My clinical work is mainly at Children’s Hospital Colorado’s Anschutz Campus where I split my time between attending on resident teams and practicing on our direct care / surgical hospitalist team. Outside my clinical time, I also am currently supported by a career development grant to do research to better understand how to improve the value of pediatric hospital care.

The first three words I think of are to listen, question and reflect. Create safe spaces where we can listen to our colleagues and hear their concerns and experiences of gender bias. I have found these moments to be incredibly enlightening and motivating. Then, take the time to question the current system that has led to gender inequities and use an improvement mindset to change that system. And finally, reflect on our own actions and biases. None of us are perfect, and I frequently learn about my own biases and habits through reflection. The other thing I think about as someone relatively early in my career is that we may feel powerless as early career hospitalists. But it’s important to use the platform you have. You don’t have to wait until you are division director or head of an organization to advocate for and support real change. Advocating up for diversity in panels, improved parental leave, or open application processes for leadership positions can all help improve gender equity.

In my experience in the research world, I have found that you can make a lot of small changes through advocacy. Speaking up to encourage inclusion of women in authorship groups and appropriate author position on papers, suggesting women colleagues for speaking opportunities, and pushing for diversity in project groups are all small ways I have tried to support change.

Probably a mint-chocolate chip milkshake. Some might call that a dessert, but really milkshakes transcend boundaries and defy simple definitions, which is part of why they are so appealing. That and the ice cream.