Women involved in STEM industries are supportive and willing to speak out about the increasing effort toward equality and the unique assets women can bring to the table.
Today, an #HITchicks Twitter chat highlighted that effort and allowed both men and women to pipe in on progress in healthcare in general, how things are changing and where gender sometimes factors in.
Conversation host Dr. Geeta Nayyar brought up some thoughtful subjects, one of which included the #ilooklikeanengineer and #ilooklikeasurgeon trends.
BioLabs Pegasus Park Cultivates Life Science Ecosystem
Gabby Everett, the site director for BioLabs Pegasus Park, offered a tour of the space and shared some examples of why early-stage life science companies should choose North Texas.
Ready for Topic 3? What have you taken away from the #ilooklikeanengineer / #ilooklikeasurgeon #ilooklikeaurologist movements? #HITchicks
— Geeta Nayyar, MD MBA (@gnayyar) August 19, 2015
T3: Our appearances are different, but each of our brains is as capable as the next. #ilooklikanengineer #hitchicks
— Leslie Brown (@LeslieBrownATL) August 19, 2015
Nayyar also touched on the fact that women have very clear leadership roles in the household, but that’s not always the case in the workforce. So how have women been taking control of healthcare decisions?
It got one humorous response, among others:
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
T5: Quick story: Dr confirmed with husband he was getting fasting labs, his response: "Idk I was just told to be here." 😛 #hitchicks
— Leslie Brown (@LeslieBrownATL) August 19, 2015
Practicing in healthcare isn’t the only area women can build a more prominent presence. Those who are investing in startups and other endeavors are in many cases equally as important. And as angel investor Ellen Weber recently pointed out in a TEDxWalnutStWomen talk, women will continue to progress when they stick together and support one another on both sides.
Fortunately, we all have many more resources to speak out about so many issues, including the benefits gender equality provides to healthcare.
Photo: Flickr user Marion Doss
