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Most of us have
heard of the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca
Falls, N.Y. Its 236 inductees are a diverse group, ranging
from Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman named to
the U.S. Supreme Court, to “mother of the civil rights
movement” Rosa Parks, ballerina Maria Tallchief, as
well as sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
But I was unaware of a Connecticut Women’s Hall of
Fame until Lesley Mills, the owner of Griswold Special Care
and a member of their honorary advisory committee, invited
me to attend the 16th annual induction ceremony, dedicated
this year to Women in Healthcare, held Oct. 29 at the Marriott
Hotel in Hartford.
Founded in 1993 to showcase the contributions that Connecticut
women, both well known and less famous, have made to their
communities, the state and the nation, the Hall of Fame
is a way to honor them, preserve their stories, educate
the public and inspire women and girls.
Along with about 600 other men and women attending, I was
completely in awe to hear stories and see a film outlining
the accomplishments of the three inductees as well as three
other women who received special recognition awards.
Carolyn M. Mazure, Ph.D., is a professor of psychiatry
and psychology and associate dean for faculty affairs at
the Yale School of Medicine. This stunning woman with a
high-wattage smile is also the founder and director of Women’s
Health Research, the largest interdisciplinary women’s
health research program in the country. Women’s Health
Research initiates research to answer pressing health questions
for women and focuses on the importance of gender difference
in understanding different conditions. Mazure has won numerous
awards for her work and was a member the Surgeons General’s
workshop on women’s mental health.
The second inductee, Helen L. Smits, M.D., is an internist
who has dedicated her life to public health. She completed
her residency at the University of Pennsylvania where she
became the first woman chief resident. She also was the
first woman chair of the Board of Commissioners for the
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and also served
as the deputy administrator of the Health Care Financing
Administration, the government agency that administers Medicare
and Medicaid.
In 2002, this soft-spoken, sweet-faced lady moved to Mozambique
to teach in a new masters in public health program. She
worked in the Bush and Clinton administrations in key positions
for AIDS relief. Smits delighted the audience when she started
her acceptance speech by thanking all those individuals
(starting with a professor who discouraged her from studying
medicine) who told her that she couldn’t do what she
planned to do. “It made me aware of what I had to
overcome,” she said.
The third inductee, Martha Minerva Franklin, who died at
age 96 in 1968, was an R.N. from Meriden who practiced nursing
at the turn of the century. She felt firsthand the effects
of discrimination against black nurses. At that time, no
nurse of color could join a professional nursing association.
Martha formed the National Association of Colored Graduate
Nurses to elevate educational standards and to broaden employment
opportunities.
Three Special Recognition Awards went to women who have
all made the remarkable achievement of becoming CEOs of
major medical facilities: Marna P. Borgstrom is the first
woman to serve as president and CEO of Yale-New Haven Hospital.
She began her career at Yale 30 years ago, and she also
heads Greenwich and Bridgeport hospitals, both members of
Y-NHHS. I had the pleasure of hearing her speak once before,
at the recent opening of the Smilow Cancer Center in which
she played an instrumental role.
The next recipient, Susan L. Davis, was appointed president
and CEO of St. Vincent’s Medical Center and Health
Services in 2004. Previously, she served as CEO for a medical
center in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
The final Special Recognition Award was given to Lucille
Janatka, president and CEO of MidState Medical Center since
1999. Recently recognized as one of the top 25 Women in
Healthcare, Janatka formerly was vice president of Waterbury
Hospital and is a selfless mentor to many young healthcare
leaders.
Jean Cherni is founder of Senior
Living Solutions, a retirement advisory service. Contact
her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 15 The Ponds, Branford
06405.
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