Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1479669
100 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 5 health leaders share moments of allyship that changed them By Kelly Gooch, Veronica Schoonover and Georgina Gonzalez W hether it's mentoring younger colleagues or dishing out life and career advice, having strong allies in the workplace has helped these healthcare leaders feel safe and supported at work, pushed them to improve their skills and reach the next level in their careers. To understand how allies can shape the career trajectories of healthcare leaders and to give inspiration to others who wish to serve as good allies, Becker's asked five leaders about their experiences with allyship at work and how it affected them for the better. Here are are their responses, in alphabetical order: Maxine Carrington. Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer of Northwell Health (New Hyde Park, N.Y.). Someone who immediately comes to mind is my predecessor and one of our leaders at Northwell, Joseph Moscola, currently our executive vice president, enterprise services. Joe prioritizes equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging and is intentional about advocating for the inclusion and advancement of women and historically underrepresented people. Personally, he has sponsored me for career and stretch assignment opportunities and has been thoughtful in consistently soliciting my input, providing candid feedback, and ensuring that I am included in strategic conversations. John Charitable, MD. Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at NYU Langone Health's NYU Grossman School of Medicine (New York City). An ally that made a difference to me was a colleague that invited me to present at the diversity section of one of our surgical society's annual meetings. I was able to use that platform to both share my own story as well as discuss the LGBTQIA issues of underrepresentation and discrimination in surgery. Having the opportunity to discuss these issues in a public forum from my own personal perspective was an incredible way to increase the visibility of our community in a way that, to my knowledge, hadn't been done before. Emily Chase, PhD, RN. Senior Vice President and CNO of University of Chicago Medicine. As I was growing in my leadership roles, I had a mentor, a senior female leader at the organization, who put my name forward for development opportunities that I would not have known about otherwise. She asked me to lead on a large organizational initiative, which gave me visibility with other senior leaders at the organization. She would frequently check-in with me to see how she could continue to support my career growth. Amy Compton-Phillips, MD. President of Clinical Care at Providence (Renton, Wash.). I've been blessed with truly kind, smart, wise and committed colleagues, friends, mentors and allies across my career – they have been the lights that have guided my path. One example that may sound small in the telling but was incredibly helpful and grounding for me in the moment was a time I had to decline an opportunity. I was in a regional role, and got tapped on the shoulder to consider a national one, requiring a move across the country. My husband had just gotten a big promotion, we had just gutted our kitchen in phase one of a remodel, and our son was six months into middle school. e timing felt wrong for my family, but for my career it felt like I was passing up the brass ring. My ally's advice? 'Your family comes first, Amy. And don't worry. Once they know your name, they'll be back.' It was great advice. Life is about the journey, not a career sprint. e wisdom of colleagues helped avoid How Caryl Ryan worked her way up from nurse to COO By Georgina Gonzalez C aryl Ryan, RN, currently serves as the COO of UConn John Dempsey Hospital and chief nursing officer and vice president for quality and patient care services for the system, but it has been a long journey to get there. Using her experience as a nurse as well as technical skills taught along the way, Ms. Ryan worked her way up to a top job, UConn today reported July 21. She started her career in Philadelphia at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital right after graduating by working in a neurocritical care unit where she had her first taste of managing and nursing care coordination. She then joined the UConn team in 1985 as an ICU nurse until she was promoted to assistant nurse manager. In 2013 a consultancy pulled her out of her regular duties in UConn to strengthen her managerial skills and budget literacy. "Participating in the [consultancy] was an unbelievable experience," said Ms. Ryan. "I think that it really has come to benefit me in the roles that I have served." In 2019, she was promoted again to interim chief nursing officer and vice president for quality and patient care services, roles that later became permanent. Her experience as a member of the front-line healthcare workforce as well as additional managerial growth opportunities have prepared her for her current role. "I have always strived to be a leader who is authentic and can have the hard, crucial conversations because there are many difficult and challenging conversations to be had," she said. "When I look at the past two and half years, we wouldn't be half as successful if we didn't have such great collaboration within our leadership teams, including our faculty leadership." n