Women in Medicine Month: Celebrating women physicians who inspire others as they lead the way forward in medicine.

The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) is honored to announce 27 recipients of the 2024 AMWA INSPIRE Award. This annual award celebrates women physicians who exemplify the highest values of vision, integrity, service, and role-modeling in medicine and healthcare.

“During Women in Medicine Month, AMWA takes a moment to celebrate women physicians who are recognized as having a positive impact on their peers,” says Dr. Connie Newman, MD, a Past President of AMWA and founding member of the AMWA Leadership Council. “Each of the 2024 honorees are exceptional women physicians who work in private practice, academia, or as hospitalists.”

These accomplished women in medicine reflect a wide array of clinical specialties and a variety of settings from large academic centers and highly specialized centers of excellence to community care centers dedicated to underserved populations.  “They are lauded for their leadership and mentorship in practice, research and academic accomplishments, and most importantly, their impact in supporting and advancing the culture and community of women in medicine,” says Dr. Nicole Sandhu, Past President of AMWA, and co-chair of the AMWA Leadership Council. 

The AMWA Leadership Council initiated the INSPIRE Awards for the first time in 2021 to honor women physicians who inspire others because of their dedication to health care, compassion for patients, leadership, advocacy, or community service. Recipients of the award are nominated by colleagues, mentees, supervisors, students, or collaborators. 

We present the 2024 AMWA INSPIRE Award recipients: VIEW AWARDEES  

  • Melanie Aaberg, DO, Core Faculty, Emergency Med. Residency, Corewell Health Trenton & Dearborn
  • Bisi Alli, DO, MS, dipABLM, FACP, FAMWA, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt; Principal, WellNEST Medicine
  • Laura Andreson, DO, FACOG, Board-Certified Ob/Gyn, Running for House of Representatives District 63 in Tennessee.
  • Rebecca Andrews, MD, Professor of Medicine, Univ of Connecticut School of Medicine
  • Gloria Bachmann, MD, Assoc. Dean for Women’s Health and Prof. of Ob/Gyn, Rutgers RWJ Med. School
  • Rakhee Bhayani, MD, Vice Chair for Advancing Women’s Careers, Prof. of Med., Wash. Univ. SOM
  • Tania Nisimblat Bodnar, MD FACOG, Women’s Health Medical Director
  • Claudia Chambers, MD, Associate Professor at Creighton University
  • Segen Chase, MD, Owner, CenterPointe Physicians
  • Elisa Choi, MD, FACP, FIDSA, Faculty, Harvard Medical School; Chief of Internal Medicine
  • Michelle Drobny, DO, Assoc. Prog. Director, Fam. Med. Residency, Spokane Teaching Health Ctr
  • Barbara Edelheit, MD, Assoc. Prof. of Pediatrics, Univ. of Connecticut School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital.
  • Beth Frates, MD, FACLM DipABLM, Assoc. Prof., Harvard, Dept. of PM&R, Pres., Amer. Coll. Lifestyle Medicine
  • Stacy Garrett-Ray, MD, MPH, MBA, Senior VP, Chief Community Impact Officer, Ascension
  • Anjali Gupta, MD, Assistant Professor, Georgetown University School of Medicine
  • Farzana Hoque, MD, MRCP, FACP, FRCP, Assoc. Prof. of Medicine, St. Louis Univ. SOM
  • Sadhana Jackson, MD, Tenure-track Investigator, Physician-Scientist
  • Amber Jones DO, MPH, FACS, FCCP, FICS, Clin. Assist. Prof. Surgery, West. Univ. of Health Sciences
  • Yasmin Khakoo, MD, FAAN, FCNS, FAAP, Child Neurology Director, Memorial Sloan Kettering
  • Jody Lack, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, SIU School of Medicine
  • Kamla Angela Persaud-Reddy, MD, MBA, DipABLM, Senior Medical Director, Cigna Healthcare
  • Lindsay Reardon, MD, AEMUS. Assist. Prof. Emergency Med., Larner Coll. of Med.
  • Marcela Rodriguez, MD, Associate Professor Pediatrics, SIU SOM
  • Nicole Sanhu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
  • Renuga Vivekanandan, MD, Division VP and CMO, CHI Health, Assoc. Dean Clin. Affairs, Creighton Univ SOM
  • Erin Wos, DO, MS, Attending Physician, Vancouver Clinic
  • Lynn Yee, MD, MPH, Assoc. Professor, Northwestern Univ. Feinberg School of Medicine

The AMWA Leadership Council conceived of the INSPIRE Awards in 2021 to honor women physicians who inspire others because of their dedication to medicine, compassion for patients, leadership, advocacy, or community service. Recipients of the award are nominated by colleagues, mentees, supervisors, students, or collaborators. 

AMWA extends our congratulations to these ultimate champions. We thank those who nominated these remarkable women leaders and for sharing their compelling stories of inspiration in making the field of medicine at better place to be. They each have had a profound influence in contributing to changing the culture of medicine and enriching the lives of their colleagues, patients, and ultimately of our healthcare system.