Episode Summary
We're discussing a piece of mid-20th century historical fiction — about a woman who makes great contributions to medicine without getting the credit — that unfortunately feels like modern nonfiction. Lynn Cullen, author of "The Woman with the Cure," and Dr. Shikha Jain walk us through the historical and present-day challenges women face in the workplace.
Episode Notes
We talked with:
- Lynn Cullen is a bestselling author of several historical novels including "The Sisters of Summit Avenue," "Twain's End," "Mrs. Poe," "Reign of Madness," and "I Am Rembrandt's Daughter." Lynn's novels have been translated into 17 languages. Her latest book is "The Woman with the Cure."
- Dr. Shikha Jain is a board-certified hematology/oncology physician. She is a tenured associate professor of medicine at the University of Illinois Cancer Center in Chicago. She joins us today as the founder and chair of the Women in Medicine Summit, and founder and president of the nonprofit organization Women in Medicine.
We talked about:
In this episode, Dr. Millstine and her guests discuss:
- Where are the women? When we look through history at incredible accomplishments, they're often credited to men. But where are the women? Usually they were in the background, generating work, ideas and discoveries that provided critical links to success and progress — but their contributions were downplayed, stolen or erased from the history books.
- We've come so far, we've got so far to go. While many more women are employed in the science and medical fields today, there are still plenty of instances of bias and discrimination when it comes to promotion, pay, credit and leadership roles. You've probably heard personal stories to this effect, and there's data and research on these topics as well. As Dr. Jain says, "It's a slow, slow, slow train moving toward progress."
- We've got to work together. As cliche as it sounds, women have to support other women and minority gender identities — and need to find male allies. Highlight other women's accomplishments when they're not in the room and speak highly of their work. And help yourself — ask for awards, promotions and raises — hopefully backed up by your allies.
Can't get enough?
- Purchase "The Woman with the Cure."
- Purchase the Mayo Clinic Press book "You're the Leader. Now What?"
- Want to read more on the topic? Check out our blog:
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