left to right: Drs. Vivian Pinn, Diane Snustad, and Karen Rheuban at a conference in 2006 (photo courtesy of Claude Moore Health Sciences Library Historical Collections)
Women’s History Month has been celebrated each March in the U.S. since 1987 when Congress passed a proclamation requesting the President to honor this occasion. This month-long celebration of women’s achievements, perspectives, and issues spread quickly internationally, corresponding with International Women’s Day on March 8.
In alignment with this year’s International Women’s Day theme “Embrace Equity,” UVA Health recognizes and honors women who are working to address equity and improve women’s lives in our nation and around the world. At the School of Medicine, we have many exceptional women physicians, practitioners, trainees, graduate, and medical students working tirelessly to make a difference for all our patients in Virginia and beyond. This issue of Medicine in Motion is dedicated to these amazing women who are making a positive impact at UVA Health. Women we are highlighting in this issue include:
- Maria-Luisa Sequeira Lopez, MD
- Sana Syed, MD
- Jennifer L. Payne, PhD
- Alyssa Mixon, DO, MBA
- Marquita Taylor, PhD, MPH, MBA
- Uta Erdbrügger, MD
- Angie G. Nishio-Lucar, MD
- Dean Melina R. Kibbe, MD
- Shayn Peirce-Cottler, PhD
- Kathleen (Kate) McManus, MD
- Ann Kellams, MD
The stories brought to you this week don’t even scratch the surface with respect to the number of women at the School of Medicine doing fantastic work achieving high standards of excellence, cultivating community, and improving health outcomes. If you’d like to read more stories about women making history at the School of Medicine, explore our School of Medicine website news section. You’ll find many inspirational articles about a diverse group of women that touch all four mission areas of our school — research, education, clinical, and community.
It is likely that you have crossed paths with some of these history-making women, but you probably know many more whose stories should be amplified. Send us your ideas for School of Medicine women you’d like to see featured in a future issue of Medicine in Motion. In the meantime, please take a moment in March to reach out to your women colleagues to thank them for their incredible contributions to the School of Medicine.