UTDRO Women in Leadership

THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE 2017-2018 ANNUAL REPORT.

This has been a momentous year for female advancement around the world. In light of this, UTDRO is highlighting the amazing achievements of three female faculty members in radiation medicine: Professor Rebecca Wong, and Assistant Professors, Young Lee and Colleen Dickie.

Being a woman in the field of radiation science brings its own set of challenges, and as many disciplines are seeing, the #metoo movement is an opportunity for them to be openly discussed.

“The #MeToo movement has highlighted the importance of seeing beyond cultural norms to recognize, speak up and strive for what is fair and just,” said Dr. Rebecca Wong, the Vice Chair of Education at UTDRO. “Women are just one group. Ethnicity, gender, social economic status all put individuals into different advantaged or disadvantaged categories; that we need to speak up, advocate and stand up for others.”

Dr. Rebecca Wong Annual Report 2017-2018 V2

Rebecca first joined UTDRO in 1990 and served as the first PGY1 Coordinator at North York General Hospital, followed by stints as the Residency Research Director and Chair of Social Responsibility, Professionalism and Equity. Rebecca grew up in Hong Kong, but later studied in the United Kingdom before coming to Canada. She said stereotypes of women and Asians have at times affected how others see her.

“Being recognized as a leader, capable of making tough decisions while being passionate and caring, is much harder to do as a woman,” said Rebecca.

The paucity of women in the field makes it all the more difficult to push back on those stereotypes. Dr. Young Lee is the Site Lead of the Sunnybrook Medical Physics Central Nervous System team. Only 25% of Medical Physicists in her department are women, according to Young, and that number is much less if the whole department is considered. Young said there are even fewer females in leadership positions.

Young is a board member and treasurer of the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists. She has previously served as the Physics Lead of several clinical trials and programs. The biggest challenge she has faced as a female Radiation Physicist is the lack of mentorship because there are so few women in her field.

“I think in our field, many of us have just had to plow through and have not had a lot of mentorship,” said Young.

Colleen Dickie said she has not encountered that in the Radiation Medicine Program (RMP), where she is the Director of Operations, because there has been a strong history of female leaders. She has been in the RMP as a Radiation Therapist for over 20 years, during which time she has held several lead roles in radiation therapy, including Manager of Sarcoma Clinical Radiation Therapy Research, and Manager of Strategic Operations for the Radiation Therapy Program. Still, despite strong mentors, she has still struggled with maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Colleen Dickie Annual Report 2017-2018

All three women were interested in the broad field, but set on radiation after witnessing its impact on patients. Colleen was inspired by the story of athlete Terry Fox, who lost his leg to osteosarcoma, and raised awareness and funds for cancer research. “Terry Fox reminds me that when life gets tough, you should be tougher.”

Later when Colleen’s aunt was diagnosed with cancer, she realized radiation therapy’s potential to help patients. The patient focus remained with her when she watched her father’s fight with cancer.

Rebecca had the same realization while completing her locums for medical school. “In the oncology (radiation) service … the different disciplines communicated with each other, and discussed the best ways to look after a patient,” said Rebecca. “The consultants were passionate and caring, to their patients, to the nurses, even to medical students. That, I thought, is the type of doctor I want to be.”

These early interests have continued to motivate them throughout their careers. Contributing to improving patient care and the lives of patients is Colleen’s driving force.

“Working in such a dynamic, innovative and world-renowned program that focuses on the needs of patients is the most exciting aspect of my work.”

Young has been passionate about physics since high school and in college was drawn to becoming a Medical Physicist because of the ability to help others while solving problems.

Dr. Young Lee Annual Report 2017-2018

“I get excited when I can get things to work, which includes daily processes such as treatment planning and unit problems, but also long-term challenges such as technique development for greater efficiency,” said Young. “I feel passionate about helping others and about educating younger people.”

She believes the best approach to teaching is recognizing students’ individual needs and adjusting to accommodate. Her advice to twenty-somethings entering the field: “Appreciate what you learn and do not waste time. Put real effort into everything you do and try not to worry so much about the future.”

Currently, females make up 40% of the total number of trainees in the Residency and Fellowship Programs at UDTRO; female faculty equate to 42%. As the number of women entering medical school continues to rise and even exceed those of men, there are still strides to be made to support the advancement of women in science, particularly in the field of physics, as Young described. The #MeToo movement draws attention to these differences. But now more than ever, females are being encouraged through special programs and outreach activities to pursue science from an early age, the results of which will become more apparent in the years to come.

Read the complete list of Q&As with Rebecca, Young and Colleen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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