Trainees of all stages of education came together for a Virtual Career Development Event hosted by the Women in Cardiology (WIC) section of ACC's California Chapter and The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) last fall. Our event welcomed trainees from all levels of the pipeline.

The event kicked off with a keynote titled "The Fierce Urgency of Now" by Karol E. Watson, MD, FACC. She emphasized the critical role of mentorship and sponsorship in building a diverse cardiology workforce, stating, "Finding allies wherever you find them is vitally important. Learn from everyone around you."

Amy Fiedler, MD, drew parallels of the challenges faced by both women in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. She highlighted the amazing accomplishments of women who are leaders of cardiothoracic surgery today, saying, "We may be small [number], but we are mighty!"

Finally, the attendees heard from a panel of distinguished female faculty members who shared about their passion for cardiology, overcoming barriers, perspectives on mentorship and managing work-life balance. Below are pearls of wisdom from women who have paved the way.

What Faculty Members Love Most About Cardiology

"When I'm in the catheterization lab, I forget about everything else. I'm solely focused on the patient in front of me. Using wires, balloons and stents, I love figuring out how to use the tools at my disposal to open an artery and get blood flow back. When someone comes in with terrible chest pain from a heart attack and there is something I can do to reverse it, I know that's where I need to be. When you think about what brings you back to work every single day, just loving what you do is very important."
~ Celina M. Yong, MD, FACC

"I developed an interested in medicine in high school when I took a biology course where we dissected a cadaver. I was raised by a single black mother who was getting her MFA at Claremont Graduate School. That's where my interest in medicine started and that's where my encouragement came from. When I went into medical school, I was at an inner-city hospital with a diverse patient population. I leaned towards taking care of that population where there was a need and had a high incidence of cardiovascular disease and poor outcomes. When I did my internal medicine training at Wayne State I continued caring for this population. I enjoyed making a difference in my community."
~ Desiree K. Reedus, MD, FACC

"I am a woman that completed an electrophysiology fellowship in the nineties. I think the only two other women electrophysiology fellows in the whole nation at the time of my 1994 graduation were Leslie A. Saxon, MD, and Donna M. Gallik, MD, FACC. I have had a rewarding career as an academic cardiologist at UCLA and the VA. I love it because I like helping people and I love using cardiology tools to do that."
~ Zenaida Feliciano, MD, FACC

Maintaining Work-Life Balance in Cardiology

"One critical challenge for me was figuring out how to complete training while growing a family. I knew I loved interventional cardiology, but I was worried about radiation exposure while pregnant. I didn't personally know any female interventionalists who had kids, so there was no one I could turn to for advice. Wouldn't it have been nice to just know that it was possible? I just want to tell you now that it is possible. What made it possible was accepting that I couldn't do it by myself and learning to rely on the team around me. When I was an interventional fellow, my husband was essentially a single father to our six-month-old, and the following year, I was a basically a single mother while he completed his interventional training. We both recognized that while we would share our family responsibilities over our lifetime, it wouldn't necessarily be equal at every moment in time. We are all constricted by the 24 hours in the day, and you have to fiercely prioritize what's important to you."
~ Celina M. Yong, MD, FACC

"We strive for an overall balance rather than a daily balance. Some days I throw some semi-made food on the table and hope the kids are okay with my husband's help. And other days I'm able to volunteer at their school and help with a science project. When I was a trainee, it was helpful to see other people model good behavior that I wanted to follow, whether it was a female investigator or a resident who was able to have a child during their training. It was the act of seeing something like that exist that was helpful instead of wondering if that was possible."
~ Yu Xie, MD

"It's a continuous juggling act. During any given week, the scales may tip more towards one or the other. As you grow in your career, you become more empowered to ask for things that work, that might improve your home life and will give you more flexibility. Find your place where people will help carry you through the tough times and then you hope to pay them back in the good times."
~ Sahar Naderi, MD, FACC

Mentorship

"Getting grants to help support your salary is a compelling way to justify protected time. Integrating mentorship into your work can enable you to do both at the same time. Mentoring junior trainees on publications both achieves mentoring goals while moving research forward. Some of the best mentoring happens when you're working towards a common goal."
~ Celina M. Yong, MD, FACC

"Mentor and mentee relationship is a two-way street. You can pick a mentor, but they need to pick you back and truly support you for that to be the most effective. I wish I had known that earlier in my journey."
~ Aarthi Sabanayagam, MBBS, FACC

"Don't underestimate the power of a cold email. I sent a lot of cold emails. I didn't get some responses but the people who responded are the people who will look out for you. Organizations like the ACC also have mentorship programs. Consider going to ACC meetings for networking and breakout sessions. Find someone who you admire. Ask them for advice and they may give you some opportunities or recommendations."
~ Jena Pizula, MD, FACC

"You will have several mentors throughout your career. Find someone who is seasoned in the field and is willing to share their experience. Find someone who leads by example and has the time and energy to devote to mentoring and creates opportunities for you."
~ Dawn M. Lombardo, DO

Here's to empowering the next generation of women in cardiology, inspired by lessons from those who have paved the way.