This appeared last week:
Digital health leadership programme launched for Australian women
The programme is seeking its first 25 participants.
December 01, 2021
The Australasian Institute of Digital Health has opened applications for its new leadership programme to advance women's careers in digital health.
According to a press statement, the six-month Women in Digital Health Leadership programme aims to enable women to "realise and develop their leadership potential to advance the capability of organisations to achieve 'healthier lives, digitally-enabled'".
In the first cohort, 25 participants will be chosen to partake in a personalised learning programme that includes six one-hour individual coaching sessions, on top of peer learning, said AIDH CEO Dr Louise Schaper.
The participants will also finish small group projects that will "have an impact on the digital health community" as part of their learning outcomes.
Supported by Alcidion, EY, COVIU and Telstra Health, some of Australia's leading digital health players, the programme is accepting applications until 10 January next year.
WHY IT MATTERS
While women make up 75% of the Australian healthcare workforce, they constitute below half of public hospital board chairs, nearly four in ten of private hospital's chief executives, and 38% of state and federal chief medical or health officers, according to the federal government-backed Women in Healthcare Leadership. "Women are the majority of the workforce but do not hold an equitable share of healthcare leadership positions," the organisation said, adding that without gender diversity, the country's healthcare industry "will continue to perpetuate an inequitable health system".
To ensure diversity in leadership, Patrice R. Wolfe, CEO of revenue cycle management firm AGS Health, previously shared to Healthcare IT News that organisations should provide women with opportunities to develop a sense of leadership purpose, support their motivation to lead, and expose them to crucial business functions such as operations and finance. "Bring high potential females into senior leadership meetings to present about specific projects and create mentoring [programmes] to match those women with senior executives for a year or longer," she said.
More here:
I recognise that I may be seen as an old white male on this but in a field like digital health I struggle to see just what the problem we are trying to solve here!
With 40% of positions apparently already occupied by women (and rising) it seems to me this is rather a non-problem. Is there any evidence anyone can bring forward pointing to sex discrimination in Digital Health? Are all the other diversity axes also distorted in Digital Health(sexuality, disability, religion etc.)?
If the figures were 10% girls to 90% blokes I could understand I guess but 40/60 is hardly demanding quotas etc!
Why not just develop leadership courses that are suitable for all who need them?
Sorry but this really does seem like a solution in search of a problem and I have to say I really don’t see Digital Health as a gendered calling!
Let me know if you think this issue is a problem needing to be addressed or not!
Climbs back in his box and closes the hatch!
David.
7 comments:
"I struggle to see just what the problem we are trying to solve here!"
Right on, David.
The problem the proponents of Digital Health are trying to solve is how to justify their existence.
There are some useful applications of IT to healthcare businesses but they have little to do with clinical care, more to do with business administration.
This initiative smacks of jumping the shark; certainly not healthcare transformation.
This is representative of a broader issue, seems the answer to equality is to create whole new realms of elitism. I fear this type of action will cause more problems than it will solve.
You can be a leader if - you can buy a certification and you are part of the club? Seems like the same age old problem
ABSOLUTELY CORRECT - "this is a non-problem".
Let's say it as it is. Women's issues are important and currently high on the political agenda and so they should be - equal pay, domestic violence, workplace abuse and molestation.
While ADIH can be supportive of such causes, as should business employers and the general community, there is nothing to support this rather shallow and ill-conceived opportunistic initiative by the AIDH; other than that the Board in its wisdom thinks it will increase the AIDH's relevance. Wrong, it won't.
The Board should have another think and stop trying to play popularist politics. It is demeaning to the AIDH and the Board and they should terminate this program unless they can put forward a powerful case to justify its continuation.
Throughout my working life in IT, health and business management, I for one have always been strongly supportive of women breaking the glass ceiling and being treated equally and respectfully in the workplace. This AIDH proposal is not the way to go about it.
If the AIDH can get this so wrong, makes you wonder what else they may be getting wrong.
Their credibility and trust is going down the tubes as they march lockstep with their political masters.
This nothing to do with their political masters. It is, simply an aberrant initiative, proposed by management and approved by the Board. Surely, perhaps hopefully, some Board members questioned the validity of the proposal and were outvoted. If it was unanimously endorsed it is reasonable to be concerned.
The ADIH Board comprises 7 women and 2 men. Oh! That probably helps explain the Board's decision.
9:00 PM. That statistic is irrelevant- the question to be asked is what is the selection process, what is the personal and professional relationship between board members and how often do a proportion of them turn up on similar bodies. What is the financial gain and can they be exploited by lobbyists or foreign powers etc…
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