Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

Women's History Month 2023

UI Health recognizes Women's History Month by highlighting the achievements and contributions women have made throughout history and in our community.

Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories

This year's Women's History Month theme is,  Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories. It recognizes women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling. Some of our employees share their experiences and tell their stories.

How have you seen your story told in forms of media or storytelling? Or how have you been instrumental in sharing the stories of other women?

I've been encouraged to see more stories in the media that celebrate women for their minds rather than their bodies. Every human achievement has relied on the work and genius of women, and the media that seeks to tell those stories are a delight to me. A few that come to mind are Hidden Figures, the Legacy of Henrietta Lacks, and Find Where the Wind Goes, the autobiography of Dr. Mae Jemison. 

Last year, in 2022, WHM highlighted the overwhelming number of women in healthcare and social assistance (77+% total), and yet the gender pay gap still exists overall. Eighty-two cents to every dollar a man makes and more for women of color.

How has working at UI Health made you see progress toward gender equity and inclusion? Or how does your role at UI Health impact gender equity and inclusion in healthcare? 

I'm proud to work for an organization that takes gender equity and inclusion seriously. Our commitment is exemplified by the diversity we see at each level of the organization. While progress can still be made, I'm also appreciative of some of the structural safeguards we now have in place to promote equity in pay and hiring practices.  

Some work cultures unfairly look to women to provide responsibilities outside their job descriptions. Moreover, many women and mothers often have a disproportionate burden to manage their household compared to their male partners and colleagues. 

How have you been mindful of caring for your well-being while meeting your UI Health responsibilities? Or what personal experience highlights when you felt most supported to balance work and home?

I'm exceedingly grateful for the advice I received from many women leaders. I'm fortunate to have come along in the workforce behind many women who paved the way and have been willing to share their successes and mistakes. Some of the most influential women leaders for me have been Sheryl Sandberg, Ursula Burns, and Rosalind Brewer. I've relied on the advice and example of these women to learn how to show up in the workplace, at home, and for myself. We're all in constant pursuit of work-life balance. I've learned to give myself grace when and where I need it. 

What engagement opportunities helped you progress to where you are now? 

I firmly believe in “performance risks” and getting outside one's comfort zone. We don't grow to do what we've always done. I'm grateful for the leaders I've reported to along the way that gave me opportunities to take on stretch assignments, allowed me to experiment with new approaches, or disrupted me with organizational change. The environment that leaders create for their teams is critical. All employees, especially women, need an environment where their ideas are valued, and they are safe to “fail well” in pursuing something more significant. I want to see UI Health foster an environment where all employees, especially women, feel safe to speak up, try new approaches, and take on new challenges. 

How have you seen your story told in forms of media or storytelling? Or how have you been instrumental in sharing the stories of other women? 

I've seen midwife stories in many forms of media but have often found them incomplete. Many midwives provide gynecological care for women beginning at age 13 and remaining with them throughout a woman's life. The term has Latin roots. It means “with wife” or with the woman. It encompasses our work because we are with women throughout their life journey. Our role in healthcare is to partner with women and share healthcare decision-making, so they feel genuinely cared for and heard. 

How has working at UI Health made you see progress toward gender equity and inclusion? Or how does your role at UI Health impact gender equity and inclusion in healthcare? 

UI Health has afforded me valuable growth opportunities as a woman in this field while allowing me to do work I find most passionate about. In addition, my department has many women leaders I get to experience as role models. Seeing their progress and successes has been like watching all of us succeed. I haven't had to feel like my gender hinders me from being successful here. 

How have you been mindful of caring for your well-being while meeting your UI Health responsibilities? Or what personal experience highlights when you felt most supported to balance work and home? 

I am the proud mother of five children. So managing the many responsibilities of home and a demanding career can be challenging at times. Gratefully, I've learned from others while working at UI Health how to set better boundaries. Before that, I had a habit of putting myself last. Work, family, and other commitments were all a priority before me. However, I also knew prioritizing myself was an opportunity to build a better care practice. Seeing more women in practitioner roles modeling for me how to balance and put forth healthy boundaries helped put care knowledge into practice. 

What engagement opportunities helped you progress to where you are now?

Being included in the earlier parts of my career was a game-changer for me. Being asked to participate in leadership activities, being told that my opinions mattered, having a seat at specific tables, and having female role models in leadership were inclusive opportunities. Representation also helped because I could see myself where I wanted to go. When one can see their likeness- gender, religion, ethnicity, and other identities- represented in leadership, one can imagine themselves holding space in those places and making positive changes. 

How have you seen your story told in forms of media or storytelling? Or how have you been instrumental in sharing the stories of other women?

Like many other women and mothers, the COVID-19 pandemic made it clear how much of the social safety net rests on our shoulders. Working full-time while caring for my two small kids at home and navigating the sweeping changes of the pandemic was incredibly challenging. I came out of that experience more committed to connecting with other mothers and caregivers to elevate the work of mothering and providing care. The book “Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change” by Angela Garbes reflects this work. Garbes writes,  

Our stories are our legacy, touched by history and possibility. I inherited my family's story – the limits of their choice, the shape of their journey, the weight of their baggage, and the generosity of their care. I will pass this down to my daughters. At the height of the pandemic, this country's mothers and essential care workers were in the momentary foreground, but that attention is slipping away. Whether conditions for those who mother improve or stall or regress, we must never stop talking about how we cared – how we continue to watch – for one another. Our stories matter: they are how our children will know we survived.  

How has working at UI Health made you see progress toward gender equity and inclusion? Or how does your role at UI Health impact gender equity and inclusion in healthcare? 

A big part of my role at UI Health is the Press Ganey Engagement survey. The survey measures staff's feelings about their work and connection to the organization. We can disaggregate the data by gender to better understand their perspective and create meaningful change. The survey data can help us determine how to support staff's needs best and advocate for their work here at UI Health.  

How have you been mindful of caring for your well-being while meeting your UI Health responsibilities? Or what personal experience highlights when you felt most supported to balance work and home?

I am inspired by the work of activists like Ai Jen Poo, who champion the idea that care work is infrastructure. Infrastructure is the work that makes all other work possible. Just like I could not do my work without the city streets to commute on or broadband internet to send emails, I could not do my work without reliable, quality childcare. I am grateful to the care workers and teachers – most of whom are women and mothers themselves – who provide a safe, enriching environment for my kids so that I can pursue my career goals.  

What engagement opportunities helped you progress to where you are now?

I am currently pursuing my MSW at UIUC through the tuition reimbursement benefit as a UI Health employee. I'm in the macro social work track and am interested in centering the human experience of working within human service organizations. Nonprofit and social sector work tends to be primarily staffed by women. It also tends to be underfunded. There is a growing tendency to shift this paradigm by advocating talent investment in the social sector. Women shouldn't have to sacrifice their ability to support themselves and their families by working for a nonprofit organization.