WICC Chair
Hayley B. Gershengorn

Chair: Hayley B. Gershengorn, MD, FCCM, ATSF

The Women in Critical Care Interest Group is comprised of a diverse group of individuals (women and men) engaged in various facets of critical care practice worldwide, and includes academicians involved in research/clinical care/administration, private practitioners, junior, mid-level, and senior faculty. The purpose of the group is to encourage women from various career tracks to engage in ATS activities, and also to address issues that are important to ensure equitable representation of women in the field of critical care. The interest group (formed in 2019) stems from the Women in Critical Care working group that has been active since 2014.

  
Goals and Objectives:

• Ensure that women are equitably represented in critical care programming for the international ATS meeting, including in critical care-sponsored programming, including representation in chairing sessions, providing lectures, and being selected for awards.
• Involve women in ATS programming and opportunities not related to the IC, including such activities as critical care assembly projects, design/production of materials on the internet, and on-going mentorship avenues.
• Recognize and promote women who have contributed to the success of ATS through formal ATS awards and grants.
• Support career development of women physicians in critical care at all levels through formal and informal networking opportunities both at the ATS international conference and throughout the year.
• Partner with other minority and under-represented groups within ATS to enhance ATS diversity, scholarship, and representation. 

How Can I Get Involved?

We will be meeting at ATS time and place to be determined. There are opportunities to become a WICC member and become involved.

Sign Up to be Included in the WICC Mailing List!

We are creating a list of Critical Care Assembly members interested in participating in ongoing or future WICC-related projects. The purpose is to facilitate involvement in Critical Care Assembly activities (including the annual conferences). We invite Critical Care Assembly members to provide information about their experiences, interests and goals for participation of women in the Assembly. 

Interested in becoming a WICC mentor? Interested in having a WICC mentor? Please sign up through the Critical Care Assembly.

Women & Men In Networking (WIN) at WICC: Step Up to the Next Level of Mentorship:

This networking group will be voluntary for WICC members. We will create small groups based on years in practice with group facilitators more advanced in practice.  This is an informal group where frequently asked questions can be addressed to help members in same level of training advance to the next level with some input and guidance from senior group facilitators. * Time commitment is a 1/1.5hrs meeting twice a year and more if the group decides to meet more frequently.

1-5 years of employment ~ Instructor or Assistant Professor with Associate Professor or Professor Group Facilitator.

6-10 years of employment ~ Associate Professor with Professor Group Facilitator

11+ years of employment ~ Professor, Peer mentoring with Identified Group Facilitator

If interested, please email Jenny Han with the following information:

• Name
• Level of training
• Interested in being a group facilitator Yes/No

Publications, Abstracts, and Documents

• Mehta S et al. Diversity of Authors of Publications from the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group.
  
• Shining a Light on Diversity in Team Science by Jen-Ting (Tina) Chen, Nida Qadir and Hayley Gershengorn.
  
  
• Abbasi J et al. Pushed to their Limits: 1 in 5 physicians Intends to Leave  Practice. A commentary on the impact of the pandemic on primary care physicians.
  
  
• Rubin E. Striving for Diversity in Research Studies. N Engl J Med. 2021 Sep 13. doi:10.1056?NEJMe2114651
  
  
• Trachuk P. An Interesting Fact. J Grad Med Educ. 2020 Apr;12(2):225-226.doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-19-00559.1.
  
  
• Thakur N, Lovinsky-Desir S, Appell D, et al. Enhancing Recruitment and Retention of Minority Population in Clinical Research in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2021 Aug 1;204(3):e26-e50. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202105-1210ST. PMID: 34347574
  
  
• Shamseer L, Bourgeault I, Grunfeld E, et al. Will COVID-19 result in a giant step backwards for women in academic science? J Clin Epidemiol. 2021 Jun;134:160-166.doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.03.004. Epub 2021 Mar 8
  
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  • Race

    • Zurka AD, Suttle ML, October TW. An Antiracism Approach to Conducting, Reporting, and Evaluating Pediatric Critical Care Research. Ped Crit Care Med. 2022; 23 (2):129-32.

  • Gender

    • Krukoswski RA, Montoya Williams DC, Cardel MI. A year into the Pandemic: An update on women in science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEMM). Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021. Doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.202107-875CME. PMID 34847335.

    • Salles A, Jagsi R. Institutional imperatives for the advancement of women in medicine and science through the COVID-19 pandemic. Lancet. 2021. S0140-6736(21)01912-7. 
      
      
    • Mousa M ,  Boyle J , Skouteris H , Mullins AK , Currie G , Riach K , Teede HJ. Advancing women in healthcare leadership: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of multi-sector evidence on organizational interventions. E Clinical Medicine, Volume 39, September 2021, Pages 101084
      
      
    • Elizabeth M. Vigliant, Virginia Sheffield, Irada Choudhuri, Rebecca Goldberg, Alexandra Vita,
      Kaitland M. Byrd, and Andrea L. Oliverio. Gendered Language in Letters of Recommendation for Applicants to Pulmonary Critical Care Fellowships.
      
      

  • Wellness

    • Rotenstein LS, Sinsky C, Kassel CK. How to Measure Progress in Addressing PhysicianWell-being Beyond Burnout. JAMA 2021; 326(21):2129-30.

    • Psychological Support Interventions for Healthcare Providers and Informal Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 6939.
      
      
    • Editorial: Physician Burnout a Global Crisis. Lancet.
      

WICC Sub-Committees:

• Gender Related Research, lead by Karen Burns, and Liz Viglianti
• Mentorship, lead by Jenny Han, and Janice Liebler
• Social Media, lead by Dina Khateeb
• WICC within ATS plus workshop, lead by Sarah Jolley, Abigail Chua, and Kelly Vranas
• WICC outside ATS, lead by Alison Fox Robichaud, and Nilam Mangalmurti

Resources:

• Sexual Harassment Resources 
• Literature Resources
• Podcasts

Other ATS Working Groups and Interests Groups:

• Early Career Professionals