Shambavi Richard, MD, Reflects on National Women Physicians Day

By Shambavi Richard, MD - Last Updated: February 8, 2024

Dr. Richard, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discusses what National Women Physicians Day means to her.

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National Women Physicians Day is celebrated annually on February 3 to honor the accomplishments and contributions of women physicians. February 3 also marks the birthday of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States in 1849, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians.

“It is great that we will be celebrating this day,” Dr. Richard began. “Women are becoming more and more empowered as we go along in positions of great responsibility, leadership, and influence. It’s very important for us as women to support each other, to mentor each other, and to move forward into all of these very important positions, especially in the STEM fields.”

Finally, Dr. Richard reminisced on her experience first starting out as a young woman physician in a male-dominated field. “The scales are shifting, and this is a great encouragement to me,” she concluded.

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