Achieving Gender Inclusivity at the UCSF Department of Pediatrics

Fairness for women physicians means proper representation in leadership positions and improved career advancement.

In the past three years, women have been appointed to over 75% of leadership positions in the Department of Pediatrics, including division chiefs, vice chairs and directors of programs. In the residency program, the last four chief residents have all been women.

A full list of leadership appointments to women in the last three years:

• Lee Atkinson-McEvoy, MD, Division Chief of General Pediatrics
• Naomi Bardach, MD, Vice Chair for Health Services Research
• Sara Buckelew, MD, MPH, Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs
• Eda Cengiz, MD, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Chair
• Sunitha Kaiser, MD, MSc, Division Chief of Hospital Medicine and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Chair
• Anda Kuo, MD, Director of Child Health Equity and Community Engagement
• Erica Lawson, MD, Medical Student Clerkship Director
• Alma Martinez, MD, MPH, Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Elizabeth Rogers, MD, Chief Experience Officer and Vice Chair for Faculty Development
• Joyce So, MD, PHD, Division Chief of Medical Genetics
• Sandrijn van Schaik, MD, PhD, Vice Chair for Education

Overall, approximately 50% of leadership roles in the Department of Pediatrics are held by women and 67% of department faculty are women. The recent recruitment and appointment efforts has gotten department leadership closer to representing the makeup of the faculty they are a part of. 

Many of these leaders are at the forefront of supporting and mentoring students and other faculty in the department. Innovative programs from Elizabeth Rogers, MD, help early- and mid-career faculty meet potential mentors and advance in their careers. These programs push against the slower progression toward academic achievements that women often face.

“I want to model for women early in their careers that leadership and strength can look many different ways. Choosing empathy and consensus-building is often the harder but more effective road for long term sustainment of a culture that is flexible and embraces change, which helps us all grow,” said Rogers.

Preparing the Next Wave of Women Physicians

With women representing over 65% of current residents with the Department of Pediatrics, our trainees have a host of role models at UCSF and beyond who are excelling in notable positions of impact and importance.

“What is most rewarding is being able to be someone who girls and young women, particularly those of color, can look at and see themselves,” said Lee Atkinson-McEvoy, MD, who also serves as the department’s vice chair for Primary Care and Population Health.

Regardless of what specialty or career path someone wants to pursue in medicine, it’s crucial that they feel empowered to trust their ideas and be their authentic selves. Nicki Bush, PhD, division chief of Developmental Medicine, finds that the some of the most rewarding parts about being a woman in medicine are “bringing a women’s insight and priorities to improve healthcare and using my position to help pull other women up through the hole in the glass ceiling so they can do the same.”