The month of March is Women’s History Month, and every year on March 8th we recognize International Women’s Day to celebrate the achievements of women, support gender equality and raise awareness against gender bias.

This year’s theme is “Balance for Better,” a sentiment addressing the need for a more gender-balanced world. At Mass General, we fully support this balance and strive to uphold it in all areas of our work.

In June of 2018, Mass General launched its Charged podcast devoted to sharing the stories of women at Mass General who are relentlessly pushing the boundaries and dedicated to providing exceptional care.

We welcome you to take a listen and share their inspiring stories with others to celebrate the achievements of these and all women, and to support the mission of International Women’s Day. Here are a few highlights:

Episode 1: Katrina Armstrong, MD, Leading with Empathy

Dr. Katrina Armstrong is Mass General’s physician-in-chief. In this role, she leads over 700 doctors, researchers and trainees in the Department of Medicine, one of the hospital’s largest divisions. Her first day on the job was April 13, 2013, the day of the Boston Marathon bombing. Hear what she learned that day and how that has helped her lead and teach at Mass General.

Episode 9: Allison Bryant, MD, MPH: Why Quality Care Means Equitable Care

Allison Bryant, MD, MPH, spends her days caring for women with high-risk pregnancies and advocating for not just safety and quality of care, but also the equity of care. Dr. Bryant explains how we might go about improving equity in health care and why it’s important for us all to examine our own biases.

Episode 11: Sue Slaugenhaupt, PhD: Scientist, Mom, Leader

Sue Slaugenhaupt, PhD, has spent her whole career at Mass General focused on understanding two rare diseases. She also tackled the challenges of building a thriving scientific career at the same time she was building her family. She is now working to change the culture of scientific research for the better.

Episode 17: Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA: Practicing Medicine as a Black Woman

As an obesity medicine specialist, Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford understands the implicit and explicit biases that her patients face. As a black female doctor, she’s also familiar with the biases she faces each day. But a recent Delta flight was a poignant reminder of these biases when flight attendants questioned her credentials as a doctor as she provided care to a fellow passenger. Dr. Stanford discusses this experience and why she’s speaking out against biases and promoting diversity in medicine.

Episode 19: Chana Sacks, MD: Solving the Problem of Gun Violence

Gun violence kills more than 35,000 Americans annually, yet funding for research is limited and most doctors are not taught how to approach the topic with patients. For Dr. Chana Sacks, gun violence became a personal reality when her cousin’s seven-year-old son Daniel was killed at Sandy Hook. This tragedy spurred Dr. Sacks to establish the Mass General Gun Violence Prevention Coalition. She discusses why she has become a vocal advocate for gun violence prevention research and why she views gun violence as a solvable problem.

Want to hear more? Subscribe to Charged below!

About the Mass General Research Institute
Research at Massachusetts General Hospital is interwoven through more than 30 different departments, centers and institutes. Our research includes fundamental, lab-based science; clinical trials to test new drugs, devices and diagnostic tools; and community and population-based research to improve health outcomes across populations and eliminate disparities in care.
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