Seeing Life Transitions as Opportunities
My youngest son will graduate from college next weekend. It sounds cliché but I find myself wondering where the time went. My husband and I talked about traveling to Europe directly after the graduation. After providing a college education for seven children, we...
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Women who Paved the Way: Tea with Madeleine Albright
As a woman CEO, I am fortunate to meet women who are true trailblazers in paving the way for women leaders. I was reminded of that recently during a tea I had with Madeleine Albright. As the first woman to enter the Situation Room as Secretary of State, Albright had...
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Planning a Family
One of the questions I am frequently asked by younger women is, “how can I advance my career and plan a family at the same time?” Since I work among a large group a women physicians who have spent years in school, training and nurturing their careers, this is a...
read moreInterview with Lutheran Settlement House
I was recently interviewed by Lutheran Settlement House for their website. Their 11th Women of Courage Awards ceremony honors Karen Hudson, who leads the Homeless Health Initiative at CHOP and is an old friend and colleague. CHOP is also one of the ceremony's...
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Why Influencing Skills are More Important than Your Title
Over the past month, I have spoken to three people about their future career options. Each was seeking career advancement and an executive title. In each case, I told them that chasing a title is not actually the best way to advance. Of course, that seems easy for me...
read moreDeveloping Your Leadership Presence – Philadelphia Business Journal
A recent article in the Philadelphia Business Journal offers "2 ways women can develop their leadership presence." Want the thumbnail? 1) Tout your accomplishments, and 2) use technical/numerical terms to discuss the impact of your work. Read the article, then...
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On the topic of Learned Helplessness
Anyone in a dual career partnership knows how important “dividing the labor” at home truly is. This is often a topic of discussion with my colleagues and friends when we address the demands of our jobs and how to find our balance between work life and home life....
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How to Hire and Motivate the Right People
In a recent mentoring session with an emerging leader, we spoke about the challenges of the hiring right people. Beyond that, we talked about how I motivate new team members and make sure that they support my vision as a leader. It’s an important conversation about a...
read moreHow I Learned Empathy as a Nurse
I recently received the same question at two different post-speech Q&A sessions and during an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer: What about your experience as a nurse prepared you to be CEO? Well, firstly, that question kind of makes it seem like I was a...
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“The same time next year”: On the importance of Women’s Affinity Groups
I belong to a group of women leaders who meet once a year with the goal of providing mutual personal and professional support and advice. In this post, I want to talk about how this group functions and how important and meaningful it has been for me. There are two...
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Stretch Yourself: Getting Outside of Your Comfort Zone
When I am asked about my career journey, I often tell people that the continuous theme has been saying yes to every opportunity, even when it has been outside of my comfort zone. When someone offers you the chance to do something new, even if you’re not 100%...
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Interview for Inquirer’s Executive Q&A column
I was interviewed for Jane Von Bergen's "Executive Q & A" column for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She asked me about my training as a nurse (not a physician), how I got the CEO job, exciting medical developments at CHOP, and more. Look for a longer version in print...
read moreJoining the Comcast Board of Directors
I'm honored to officially join the Comcast Corporate board of directors. I'll be the 2nd woman after Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation and former president of the University of Pennsylvania, to join this board. It's an exciting new challenge for me...
read moreBloomberg: Women May Not Reach Boardroom Parity for 40 Years, GAO says
From Bloomberg.com: "Women, who make up half the American workforce, may be 40 years or more from parity with men on U.S. corporate boards, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a new report." Read the rest of the article...
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Women Healthcare Executives Featured in Philadelphia Business Journal
Thanks to the Philadelphia Business Journal for highlighting Philadelphia women in healthcare leadership roles. At 33 percent, it's better than the industry's national average of 26 percent. Pick up a copy at your news stand (or read the article here if you're a...
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“I’ll take notes”: On Being the Only Woman in the Group
I was recently mentoring a very accomplished woman physician scientist participating in a one-year leadership development program for women. In the course of our discussion, she asked me if I’m ever in situations when I am the only woman in the room. I told her about...
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The Importance of Networking (and tips to do it well!)
Let’s face it: networking isn’t always at the top of our priority list. It can be awkward, time consuming, and after a long work week, it’s often much less appealing than the couch. However, it is an essential part of advancing your career. I often tell my own...
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How to Establish ‘Executive Presence’
[Photo courtesy of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia] A young female administrator I was mentoring asked me to describe executive presence and how she might practice it for an upcoming presentation. I thought I would share my response here, with the hope that it...
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