Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a devastating health challenge
and widespread concern in the United States, impacting nearly half of
U.S. adults and standing as the leading cause of death for
women.1 Yet there’s a striking disparity in how female
patients are treated and represented in the medical community – only
13% of practicing cardiologists are women. This gap is not just a
statistic; it’s a call-to-action. Together with Women As One, an
organization dedicated to supporting and empowering women
cardiologists, we’re determined to help close that gap and transform
the landscape of care for all patients.
When female patients see themselves reflected in their healthcare professionals, they often feel more connected, comfortable, and place greater trust in their care.2 Some studies have even shown that patients have better health outcomes when treated by a female physician.3 However, with a significant industry-wide shortage of female cardiologists, millions of patients nationwide face a critical gap in care. This issue extends to clinical trials, where women remain vastly underrepresented in cardiovascular clinical trial leadership.
As Roxana Mehran, Founding Director and Board Member of Women As One says, “There has been a stagnation in the progress of women in medicine, and the profession cannot allow that to continue.”
It’s time for change and we have the responsibility and ability to build a brighter, more equitable future. Through our one-year sponsorship of Women As One, we are supporting their mission of providing women cardiologists with career opportunities while encouraging more diversity and gender balance in the healthcare industry and medical community.
Programs to support these efforts include:
- Professional development training through the
annual RISE conference, created to give women cardiologists a
unique forum to connect, learn, and inspire a continued journey
toward equity in medicine.
- Clinical
skills training through CLIMB, which provides a
crucial building block for career advancement for women physicians
through training in advanced procedural skills.
- Mentor-Match pairings that connect experienced women physicians with a mentee who is currently in fellowship training, celebrated through Woman as One’s annual Escalator Awards.
At Novo Nordisk, we are committed to embedding a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEI&B) mindset in everything we do – from how we shape our culture to how we show up for the communities we serve, including through our approach to clinical trials. It all aligns to the Novo Nordisk Way, the core values that guide everything we do and which our employees strive to implement every day.
Like Shemika Austin, a Senior Clinical Trials Manager who is working to ensure diverse recruitment and representation in our clinical trials. She is spearheading this effort, so our trials represent the real-world experience of our patients.
We’re proud to partner with organizations like Women As One to continue our work addressing health disparities and driving better gender balance across our industry. Together, we’re shaping the future of medicine to be more equitable and representative of the patients we serve.
You can learn more about our commitment to DEI&B in our annual DEI&B Report.
Anna Windle, PhD is a Senior Vice President, North America Operations Clinical Development, Medical and Regulatory Affairs. She leads an integrated team across drug development, clinical operations, medical, regulatory, health economics and outcomes research, and safety. Anna has worked in the healthcare industry for more than 20 years.