Women in GI: Empowered Women Empower Women-Impact of the Second Annual Scrubs and Heels Summit

Introduction: “Scrubs & Heels” (S&H) is a unique and innovative mission-driven organization focused on the professional and personal development of women in GI. In February 2023, the organization hosted its second annual Summit. S&H is the first of its kind to initiate structured programming around the promotion of women in GI to acquire leadership skills and enhance professional networking opportunities. To investigate the impact and takeaway messages from the Summit, attendees were surveyed after attending and the results are shared below. Methods: Attendees of S&H Summit 2023 completed a pre-Summit poll survey before each session. A post-Summit survey was administered three months after the Summit to assess impact and better understand common themes incorporated into the daily practice of attendees. Results: At present, 61 attendees completed the survey: 75% are gastroenterologists, 8% are advanced practitioners, 4% are registered dieticians and 13% are other and non-GI physicians. Summit attendees indicated that their attendance aided in better defining leadership skills (53%) and recognizing professional goals (69%). Developing entrepreneurship and creative professional initiatives (53%) and choosing the practice setting which best fits individualized needs (35%) were also recognized as knowledge learned. Attendees improved skills in networking with each other, GI societies and industry partners. Attendees learned strategies for career advancement (51%), work-life integration (49%), incorporating wellness into daily practice (49%) and how to improve public speaking skills (29%). Sally Helgesen, author of How Women Rise presented as the keynote speaker at the Summit and attendees were also able to help identify primary challenges and barriers to career advancement in GI. The top three common habits which attendees reported intentional efforts to improve post-Summit included: expectation of others to notice and reward contributions (54%); reluctance to claim achievements (36%); and avoidance of the perfectionism trap (36%). Conclusion: The second annual S&H Summit 2023 had a profoundly positive impact on improving the confidence of women in GI to pursue opportunities for advancing their career and acquiring leadership skills. These results indicate that focused leadership and empowerment programs address unmet needs for women in GI and could contribute to advancing gender equity and retention of women in the field of GI.