouraging participation and advancement of female gastroenterologists, promotes research and understanding of the gender differences in gastrointestinal diseases, and more. The committee provides information for women gastroenterologists on academic and private practice positions, work-life balance, pregnancy, books and articles on burnout, glass ceiling, gender inequality, teamwork, leadership, and much more.

Join us for a Twitter Chat on “Bias and Microaggressions at Work”

February 3rd at 8 pm EST on Twitter. Guest expert moderators are Anita Afzali, MD, MPH, FACG, and Renee L. Williams, MD, MHPE, FACG.

Join Me in Recognizing ACG’s Women Physicians

In honor of National Women Physicians Day, let’s recognize the achievements of women physicians on Twitter! Nominate your colleagues to celebrate their role in patient care and the advancement of women in medicine.

Tag your nominee in a tweet and share why they inspire you, using the hashtags #NWPD and #ACGwomen, and include @AmCollegeGastro so we can share it with the GI community! Other suggested hashtags are #IAmBlackwell, #HeforShe, and #SheLeadsGI.

ACG’s Women Past Presidents

  • Christina M. Surawicz, MD, MACG (1998-1999)
  • Amy E. Foxx-Orenstein, DO, FACG (2007-2008)
  • Carol A. Burke, MD, FACG (2016-2017)
  • Sunanda V. Kane, MD, MSPH, FACG (2018-2019)

Board of Trustees

  • Amy S. Oxentenko, MD, FACG (Secretary)
  • Sunanda V. Kane, MD, MSPH, FACG (Past President)
  • Neena S. Abraham, MD, MSc (Epid), FACG (Director, ACG Institute)
  • Dayna S. Early, MD, FACG (Vice Chair, Board of Governors)
  • Renee L. Williams, MD, MHPE, FACG (Trustee)

Board of Governors

  • Dayna S. Early, MD, FACG – Vice Chair, Board of Governors & Governor for Missouri
  • Aline Charabaty, MD – District of Columbia
  • Alison Schneider, MD, FACG – Florida (Southern)
  • Vonda G. Reeves, MD, MBA, FACP, FACG – Mississippi
  • Sita S. Chokhavatia, MD, FACG – New Jersey (Northern)
  • Ayse Aytaman, MD, FACG – New York (Brooklyn)
  • Shireen A. Pais, MD, FACG – New York (Southern)
  • Baharak Moshiree, MD, FACG – North Carolina
  • Sapna V. Thomas, MD, FACG – Ohio (Northern)
  • Joyann Kroser, MD, FACG – Pennsylvania (Eastern)
  • Alyn Adrain, MD, FACG – Rhode Island
  • Anne G. Tuskey, MD, FACG – Virginia
  • Nikila Ravindran, MD, FACG – Ontario
  • Susana I. Lopes, MD, FACG – Portugal

ACG Committee Chairs

  • Sita S. Chokhavatia, MD, MACG – Credentials Committee
  • Dayna S. Early, MD, FACG – Membership Committee
  • Christine Y. Hachem, MD, FACG – Patient Care Committee
  • Yolanda Rivas, MD – Pediatric Gastroenterology Committee
  • Millie D. Long, MD, MPH, FACG – Research Committee
  • Shivangi T. Kothari, MD, FACG – Women in GI Committee

The American Journal of Gastroenterology Editorial Board

  • Sophie M. Balzora, MD, FACG
  • Christina Y. Ha, MD, FACG
  • Anita Afzali, MD, MPH, FACG
  • Aasma Shaukat, MD, MPH, FACG

Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology Editorial Board

  • Elena M. Stoffel, MD, MPH

ACG Case Reports Journal Editorial Board

  • Isabel Hujoel, MD
  • Katherine Falloon, MD
  • Cassandra D. Fritz, MD
  • Judy A. Trieu, MD
  • Sobia N. Laique, MD

Young Physician Leadership Women Scholars

  • Paula Adamson, MD
  • Sadeea Abbasi, MD, PhD
  • Uchenna Agbim, MD
  • Sara Ancello, DO
  • Shifali Arora, MD
  • Divya Bhatt, MD
  • Dimpal Bhakta, MD
  • Bhavana Bhagya Rao, MD
  • Shannon Chang, MD
  • Tenzin Choden, MD
  • Alyssa Choi, MD
  • Jacqueline Chu, MD
  • Erica Cohen, MD
  • Rabia de Latour MD
  • Anna Duloy, MD
  • Jade Edwards, MD
  • Alexandra Guillaume, MD
  • Yasmin Hernandez-Barco, MD
  • Michelle Hughes, MD
  • Pichamol Jirapinyo, MD, MPH
  • Ani Kardashian, MD
  • Olufemi Kassim, MD
  • Jennifer Katz, MD
  • Maia Kayal, MD
  • Keerthana Kesavarapu, MD
  • Rita Knotts, MD, MS
  • Monika Laszkowska, MD, MS
  • Melissa Latorre, MD, MS
  • Sara Lewin, MD
  • Tracey Martin, MD
  • Neena Mohan, MD
  • Nina Nandy, MD
  • Anam Omer, MD
  • Frances Onyimba, MD
  • Elizabeth Paine, MD, FACG
  • Sonali Paul, MD, MS
  • Jennifer Phan, MD
  • Loren Rabinowitz, MD
  • Sheila Rustgi, MD
  • Shailja Shah, MD
  • Pooja Singhal, MD, FACG
  • Belen Tesfaye, MD
  • Christina Tofani, MD
  • Lavanya Viswanathan, MD
  • Kimberly Weaver, MD
  • Manida Wungjiranirun, MD

References

Burns, Janet. “On National Women Physicians Day, A Reminder That Women Save More Lives For Less Pay.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, February 6, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetwburns/2017/02/03/on-national-women-physicians-day-a-reminder-that-women-save-more-lives-for-less-pay/?sh=519c9c617cd9.

Michals, Debra. “Elizabeth Blackwell.” National Women’s History Museum. 2015. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/elizabeth-blackwell.

Today, National. “NATIONAL WOMEN PHYSICIANS DAY – February 3, 2021,” January 6, 2021. https://nationaltoday.com/national-women-physicians-day/. https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetwburns/2017/02/03/on-national-women-physicians-day-a-reminder-that-women-save-more-lives-for-less-pay/?sh=519c9c617cd9rsity of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health