HERZMEDIZIN: Looking back on your career, what factors, opportunities, or turning points have most strongly shaped your path in cardiology?
Wood: My career was shaped by access to incredible mentors and sponsors. Sometimes these were people I happened to be fortunate enough to work with and others I had to actively seek out. They gave advice, offered me opportunities and pushed me to use my skills and training to chart my own course and to not be discouraged when things don’t always happen quickly or easily.
About the person
Prof. Malissa J. Wood
Malissa J. Wood, MD, is Chief Medical Officer of the initiative “Women As One”, a non-profit working toward gender equity in cardiovascular medicine, and Professor of Medicine at the Florida State University College of Medicine. Among other topics, her research focuses on cardiovascular disease in women, pregnancy-associated heart disease, preventive cardiology, and spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD).
Persisting biases against women
HERZMEDIZIN: How would you describe the current status of women in cardiology in your country regarding career progression, leadership positions, and academic opportunities?
Wood: Women still lack access to opportunity for leadership. The reasons behind this are multifactorial and include lack of self-confidence, imposter syndrome, implicit and unfortunately still a little explicit bias on the part of those making decisions.
HERZMEDIZIN: What structural, institutional, or cultural barriers continue to limit the advancement of women in cardiology?
Wood: Biases against mothers have started to decrease, but in the past there was an incorrect and unfounded perception that those who were trying to carefully balance work and family responsibilities were not serious about their work. I had to deal with this perception early in my career and it took a while for me to demonstrate that I could be the mother of four children and also be a successful cardiologist. The culture of cardiology continues to be a barrier to many people. Many individuals and organizations, such as Women As One are doing work to create a more just, equitable and healthy culture – but this takes time.
Under-representation and support through institutions
HERZMEDIZIN: How well are women represented in procedural subspecialties such as interventional or structural cardiology, and what factors influence their participation in these fields?
Wood: Women remain severely under-represented in these areas. Again, this is multifactorial but includes time commitment, particularly during the years when women want to start a family; radiation exposure is another concern as is the culture of procedural-based specialties.
HERZMEDIZIN: How supportive are cardiology institutions in your country regarding pregnancy, parenthood, work–life integration, and flexible career pathways?
Wood: This is widely variable and varies state by state, country by country (with regard to policies and coverage), and institution by institution.
Outlook and role of mentoring and initiatives
HERZMEDIZIN: What role have mentors, sponsors, professional societies, and Women in Cardiology initiatives played – or are still playing – in advancing women’s careers?
Wood: As I mentioned in my early comments, mentors and sponsors play an extremely important – and ongoing role – in the development and maintenance of a successful career.
HERZMEDIZIN: Looking ahead, what changes do you believe are most important to achieve greater gender equity in cardiology, and what advice would you give to the next generation of women entering the field?
Wood: We need to create a cultural environment in cardiology that is inclusive, that exemplifies importance of sustainability and career longevity. This, however, requires sequencing and balance. We can’t take care of our patients to the best of our ability if we are not taking care of ourselves.
More on this topic
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