Time’s Up Healthcare

Medicine is a profession where many women are unable to perform to their full potential because of sexual harassment and gender inequity. In response to the establishment of Time’s Up, the Healthcare group was founded to address the same conversations specifically in the healthcare industry (https://www.timesuphealthcare.org/). At the Medical Women’s International Association Centennial Conference, I had the pleasure of hearing the founders of this movement give the keynote address. As a woman entering the healthcare field, I believe in the importance of amplifying this movement to create change. 

The founders of the movement shared the story of how Time’s Up Healthcare came to be, and the path forward for the organization. Dr. Esther Choo, Professor of Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health and Sciences University, presented 4 key solutions to focus on to create gender equity in medicine. These solutions included to apply a framework to the problem at hand, use metrics to work on the problem, and address multiple contributing factors. 

Sitting in a room filled with female medical professionals and students from around the globe, the impact of this movement was apparent. Less than a year after the founding of this movement, the name “Time’s Up Healthcare” was instantly recognizable to most members of the international audience. The courage of these physicians to speak out and create change in the healthcare system is incredibly admirable, and the AMWA Presidential Award presented to the group at this event was greatly deserved. 

In my career, I pledge to be an advocate for the health of women and the success of women in medical careers. I will stand by women in healthcare to create a more equitable environment to promote the health of patients. The culture of sexual harassment in medicine must end. I am proud to stand with Time’s Up Healthcare.

Left: with Dr. Esther Choo, Right: all the physician founders on stage together