Authors: Meghan Etsey, Rhea Manohar, MPH; Dr. Yun Weisholtz, MD-PhD on behalf of AMWA’s Gender Equity Task Force
Women in medicine have always been told to quiet their voices, hide their ambition, and apologize for their power. But every chart reviewed, every patient comforted, every barrier broken adds another verse to a much larger song, one that women have been writing for generations. So here’s to the women in medicine who lead with compassion and grace, break glass ceilings, amplify the voices of the voiceless, and stand by each other; this song is for you:
When you feel like your voice isn’t taken seriously: “I’m a woman, phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that’s me.” — Maya Angelou (sampled in Beyoncé, “Flawless”)
When you feel talked over in rounds or meetings: “Say my name, say my name.” — Destiny’s Child, “Say My Name”
When you feel your compassion is mistaken for weakness: “I’m stronger than I’ve been before. This is the part when I break free.” — Ariana Grande, “Break Free”
When you feel like you have to work twice as hard to be seen as competent: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!” — Kelly Clarkson, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
When you feel dismissed as ‘too emotional’: “I’m every woman, it’s all in me.” — Whitney Houston, “I’m Every Woman”
When you feel like you have to choose between career and family: “I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand.” — Miley Cyrus, “Flowers”
When you feel guilty for setting boundaries: “I’m gonna be free and I’m gonna be fine.” — Dua Lipa, “IDGAF”
When you feel like your leadership style is judged more harshly: “I am woman, hear me roar.” — Helen Reddy, “I Am Woman”
When you feel that your success threatens others: “Don’t underestimate me, I’ll make you sorry you did.” — Christina Aguilera, “Fighter”
When you feel the pressure to be perfect: “Even the best fall down sometimes.” — Howie Day, “Collide”
When you feel burned out but can’t stop showing up: “I get knocked down, but I get up again.” — Chumbawamba, “Tubthumping”
When you feel like you’re carrying everyone else’s weight: “I can hold my own hand.” — Taylor Swift, “You’re On Your Own, Kid”
When you feel your achievements are minimized: “I’m on top of the world, hey!” — Imagine Dragons, “On Top of the World”
When you feel the system wasn’t built for you: “I’ll rise up, I’ll rise like the day.” — Andra Day, “Rise Up”
When you feel alone in your fight: “We are family, I got all my sisters with me.” — Sister Sledge, “We Are Family”
When you feel that medicine forgets your humanity: “You are beautiful, no matter what they say.” — Christina Aguilera, “Beautiful”
When you embrace your quiet resilience and confidence to keep moving forward: “I put my armour on, show you how strong I am”— Sia, “Unstoppable”
When you feel confident in carving your own path within medicine: “Wide-eyed and grinning, she never tired” — The Chicks, “Wide Open Spaces”
When you feel ready to own your space unapologetically:“Who run the world? Girls.” — Beyoncé, “Run the World (Girls)”
When you feel like history forgot the women before you: “I come from women who refused to be erased.” — H.E.R., “Fight for You”
When you use your voice to speak up for those around you: “Maybe one of these days, you can let the light in, and show me, how big your brave is” — Sara Bareilles, “Brave”
When you feel you’ve finally made it, not despite, but because of, your difference:“This girl is on fire!” — Alicia Keys, “Girl on Fire”
So, when you feel small, unheard, or unseen, turn up the volume. You are the melody that medicine has needed all along.
Listen to the playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1JLtyHXBH2Xj4SufgHOZvV?si=9715aa6ffaae4a50
About the Authors
Meghan Etsey, MS4
Meghan Etsey is a fourth year medical student from St. George’s University. She has a Bachelors of Arts in Biology and a Bachelors of Arts in Nutrition and Dietetics from Bluffton University in Bluffton, Ohio. She served as the President of the St. George’s University’s Women in Medicine chapter in St. George, Grenada where she expanded relationships with the community and worked towards educating women and helping the youth. She is also a member of the Gender Equity Task Force and Sex and Gender Health Collaborative Committees within the American Medical Women’s Association. When she is not pursuing medicine, you can find her with her friends and family on different road trips and adventures exploring the world.
Rhea Manohar, MPH, MS3
Rhea Manohar is a third year medical student from St. George’s University. She has a Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health from George Washington University Milken Institute of Public Health and a Bachelors of Science in Microbiology, Immunology, and Public Health from the University of Miami. She served as Co-VP of OB/GYN Education for St. George’s University’s Women in Medicine chapter in St. George, Grenada where she developed and implemented hands-on workshops to further reproductive health issues and bolstered medical students abilities to navigate physician-patient communication. Prior to medical school, she was a Research Associate for Fors Marsh Group, where she led qualitative and quantitative public health research and campaign development for federal agencies (e.g., CDC, NIH, DHHS, CPSC). She is also a member of the Gender Equity Task Force and Reproductive Health Coalition within the American Medical Women’s Association. When she is not pursuing medicine, you can find her reading, exploring artistic passions, and spending time connecting with friends and family.
Dr. Yun Weisholtz
Dr. Yun Weisholtz is a physician-scientist and advisor with a deep commitment to mentorship and advancing equity in medicine. She completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University, where she double-majored in Biological Sciences and Chemistry, and spent a year in Germany as a Fulbright Scholar. She went on to enter the MD-PhD program in Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and MIT, where she developed her passion for research, teaching, and mentoring. Dr. Weisholtz is a Physician Advisor with MedSchoolCoach and the founder of MD-PhD Advising, a consulting practice dedicated to helping students navigate the medical school and residency application process. Outside of work, she enjoys collecting Delft pottery from the Netherlands and spending time with her family and pets.