Throughout my career, I’ve faced challenges familiar to many women in leadership, especially women of color. Like others, I’ve encountered biases—both overt and subtle—that shaped my resilience and fueled my commitment to amplify underrepresented voices. Finding senior mentors who shared my experiences was rare, motivating me to create a culture that seeks out diverse perspectives and provides the support systems that were often missing in my own journey.
Women bring transformative strengths to healthcare leadership. Dr. Leana Wen, for example, made reproductive and preventive health central to wellness in marginalized communities. Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey advanced health equity by tackling care gaps in low-income areas at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Dr. Karen DeSalvo’s federal work on Social Determinants of Health empowered health systems to address root causes of health disparities.
How can hospitals promote gender equity for women?
When women’s voices are centered, the entire organization benefits—better care, stronger teams, and new solutions. Here are a few steps hospitals can take to build a culture where women shape the future of healthcare.
Build a leadership team that reflects patient diversity. To build a genuinely diverse leadership team, start by defining specific diversity goals tailored to the community your hospital serves. Make recruitment an active process: seek candidates through partnerships with diverse professional networks and make sure job postings reach underrepresented groups. Use structured interview processes to minimize bias and focus on qualifications.
Establish strong mentorship programs. Mentorship programs give women in healthcare access to the guidance, advocacy, and networks they often lack in male-dominated leadership spaces. When women, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, are paired with mentors who understand their unique challenges, they’re empowered to navigate barriers like bias or limited access to opportunities. With mentors actively promoting their growth and visibility, women can develop the skills and confidence to move into leadership roles, creating a sustainable path toward gender equity within the organization.
Set measurable diversity goals. To drive gender equity, set clear targets such as increasing the percentage of women in senior roles by a specific amount (e.g., 15% in three years). Track metrics such as the number of women promoted, hired, or in leadership development programs. Review progress quarterly to stay aligned with goals and adapt strategies as needed. According to McKinsey and Co., “women remain underrepresented at every stage of the corporate pipeline, regardless of race and ethnicity.”
Provide training in unconscious bias and inclusive leadership. Offer regular, mandatory training sessions on unconscious bias and inclusive leadership at least twice a year. These sessions should cover topics like recognizing and addressing subtle biases. Training could also include strategies for equitable decision-making and the importance of diverse perspectives in problem-solving. By increasing awareness of unconscious biases and offering actionable strategies, these programs help leaders identify their own biases and make conscious, inclusive choices. Over time, this leads to more equitable hiring, promotion practices, and daily interactions, supporting a culture where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute.
Karen Walker Johnson
Karen Walker Johnson is the CEO of Clever Care Health Plan, a Medicare Advantage health plan that integrates Eastern and Western medicine, focusing on culturally tailored healthcare services to better serve diverse communities, particularly Asian American seniors.
