Profile in Diversity Series
The BWH EM Women's Group and the Office of IDEaS hosted a successful International Women's Day Emergency Medicine Social on March 8th at Neville House 3rd Floor. The event celebrated the achievements of women, emphasizing gender equity, empowerment, and community building. Onyeka Otugo, MD, interviewed 'Hospital Hero' Vonzella Bryant, who not only works as an emergency physician at Boston Medical Center(BMC) but is also the emergency medicine clerkship Director and Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at Boston University (BU)School of Medicine. The uplifting interview and subsequent discussion covered an array of topics, including mentorship for women, empowering one another, imposter syndrome, and navigating gender stereotypes. Attendees enjoyed refreshments, trivia, art, and engaged in a meaningful discussion on the significance of intersectional diversity in medical leadership.
Video: Interview with Vonzella Bryant
Profile: Dr. Marjorie Janvier
Marjorie Janvier, MD, MPH is a proud community physician. In 2015, she joined the Adult Medicine staff at The Dimock Community Health Center and Internal Medicine staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). At Dimock, she was the Clinical Director of Adult Medicine where she also provided primary care and HIV speciality care. Her prior leadership roles at The Dimock Center include: 1) Director of Care Management where she was responsible for a systems-level approach to care management, with the goal of providing high quality, multidisciplinary, integrated care for the clinic's most complex patients. 2) Medical Residency Director, overseeing the professional, clinical and ethical development of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center residents during their outpatient longitudinal clinic. In recognition of her community dedication and leadership she was named a Roxbury Hometown Hero in 2021. Dr. Marjorie Janvier holds a Bachelor’s degree in healthcare management from the University of Pennsylvania’s The Wharton School. She obtained her Medical and Master of Public Health degrees from Tufts University School of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine residency and chief residency at Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. She then went on to complete her Infectious Diseases Fellowship at The Miriam Hospital/ Brown University. Dr. Janvier lives in Roxbury, MA with her family.
Profile: Dr. Mae Jemison
Dr. Mae Jemison, is the first African-American woman in space, is one of those rare individuals who excels at everything she does. Jemison was born in Decatur, Ala., in 1956 and was raised on the southside of Chicago. She entered Stanford University in 1973 on a scholarship at the ripe old age of 16. She earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering in 1977, while also fulfilling the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in African-American studies. Jemison graduated from Cornell University medical school in 1981. After medical school, Jemison spent two and a half years as a Peace Corps medical officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa. When she returned to the states in 1985, she went to work as a general practitioner in Los Angeles. She also took graduate classes in engineering in hopes of fulfilling her lifelong dream of traveling in space. Jemison became one of 15 astronaut candidates chosen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration out of 2,000 applicants. Jemison finished her training as a NASA mission specialist in 1988. She became the first woman of color in space in 1992, when she blasted into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavor. In March 1993, Jemison would resign from NASA, but soon after leaving the space program, she formed The Jemison Group Inc., which focuses on the beneficial integration of science and technology into everyday life. To learn more about her story check out Jemison's TEDx page.