UC Women of Ortho Cultivates Leadership through Community, Hosts Dynamic Event

The 2023 UC Women of Ortho Leadership Summit was a dynamic event designed for female orthopaedic surgeons to develop their leadership skills and foster their professional networks. Hosted by University of California (UC) San Francisco (SF), the summit included 65 female attending surgeons, fellows, and residents from five UC orthopaedic surgery departments (San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Davis, and Irvine) who participated in a 1-day leadership course. The course included a facilitator-led discussion titled “Enhancing Leadership Skills Through Self-Awareness and Insightful Leadership.” In addition, there was an open discussion from departmental leaders who shared their journeys throughout their careers and, more importantly, openly discussed their past and current struggles as leaders within an orthopaedic department.

Our motivation for attending the summit stemmed from a desire to learn from collective experience. It is important to continue to look for new ways to create positive change in the systems we work in. Women are underrepresented in orthopaedic surgery and often face unique challenges. This summit was an opportunity to learn about the challenges faced by other women in orthopaedic surgery who have similar experiences.

Orthopaedic surgeons and cofounders Kristin Livingston, MD, FAAOS, former director of UCSF physician experience and current faculty at Boston Children’s Hospital; Melissa Zimel, MD, FAAOS, chair of the UCSF Orthopaedic Surgery Diversity Committee; and Coleen Sabatini, MD, MPH, FAAOS, vice chair of health equity and academic affairs in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UCSF, have played integral roles in growing the scope of the summit, which was originally designed as a seminar on contract negotiation for UCSF female faculty members, held virtually in 2021. Given the success of the inaugural event, the 2022 summit expanded to include orthopaedic trainees within UCSF, with a focus on developing communication skills during professional conflict.

In 2023, the cofounders received funding from the AAOS IDEA Grant Program^® to expand the program beyond just UCSF to create a statewide network of female orthopaedic surgeons. The AAOS IDEA Grant Program also facilitated additional funding and support from the chairs of all five UC Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery. According to Dr. Livingston, the institutional support was particularly important as “departments recognized this as an important way to invest in their faculty and trainees, especially for women and those who are underrepresented in orthopaedics.” Dr. Sabatini added, “We were finally able to realize our vision of an in-person meeting where women in orthopaedics from throughout the UC system and California could come together, get to know one another, share challenges and opportunities, acquire new skills, and get connected to leadership-development opportunities and coaching.”

From junior trainees to senior surgeons, each participant gained valuable lessons from the summit. We learned that understanding how our individual strengths and weaknesses manifest at work is important to effectively lead others. The program was also a unique opportunity to meet peers and develop a professional network across California. Dr. Livingston emphasized the importance of viewing leadership as the acquisition of objective, teachable skills that are valuable across all stages of training: “It’s never too early to start thinking of yourself as a leader.” With UC Women of Ortho, Dr. Zimel strives to “bring people skills to ascend to wherever they want to be.” She stated, “At the end of the day, building a community and providing tangible skills that are not readily available throughout our formal education is incredibly valuable.”

Ultimately, the 2023 summit offered a forum for developing leadership skills and an engaging opportunity for networking. The conference not only provided a safe space for female surgeons to share their collective experiences for personal growth and career advancement, but also facilitated connecting with each other. Susan Bukata, MD, FAAOS, professor of clinical orthopaedic surgery and department chair at UC San Diego, will host the fourth annual UC Women of Ortho Leadership Summit on Sept. 14, where program topics will include lessons learned from executive coaching, negotiating from both sides of the table, and recognizing gender bias against women.

Nicole J. Newman-Hung, MD, is a third-year orthopaedic surgery resident at UCLA.

Selina Poon, MD, MPH, FAAOS, is a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon and director of research at Shriners Children’s Southern California in Pasadena, California. She is also a member of the AAOS Now Editorial Board.