Every day at Sinai Health, exceptional women are making a difference in the lives of patients, colleagues and community. In celebration of International Women’s Day, we spoke with a few women at Mount Sinai Hospital, Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital and the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute to understand how they champion and support the women they work with, committing to creating an environment where everyone feels heard and valued.
“Our team is empowered by celebrating and recognizing the successes we achieve, both independently and as a lab. The quality of our work reflects our ability to communicate and support each other. Teamwork provides a large sense of empowerment and trust amongst myself and my colleagues.”
– Tristan Vella, Technician II, Biospecimen Repository and Processing Lab
“I hope to empower the women I work with by encouraging them to embrace their strengths and meet their mistakes with kindness, to not only advocate for their patients but also themselves and to ensure they are always heard when they have something to say. I hope to empower my colleagues as much as they have empowered me. I couldn’t do what I do without the powerful women I’m surrounded by.
– Emma Murdoch, Registered Nurse, Labour and Delivery
What do you like best about working with your team?
“I can’t get over how lucky I am to have the opportunity to work with my team every day. I managed to find myself supported by a team of women who never fail to recognize and celebrate each other’s strengths and accomplishments. This goes for the women I report to and the people who report to me. It is a joy to come to work knowing that everyone you work with wants to see you succeed.”
–Amanda Filkin, Manager, Occupational Health
“I have a great team that I work with. Whether it is in the operating room, clinic or on-call they are all extremely committed to patient care. The residents, nurses and administrative support go above and beyond to answer any questions and address concerns patients may have. My surgical and non-surgical colleagues are incredibly supportive of me and the work I do. The support I have from the team is what allows us to provide excellent patient care.”
-Dr. Andrea Covelli, Surgeon, General Surgery and Surgical Oncology
How does your team #EmbraceEquity?
“Recognizing that each woman on our team has different aptitudes and highlighting those. This helps us work in our comfort zone to produce the best results. Where there is an unmet need, we communicate and work together as a team to find a solution.”
-Elsa Nana Nzepa, Program Coordinator, Healthy Ageing and Geriatrics Program
“Our team embraces equity by having uncomfortable conversations. Inequalities in the medical system are something that we see every day, especially working in women’s health. By embracing and acknowledging the inequalities we face, we are more willing to change them. Having a safe space allows for those conversations to occur. We are becoming a more diverse unit and we come with our own lived experiences; we must use our differences and embrace them by getting comfortable with uncomfortable conversations.”
-Felicia Roberts, Labour and Delivery Nurse, Labour and Delivery
How can women best support each other in the workplace?
“We support each other by listening, showing compassion and by understanding each individual’s unique circumstance. Everyone is affected by their personal experience outside of the workplace. During the pandemic when we were faced with challenges we stepped up and assisted each other by taking on some of our colleagues work and being kind and compassionate.”
-Leah Deffett, Abilities Case Coordinator, Occupational Health