Women in da Vinci Surgery Symposium 2024

Six years ago, when this unique symposium began, there were just six female surgeons in the room. This year? Over 200 surgeons, pulmonologists, and hospital executives gathered in Atlanta, Georgia for Intuitive’s Women in da Vinci Surgery Symposium. Attendees joined from around the world—Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, India, Japan, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The event has grown rapidly for good reason—because it matters. For two days, passionate and talented women stepped away from their practices and personal lives to connect, learn, and grow together.

Topics ranged from leaving comfort zones, standing out in a saturated market, and breaking barriers to finding self-power, leveraging surgical data, and navigating community. Over engaging content, some laughs and tears, and undeniably fun walk-on music, this year’s attendees made commitments to themselves and to each other. It’s a special event because the lessons gleaned can apply to anyone—no matter their gender or profession. Here are some of our favorite takeaways.

1. Know the power of saying “yes” (and “no”).

Leadership expert, author, and podcast host Susan MacKenty Brady was this year’s keynote speaker and one of the main topics she discussed was boundaries. She emphasized the importance of being clear with yourself and others. Know what you do and don’t want, state it, and if your boundaries aren’t honored, state them louder. The group also discussed sponsorship. Who’s in your corner with the willingness and authority to back you up whether or not you’re in the room? Proactively cultivating those relationships goes a long way.

MacKenty Brady spoke at last year’s Women in da Vinci Surgery Symposium, too. Seung Gwon, MD, was incredibly moved by what she heard back then. Nervous, but feeling she’d hate herself if she didn’t try, she approached MacKenty Brady and broke down. She was at a crossroads at work, was burnt out, and her physical and emotional health were suffering. They formed a mentor-mentee relationship and worked together during the last year.

Fast forward to this year’s event: Brady and Dr. Gwon came together on stage to share their story and what progress had been made. Dr. Gwon defined her boundaries and relearned how to balance her life. She started working out again, advocated for herself, and started feeling better emotionally, spiritually, and professionally. Oh, and she’s now her hospital’s chief medical officer. That’s the power of knowing when and how to honor your boundaries.

2. Embrace your community.

Lindsey Otradovec, Intuitive’s regional vice president of sales for the Western U.S., shared her belief that, “Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back.” That’s why leaning into community is so important.

During multiple panels, attendees discussed knowing who can help advocate for you, who is blocking you, and how to form meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships with hospital leadership. One by one, attendees shared their successes, failures, and frustrations with regards to roadblocks—many of which were similar.

“The surgeon and administrator relationship is like a dance—you have to move to the same tune. When you understand each other’s priorities, each other’s dance steps, you can work together.”—Florence Chang, President | MultiCare

Those who were hitting walls weren’t cultivating the right relationships and were focusing too heavily on the people who were saying “No.” They were allowing themselves to get stuck in the negative swirl. On the contrary, those who saw success in swaying their senior executives knew the power of perspective and perseverance. They focused their energy on seeing their leaders as partners. On this, Florence Chang, MultiCare President, said, “The surgeon and administrator relationship is like a dance—you have to move to the same tune. When you understand each other’s priorities, each other’s dance steps, you can work together.”

3. Don’t let yourself be ignored.

We heard a lot about how important it is to advocate for yourself, and the question was, “How?” Alisa Coker, MD, Olga Muldoon, MD, and Rahilla Essani, MD, had a lot to say on standing out as your authentic self. Dr. Coker highlighted that women sometimes try to succeed by emulating men rather than leaning into their differences that are actually strengths. She advised the women in the room to embrace their social acuity, ability to form bonds and share stories, and their vulnerability. She reminded everyone that a few tears every now and again never hurt anybody.

“Brand yourself. Join the societies, be on committees, and commit to doing the hard work.”—Rahilla Essani, MD | AdventHealth

The room filled with laughter and knowing nods when Dr. Muldoon pointed out that hospital PR teams aren’t always known for individual surgeon advocacy. That’s why, she said, it’s so important to brand yourself. Be proactive and make yourself known. Be active on social media. If you’re not willing to grind for yourself, why should anyone else do it for you? Dr. Essani playfully encouraged the group to be a stiletto in a room full of flats. Her point? Make yourself seen. She said, “Brand yourself. Join the societies, be on committees, and commit to doing the hard work.”

4. Trust your gut and invest in yourself.

“How beautiful it is to stay silent when someone expects you to be enraged.” Dr. Essani shared this Paulo Coelho favorite and there was a collective gasp. The quote was used during a panel discussion on overcoming challenges and facing adversity. Laila Rashidi, MD, alongside Dr. Essani and Dr. Coker, took the stage to tell personal stories of some intensely negative career moments and how they got through them.

“How beautiful it is to stay silent when someone expects you to be enraged.”—Paulo Coelho, lyricist and novelist

Being passed over for a role that a sorely underqualified man was hired for instead. Having a male peer say, “Honey, I’m really good at what I do. If I can’t do it, what makes you think you can?” Overhearing a surgeon leader refer to you as a “lazy piece of [expletive]” during residency. These are just a few shocking examples shared. Their advice? Be political when you have to. Trust yourself and always bring your A-game. Keep perspective and never lose faith in humanity.

5. Send the elevator back down. 

Lindsey Otradovec closed out the event emphasizing the strong belief that when one woman succeeds, it lifts all women up. We know that empowered women empower women. It’s not just a shirt—it’s a choice, an embodiment, a way of life. So, keep building communities. Lean on each other. Advocate for yourself and others. Cheer each other on, loudly. Help each other through challenges. Celebrate each other’s successes. And no matter what, when you get to the top, send that elevator back down for those coming up behind you. That’s what it’s all about.