Women in Emergency Medicine Program

Sue Combs, MD, started the group of women physicians in emergency medicine and emergency medicine/pediatrics in the 1990s. She hosted bi-annual events in her home for all the Indianapolis area women physicians, including residents and fellows. At the time, the group numbered less than 10 women physicians. As the years passed, the emergency medicine and emergency medicine/pediatrics residencies increasingly recruited women residents. The need to formalize a program to mentor this community of residents and faculty became evident.  

In 2004, Julie Welch, MD, launched the Women in Emergency Medicine Program with a core group of remarkable mentors: Sue Combs, MD, Marla Doehring, MD, Melanie Heniff, MD, Louise Kao, MD, Kristine Nañagas, MD, Victoria Palmer-Smith, MD, and Mary Wermuth, MD. They met at local coffee shops or the home of a faculty. Their vision was lofty — to transform the field of emergency medicine. In 2012, they published an article describing their novel gender mentoring program and in 2015 the Department of Emergency Medicine was recognized for policies and practices that support the advancement of women in EM by SAEM Academic for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine (AWAEM). In 2024, the nationally recognized program celebrates 20 years of advancing gender equity and inclusion. 

A group of women physicians eat lunch at a picnic table outsider on a fall day.

Mission

The mission of the Women in Emergency Medicine Program is to provide a supportive environment for personal and professional development. The primary focus is to initiate and cultivate mentoring relationships between women faculty, residents, medical students, spouses, staff and alumni. The program addresses topics pertinent to shared experiences, as well as promotes advocacy, skill building, recognition, advancement, sponsorship and gender equity.

Stethoscope on a black notebook for the department logo.

Initiatives

At the Department of Emergency Medicine, we believe it is not enough to just build initiatives that advance women and gender equity, but to also disseminate our work and outcomes. As a result, the Women in EM Program has done the following: 

A group photo of women physicians gathered in a living room.

Events

Our events are typically bi-monthly, at the home of a faculty member, which offers a uniquely inviting and enriching environment for fellowship, mentorship and growth among women in our department. Meeting topics include: 

  • Work-life policies for women (maternity leave, lactation policies, childcare, flexible work arrangements)
  • Defining success
  • Family planning, fertility and pregnancy
  • Balancing family and career
  • Time management
  • Career opportunities and obstacles
  • Networking 
  • Gender discrimination in the workplace — legal guidance and advice
  • Measuring life stressors
  • Negotiation
  • Advancement and leadership

I received immense support from the residency program during my intern year when I found out I was pregnant. We explored the options available for leave and chose the option that best aligned with my goals. The chiefs and program directors worked with me to adjust my scheduling early to give me six weeks free from inpatient clinical duties while still keeping me on track to graduate on time. The policy of avoiding overnight calls in the third trimester was also much appreciated. I can't emphasize enough my gratitude for the support I received during my recovery.

Theresa Spech dos Santos, MD

Residency Class of 2024

Recognition and Impact

Local Presentations 

  1. Welch JL (interviewee), Hoffmann-Longtin K. (interviewer). “Stepping Stones of Women in Leadership.’ IUSM Faculty Affairs Professional Development and Diversity (FAPDD), Glick Institute, Indianapolis, IN, March 4, 2020.

State and Regional Presentations 

  1. Grove Kathy, Ward Etta, Welch Julie. “Mentoring for Career Advancement of Women,” Women of IU Inaugural Conference, Indianapolis, IN, August 8, 2018.

  2. Tara Hobson, Ward Etta, Welch Julie. “The Value of Mentoring and Developmental Relationships,” 2019 IUPUI Women Conference, Campus Center, Indianapolis, IN. August 23, 2019. 

  3. Jansen JH (presenter), Wagner E, DeLuna H, Anderson K, Doehring M, Welch JL. “Flexibility in Faculty Work-Life Policies at Medical Schools in the Big Ten Conference: A Ten-Year Follow-up Study.” Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Scholars Day. Indianapolis, IN. May 27, 2021.

     

National Presentations

  1. Welch J, Wiehe S, Palmer-Smith V, Dankoski M. “Flexibility in Faculty Work-life Policies at Medical Schools in the Big Ten Conference,” Group of Women in Medicine and Science at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., November 7, 2010. 

  2. Welch J. “Women in Emergency Medicine Mentoring Program,” Group of Women in Medicine and Science at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, November 7, 2010. 

  3. Welch J, Jimenez H, Allen S. “A Needs Assessment of Women in Academic Emergency Medicine Mentoring Program,” CORD (Council of Residency Directors) Academic Assembly for SAEM (Society of Academic Emergency Medicine) National Meeting, San Diego, CA, March 7, 2011.

  4. Welch J, Jimenez H, House R (presenter), Allen S. “Mentoring Women in Emergency Medicine: Evaluation and Needs Assessment,” The Second Gender Symposium, Institute for Gender Equity, Research & Development, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya, January 2012. 

  5. Brodsky L, Butler K, Gebhard R, Welch J. “Defining the Work Habits, Attitudes and Experience of Women in Medicine- Initial Insights from a Funded Grant Writing Project,” Women’s Health 2013: 21st Annual Congress Scientific, Washington, DC, March 23, 2013.

  6. Welch JL (invited panelist). “How to Start a Women’s Mentoring Group,” Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine (AWAEM) Session at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, May 14, 2015.

  7. Whitehead, A. Pumping Sucks (Pun Intended): Lessons Learned from Feeding Babies While Working in the Emergency Department," Ignite Presentation, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV May 2019.

  8. Welch JL (Facilitator). “Stepping Stones of Women Leaders in Emergency Medicine: Dr. Judith Tintinalli,” Sponsored by IUSM Department of Emergency Medicine for the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Conference, Indianapolis, IN, September 9, 2016.

  9. Welch JL. “Work-Life Integration and Well Being.” American Diabetes Associate, Women’s Interprofessional Network (WIN) Career Development Conference. Indianapolis, IN. November 15, 2019.

  10. Chernoby KA, Pettit K, Jansen J, Welch J. “Flexible Scheduling Policy for Pregnant and New Parent Residents: A Descriptive Pilot Study.” American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) Annual Meeting. Indianapolis, IN. Mar 28, 2020. https://www.amwa-doc.org/amwa105/amwaleads2020-virtual-meeting/

  11. Chernoby KA, Pettit K, Jansen J, Welch J. “Beyond Parental Leave—Flexible Scheduling Policy for Pregnant and New Parent Residents.” Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Annual Meeting. Denver, CO. May 15, 2020. Moved to virtual platform due to COVID-19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fMaKBdbdGY

  12. Chernoby K (presenter), Pettit K, Jansen J, Welch J. Pregnancy & Reproductive Health Session: Flexible Scheduling Policy. American Medical Women's Association National Conference, March 26, 2021 (zoom).

Peer Reviewed Publications

  1. Rohr-Kirchgraber, Theresa and Welch, Julie. Cause of the doctor shortage: a rebuttal.  Medical Economics.  July 25, 2011;88(14);66.  Access: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21995231/

  2. Welch JL, Wiehe SE, Palmer-Smith V, Dankoski ME. Flexibility in Faculty Work-life Policies at Medical Schools in the Big Ten Conference. Journal of Women’s Health. 2011;20:725-732. DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2010.2554 https://core.ac.uk/reader/46959496?utm_source=linkout

  3. Welch JL, Jimenez H, Walthall J, Allen S E. Women in Emergency Medicine Mentoring Program: An Innovative Approach to Gender Mentoring in Graduate Medical Education. Journal of Graduate Medical Education. 2012 September;362-366. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-11-00267.1

  4. Welch J. Women in Medicine Wellness Workshop: Work-Life Integration. MedEdPORTAL. 2012;8:9248. Access: https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9248

  5. Welch J, Jimenez H, Allen S. Teamwork & Conflict Management Workshop (Women RN-MD Teams). MedEdPORTAL. 2013;9:9605. Access: https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9605

  6. Dankoski M, Welch J, Palmer M, Hoffmann-Longtin K, Walvoord E. Professional Development through Story and Reflection: The Stepping Stones of Women in Leadership Program. MedEdPORTAL. 2014;10:9858. Access: https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9858

  7. Siddle JP, Ryckman SN, Hobgood CD, Kline JA. Positive and Negative Influences on Female First Authorship Emergency Medicine Research. Acad Emerg Med. 2019 Mar;26(3):327-330. doi: 10.1111/acem.13705. Epub 2019 Feb 25. PMID: 30706644. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acem.13705

  8. Brucker K, Whitaker N, Morgan ZS, Pettit K, Thinnes E, Banta AM, Palmer MM. Exploring Gender Bias in Nursing Evaluations of Emergency Medicine Residents. Acad Emerg Med. 2019 Nov;26(11):1266-1272. doi: 10.1111/acem.13843. Epub 2019 Sep 23. PMID: 31373086. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acem.13843

  9. Chernoby KA, Pettit KE, Jansen JH,Welch JL. Flexible Scheduling Policy for Pregnant and New Parent Residents: A Descriptive Pilot Study. Academic Emergency Medicine: Education and Training. 2020 July;00: 1-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/aet2.10504

  10. Kuhn D, Goldberg H, Salker N, Hurst J, Sethuraman K. Anchoring Vignettes as a Method to Address Implicit Gender Bias in Patient Experience Scores. Ann Emerg Med. 2021 Sep;78(3):388-396. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.04.017. Epub 2021 Jul 23. PMID: 34304916. https://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(21)00300-0/fulltext

  11. Wagner EA, Jansen JH, DeLuna H, Anderson K, Doehring MC, Welch JL. Flexibility in Faculty Work-Life Policies at Medical Schools in the Big Ten Conference: A Ten-Year Follow-up Study. Journal of Women's Health. 2022 Jan 31;3(1):67-77. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/whr.2021.0070

  12. Bona A, Ahmed R, Falvo L, Welch J, Heniff M, Cooper D, Sarmiento E, Hobgood C. Closing the gender gap in medicine: the impact of a simulation-based confidence and negotiation course for women in graduate medical education. BMC Medical Education. April 2023;23:243. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04170-y


Book Chapters

  1. Hitti E, Jimenez H. (Welch J -Faculty Editor). Pregnancy and Parenting in Medical School & Residency. Rules of the Road for Medical Students: The Guide for a Career in Emergency Medicine.  An American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) Publication, Milwaukee, WI. Feb 2012.

 

White Papers and Retrievable Reports

  1. Julie L. Welch, R. Alexander Rhea, Sheryl E. Allen. Gender Gap in Academic Medicine: Potential Barriers and Implications for Change. Department of Emergency Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine. Indianapolis, IN. July 2014. Print. Published online via Scholargram, August 24, 2017. Access: https://www.scholargram.com/book/detail/51447/

  2. Applegate R, Dankoski M, DiBacco A, Dobris C, Fawcett I, Kirkland K, Sims-Harris D, Taylor Y, Ward R, Welch J, Williams J. Detailed Report: Task Force on the Status of Women at IUPUI 2013-2014.  Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Indianapolis, IN.  February 2014. Print. Access: https://archives.indianapolis.iu.edu/items/56ce3785-1588-4306-8039-2469d22db426

  3. Williamson G, Lavitt M, Grove K, Lees ND, Upton T, Carpenter J, Welch J. Faculty Talent Development Effort: Mentoring Academy. Indiana University Purdue University (IUPUI) Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, Indianapolis, IN. April 2014. Print. Access: http://academicaffairs.iupui.edu/AcademicCommunity/Mentoring-Academy

  4. Welch J, Carr R, Dankoski M. Status of Part-Time Faculty in Academic Medicine and Indiana University School of Medicine. Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, Deans Office, IUSM. Indianapolis, IN. May 2015. Print.

 

Electronic Publications, Blogs and Podcasts

  1. Rohr-Kirchgraber, Theresa. Welch, Julie. The Way I See It:  Cause of the doctor shortage: a rebuttal. Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine Newsletter.  July-Aug 2011. (Reprint) Access: http://issuu.com/saemonline/docs/awaem_awareness_july-august?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed

  2. Welch, Julie. Organizational Change: Mentoring Program for Women Physicians in Emergency Medicine (1 of 3 in Invited Series). The Inevitable Forum: Tapping into the Workforce of Women in Medicine. Women MD Resources.  Nov 3, 2011.

  3. Welch, Julie. Organizational Change: Building a Gender Mentoring Program for Women in Emergency Medicine (2 of 3 in Invited Series). The Inevitable Forum: Tapping into the Workforce of Women in Medicine. Women MD Resources. Nov 16, 2011.

  4. Welch, Julie. Organizational Change: Ten Steps Towards Creating Your Gender Mentoring Program for Physicians (3 of 3 in Invited Series). The Inevitable Forum: Tapping into the Workforce of Women in Medicine. Women MD Resources.  Nov 27, 2011.

  5. Welch, Julie. Work-Life Wellness Column: Got Breast Milk?  Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine (AWAEM) Awareness Newsletter. March-April 2012. Pages 3, 7. Access: https://issuu.com/saemonline/docs/awaem_awareness_mar_april_2012

  6. Welch J, Abbuhl S. Career Development Tailored for Women: Programs for Success.  Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine (AWAEM) Awareness Newsletter. May-June 2012. Page 6. Access: https://issuu.com/saemonline/docs/awaem_awareness_may_june_2012

  7. Welch, Julie. Recognizing a Need, Researching the Details, and Leading the Charge. MD Resources. January 2013.

  8. Welch J. Work Life Integration. American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA): Women’s Wellness section. 2015 Jan. Access: https://www.amwa-doc.org/doctors/work-life-integration/

  9. Welch J, Pettit K, Schram E. Wellness in Emergency Medicine: Childcare and COVID-19. IUSM Emergency Medicine LeadER. Mar 18, 2020. https://medicine.iu.edu/blogs/emergency-medicine-leader/wellness-in-emergency-medicine-childcare-and-covid-19

  10. Baluyot M, Barrick L, Magaña J. Women in PEM. UC Davis EM: EM Pulse Podcast. September 30, 2021. https://ucdavisem.com/2021/09/30/women-in-pem/

  • Women's Mentoring Program (2004 -current)

  • Preventing Imposter Syndrome Club (2019-current)

  • Eskenazi Emergency Department Lactation Space Advisory Group (2017-2018)

Our Women in Emergency Medicine Program has had such a positive impact on my well-being and career. It was a big draw while I was interviewing as a resident and now as an attending, I am delighted to help the next generation while continuing to nurture mentorships of my own. We have such a strong group of women here. It is truly an honor to be a part of such a dynamic group.

Ashley E. Satorius, MD, MS

Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine