Women Leadership in Healthcare

The “soft side” of healthcare leadership isn’t soft at all. It’s heavy. It’s walking into a meeting already carrying: your team’s exhaustion, the staffing shortages, the interpersonal tension, the unspoken grief, the fear nobody is saying out loud. And still being expected to lead calmly through it. Women in healthcare leadership know this burden intimately. Because alongside the visible work - the KPIs, budgets, operations, meetings, patient flow - there’s another layer of labor happening constantly in the background: The emotional labor. The invisible labor. The human labor. The work of: → absorbing stress so your team can function → mentoring people who are quietly struggling → remembering everyone’s bandwidth, preferences, and emotional state → smoothing conflict before it escalates → carrying culture, morale, and psychological safety on your back And most of it goes unseen. Not because it lacks value. Because healthcare systems rarely measure the things that keep people emotionally afloat. So many women leaders start believing: “This is just part of the job.” And yes… some of it is. But constantly holding everyone else together without support yourself? That’s not sustainable leadership. That’s a fast-track to burnout and resentment. (Trust me - I know) This is the part nobody talks about enough: The leaders who look the strongest externally are often carrying the heaviest loads inside. And over time, the cost shows up as: Constant vigilance. Emotional exhaustion. Decision fatigue. Feeling disconnected from yourself. Quiet unraveling behind closed doors. If this resonates with you, I need you to hear this clearly: Your exhaustion does not mean you’re failing. It means you’ve been carrying leadership work that was never meant to be carried alone. You deserve support too. Not just because you lead others well - but because you are a human being underneath the title. And honestly? Some of the most extraordinary women in healthcare leadership are barely giving themselves permission to admit how heavy it’s become. I see you. And I know how much you’re carrying. Want to join a community where we talk about all of this and show up to support each other? https://lnkd.in/g5C--UfG

Our latest study, published in BMJ Global Health, underscores a crucial yet often overlooked truth: women’s leadership isn’t just about equity—it’s about impact. The majority of studies reported a positive impact of women's leadership in 6 areas of impact: 1. Financial performance, risk, and stability 2. Innovation 3. Engagement with ethical and sustainability initiatives 4. Health outcomes 5. Organizational culture and climate, including reputation, employee retention, and team cohesion and communication 6. Influence on other women’s careers and aspirations. Even those studies reporting mixed findings still largely pointed to positive results, particularly when modified by other factors, such as better education, greater levels of experience, and opportunities to work with other women across an organization. This paper sheds light on the evidence behind why we must do more to support and sustain women’s leadership. 🌍 📖 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e9imfQyV This research is funded by The Global Financing Facility (GFF) and is part of a mixed-methods study conducted across sub-Saharan Africa on the impact of women's leadership on gender and health outcomes. More to come! Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Center for Global Women's Health & Gender Equity, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, WomenLift Health, Women in Global Health, Rosemary Morgan, PhD, Charlotte Pram Nielsen, Katherine Banchoff, Kelly E. Perry, MPH, Anju Malhotra

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲. We track the appointments, notice the small shifts, and catch the things that turn into something bigger if no one pays attention. But when you look at the systems that shape women’s health, the people in the decision-making seats rarely look like the people doing the daily work. 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀. Women make up around 70% of the global healthcare workforce. In nursing and midwifery, it’s over 90%.  • Yet women hold only about one-third of C-suite roles in healthcare.  • Only 13–15% of CEO seats.  • And roughly 11% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women. The people delivering the care are women. The people setting the priorities, budgets, and definitions of “good care” mostly aren’t. The disconnect becomes sharper on the demand side.  • Women drive close to 80% of healthcare decisions in the United States.  • They’re the primary purchasers of health and wellness products.  • And they adopt digital health tools at higher rates than men. Research shows this gap isn’t symbolic. When women serve in senior leadership roles in health systems, organizations see improvements in financial performance, innovation, patient outcomes, and staff wellbeing. These effects show up across multiple studies. In sectors that touch women’s bodies directly —oncology, internal medicine, fitness, recovery, hormone health, reproductive health, movement, pain, sleep, nutrition — empathy grounded in experience isn’t a nice-to-have. It changes what gets noticed, what gets funded, and what gets treated as urgent. Moving toward gender-equitable leadership in wellness is linked to better decision-making and better health outcomes for women. This disparity is one we tirelessly work to address through The 2% Club - and one of the reasons we chose to focus on women leading in health, wellness, and fitness. If you’re a woman building in this space, operating a studio, leading a team, or shaping a product that supports health and wellbeing, this community was created for you. Reach out if you want to be part of it. xo Rachel Hirsch

I just finished reading "Invisible Women" by Caroline Criado Perez. I'd heard about it for years and expected it to be eye-opening—but I [somehow] didn't expect it to be so applicable to nursing. I've read plenty about nursing's problems being tied to sexism. But what shifted for me with this book was the scope. I realized that nearly every single systemic issue plaguing nursing can be traced back to one fundamental reality: it's a predominantly female workforce, and our systems are designed around male defaults. Once you see the gendered patterns, you can’t unsee them. Here's what that looks like in practice: 🩸 Compensation - Female-dominated professions consistently pay less than male-dominated ones with similar education requirements. Nursing demands a degree, life-or-death decisions, and immense responsibility, yet "care work" is undervalued because it's seen as women's natural nurturing rather than highly skilled labor. 🩸 Lack of autonomy and respect - Nursing developed in a system where male doctors gave orders and female nurses followed. Though evolved, nurses still have their clinical expertise dismissed. The struggle to be seen as equal healthcare partners rather than helpers has clear gendered roots. 🩸 Hostile work environments - Workplace violence and disrespect often stem from gendered assumptions that nurses should be deferential and accepting of poor treatment. Lateral violence within nursing may reflect oppressed group behavior, internalizing lack of power and directing it at each other. 🩸 Burnout and exploitation - Expectations that nurses will sacrifice themselves, work short-staffed, and accept mandatory overtime exploit gendered ideas about caregiving as a "calling." Healthcare systems take advantage of women being socialized to put others first. 🩸 Excluded from leadership - Despite nursing being 88% female, a 2021 study found women held only 33% of healthcare leadership positions. Those doing the frontline work are systematically kept out of the rooms where decisions about that work are made. It's a little disheartening to realize this, because suddenly it makes sense why nurses seem to be accepted as collateral damage: because that's how our systems treat women's labor, women's expertise, and women's bodies. Have you read the book? Have you noticed other ways gender bias shows up in nursing or healthcare more broadly? #NursesOfLinkedin #HealthcareLeadership #HealthcareWorkforce #WorkplaceEquality #GenderPayGap #WomenInHealthcare

Most leaders grow into their roles. Some are born into responsibility. But only a few redefine what leadership looks like once they get there. Alisha Moopen could’ve simply continued her father’s legacy at Aster DM Healthcare, a 37-year-old institution that already serves millions. But she chose a harder path. To transform illness into wellness. To shift healthcare from a system that treats people… to one that empowers them. A Chartered Accountant by training. A Social Entrepreneur by spirit. Today, as Managing Director and Group CEO, she’s building a future where healthcare isn’t just accessible it’s equitable, sustainable, and designed for all. She’s not just running hospitals. She’s running one of the largest integrated healthcare networks in the GCC and India, while launching digital-first innovations to reach underserved communities globally. She was the first woman to chair YPO Dubai. A Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum. Named among the Top 10 Healthcare Visionaries and #7 Most Powerful Businesswomen in the Middle East. And through it all, she’s remained deeply focused on one thing. Impact at scale. Not for headlines. Not for awards. But for the millions who rely on Aster every day for care, for dignity, for hope. Alisha Moopen is showing the world that healthcare leadership can be feminine, fearless, and future-ready all at once. And in a region reshaping the global conversation on innovation, she’s proving that healthcare isn’t just about medicine. It’s about humanity.

Our degrees may say “Doctor.” But our real leadership is felt long before it’s spoken. “Be the person we want to work with.” In medicine, this is not a quote for the wall. It is a daily standard. We operate in high-pressure rooms. Decisions are complex. Emotions run high. The stakes are human. Clinical excellence is expected. Character is what sets the tone. As women leaders in healthcare, we are often observed before we are heard. How we respond under stress. How we treat junior staff. How we navigate disagreement. That becomes culture. If we want resilient teams in an AI-driven healthcare system, we must build something technology cannot replace: Trust. Calm judgment. Emotional steadiness. We can choose to be the leaders who: 1) Listen fully before concluding. 2) Correct without humiliating. 3) Demand excellence without creating fear. 4) Protect standards and protect people. 5) Build systems that reduce burnout, not glorify it. The future of healthcare will integrate algorithms and automation. But no system can replace how we make people feel in critical moments. When we embody professionalism, empathy, and strength together, we do more than lead departments. We create environments where talent wants to stay. And that is how we build teams strong enough to sustain growth, with or without the spotlight.

Women aren't just participating in healthcare innovation, they're leading it. And #InternationalWomensDay is a great time to celebrate some of the big movers and shakers. 👩🏻⚕️ Dr. Regina Barzilay didn't just survive breast cancer – she turned her experience into action. Her AI model now predicts cancer risk years before symptoms appear. That's not just cool tech — it's literally saving lives. 📱 Ever heard of FemTech? You can thank Ida Tin, who not only coined the term but built Clue into one of the world's most-used period tracking apps. She put women's health solutions on the map and created a multi-billion dollar industry in the process. 🤰🏽 Maternal mortality remains high, especially for women of color and those in underserved areas. AI tools like MOMALA predict pregnancy complications before symptoms appear. Health equity in action, folks. 🔬 Dr. Nimmi Ramanujam's portable cervical cancer screening device (Pocket Colposcope) is bringing life-saving diagnostics to women in remote areas who've been overlooked by traditional healthcare systems. When women lead in health tech, everyone benefits. They're solving real problems that affect millions of women daily. Yet women-led health startups still only account for 2% of VC investment, according to The Guardian. Imagine what could happen if we closed that gap! Who's a woman in health tech you admire? Drop their name in the comments.👇🏼

Leading with Purpose: A Woman’s Journey in Healthcare When I stepped into healthcare leadership, I was often the only woman in the room—learning to speak louder, prove my worth, and navigate an industry slow to embrace inclusivity. Today, more women are at the forefront—leading hospitals, shaping policies, and redefining patient care. Yet, challenges remain—balancing high-pressure decisions with personal commitments, overcoming biases, and finding mentorship. For me, leadership isn’t about doing it all alone—it’s about trust, empowerment, and lifting others as we climb. Just like in motherhood, it’s not about micromanaging but about creating an environment where others thrive. - Mentorship matters. We rise by lifting others, and I take the responsibility of supporting the next generation of female healthcare leaders seriously. - Balance is a myth—prioritization is key. Some days, my team needs me to step in; other days, my family does. Learning to trust, delegate, and focus on impact has been my biggest lesson. - Diverse leadership isn’t just about gender equity—it strengthens healthcare. Research shows that organizations led by women foster stronger workplace cultures and deliver better patient outcomes. The road ahead is long, but every step forward brings us closer to a future where leadership is defined by talent, not gender. Let’s continue breaking barriers, lifting each other up, and ensuring more women take their rightful place at the decision-making table. #WomenInLeadership #HealthcareLeadership #BreakingBarriers #DiversityInHealthcare #LeadWithPurpose

Women's health inequalities are a pressing issue in our industry. As a female healthcare leader, I want to celebrate #WomensEqualityDay by sharing three key areas where we can make a difference. 1.      Include more women in clinical trials We need to remove the barriers that prevent women from joining and staying in clinical trials, such as caregiving responsibilities. Decentralised clinical trials, which have increased since COVID-19, can help by reducing the need for travel. We also need to co-design trials with women, so they fit their needs and preferences. 2.      Eliminate gender bias in the healthcare system We need to update our systems and processes to reflect the latest evidence and best practices for women's health. For example, a survey in Australia found that 2 out of 3 women experience discrimination in healthcare.* This is partly due to historical stereotypes that dismiss women's concerns. We need to ensure that treatment guidelines and training are gender-sensitive and respectful. 3.      Empower more women to lead in healthcare Women make up 70% of the health and social care workforce, but only 25% of senior roles.** We need to increase the representation and influence of women in leadership positions, so they can shape the agenda and bring their insights to the table. At Pfizer, we have achieved 45% of women at Vice President roles or above globally, and we aim to do more. Women's health is not a niche topic - it is essential for gender equality and social justice. Let's work together to make it a priority. *AU GOV. 2 out of 3 women experience discrimination in healthcare ** WHO. Gender, equity and leadership in the global health and social workforce

Excited to share my op-ed in Fast Company on why women’s health needs more women in leadership. When the CEO I was looking for didn’t exist, I decided to become that leader myself. Moving from CMO to CEO overnight wasn’t a traditional path, but it taught me that effective leadership can come from any background – if you’re willing to reimagine the role. Only 15% of health system CEOs are women. Diversifying leadership isn’t just about fairness – it leads to stronger teams, better outcomes, and companies that reflect the people they serve. 👉 Read the piece here: https://bit.ly/4mvDtbw