Two leaders at Rush University Medical Center have been selected to the 2018 class of the Carol Emmott Fellowship, which aims to decrease the disparities in upper-level leadership by women throughout the health care field. Rush’s 2018 fellows are Monica Kogan, MD, and Haimanot (Monnie) Wasse, MD, MPH.
They are among 18 fellows who were announced in December and nominated by 15 prestigious sponsoring organizations, including Rush, that are committed to working with the fellowship to shape a growing network of remarkable women in the top ranks of leadership.
Though women dominate the lower and mid-level health care workforce and comprise half the enrollment in U.S. medical schools, only about 18 percent of hospital CEOs are women, according to a 2015 study. Research has shown that leadership and mentoring help women reach more senior positions and can close gaps in pay as well.
“Rush’s goal is to build a diverse workforce that reflects the people we serve,” said Larry Goodman, MD, CEO of the Rush system and Rush University Medical Center. “We know that to truly provide the highest quality care, we have to have a leadership team that is representative of our communities. Our commitment begins at the top, and runs through the entire organization.”
About this year's fellows
Kogan is the residency director in Rush’s Department of Orthopedic Surgery, where she also is an assistant professor. She became residency director in 2013 and also serves as an Oral Board examiner for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
She has led two consecutive surgical mission trips to the Dominican Republic and has been involved with the Perry Initiative program, mentoring female high school student and medical students to the world of orthopedic surgery. Kogan has an interest in identifying ways to improve resident education in order to teach both the surgical skills and interdisciplinary teamwork necessary to be an effective and compassionate physician.
A professor in Rush’s Department of Internal Medicine, Wasse is the vice chairperson for quality and patient safety and chair of the department’s Quality Improvement Committee. She also is the director of interventional nephrology, a new program focused on the planning and maintenance of dialysis vascular access for patients with kidney disease.
She has served as principal investigator of studies funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Wasse is president-elect of the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology and serves in other executive positions for professional societies nationally.
Making an impact
Fellows are nominated by their sponsoring organization and compete for acceptance into the program with a proposed impact project that transcends their current role to advance an area of health. During the 14-month fellowship program, they continue to work for their organizations during the fellowship as they implement their impact projects.
The program fills a crucial unmet need in overcoming gender disparity by accelerating the leadership capacity and impact of women leaders in health.
“We will all benefit when men and women from diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and perspectives lead together,” said Christine Malcolm, executive director of the Carol Emmott Fellowship. “The fellowship’s mission is shared by the men and women who hold executive positions today, see the gaps created by gender disparity, and are committed to serving as our advisors, mentors, and supporters.”
The fellowship reflects the life work of Carol B. Emmott (1946-2015), who throughout her 40-year career in health policy and executive search was instrumental in and dedicated to the rise of women to the upper echelons of the health sector.
A full list of the 2018 fellows is available on the Carol Emmott Fellowship website.
