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.
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