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By Elizabeth McBurney, MD
 y sister-in-law Debbie Innes was recently named one of the 25 most powerful women in banking in U.S. Banker’s annual ranking. Our family is so very proud of her accomplishment. Although she is at the top of her game in her profession, she is a family member to us and takes a turn washing dishes or cooking a dish for family gatherings.
As I read the profiles on these influential female bankers (who range in age from 39 to 75) I could not help but be reminded of our WDS members. Like our members, all of these women are busy and yet they still find time to read books, stay abreast of world events, care for their families, and become involved in community service.
Each profile included a few words of wisdom about how to succeed in being a well-rounded professional woman. These women are in the business world of banking and high finance and we are in the medical profession of dermatology, yet we can certainly identify with one another. Here are just a few of the gems from the interviews:
- “As I have matured, I now tell other women: ‘You can leave on time; it is OK. And you can still do well in your career, if the time you are there you have a very clear focus.’”
- “If you do things right to make your business work, you don’t have to be there 24/7.”
- “Women are too careful about assessing the next opportunity. They need to just take a stab at things.”
- “What kept me going was having a terrific sense of humor, going home, regrouping and coming back the next day with a refreshed spirit… if you have the right attitude and good ideas, you can overcome the roadblocks.”
- “It is my job to have a vision of the future and to motivate our people to get there.”
The thing that stood out most to me was the portion of Debbie’s article which mentioned her “commitment to being an advocate for meaningful change.” It captured so succinctly what I see as the WDS mission.
We have fostered and mentored women and their careers in dermatology. We have come to the end of 2006 knowing we have worked hard and accomplished unbelievable goals. We are ready to embrace 2007.
When we meet again we will have warmed the hearts of our families with the holiday activities, we will have more children and grandchildren to share with one another and we will have rung in a new year. All the while we are staying focused on what we do to make dermatology a better profession and the WDS an organization that fosters “meaningful change.” Come and celebrate at our annual meeting luncheon in Washington, DC on February 4, 2007.
Happy holidays to all,
Elizabeth McBurney, MD
WDS President
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| Current Message from Our President HERE |
Past Messages from Our President:
- FEBRUARY 2008 (Mary Lupo, MD)
- NOVEMBER 2008 (Mary Lupo, MD)
- MAY 2007 (Mary Lupo, MD)
- DECEMBER/JANUARY 2007 (Elizabeth McBurney, MD)
- OCTOBER 2006 (Elizabeth McBurney, MD)
- MAY 2006 (Elizabeth McBurney, MD)
- JANUARY 2006 (Jean Bolognia, MD)
- NOVEMBER 2005 (Jean Bolognia, MD)
- JULY 2005 (Jean Bolognia, MD)
- APRIL 2005 (Jean Bolognia, MD)
- DECEMBER/JANUARY 2005 (Sandra J. Read, MD)
- SEPTEMBER 2004 (Sandra J. Read, MD)
- APRIL 2004 (Sandra J. Read, MD)
- DECEMBER/JANUARY 2004 (Marianne Nelson O'Donoghue, MD)
- APRIL 2003 (Marianne Nelson O'Donoghue, MD)
- FEBRUARY 2003 (Lenore S. Kakita, MD)
- SEPTEMBER 2002 (Lenore S. Kakita, MD)
- MAY 2002 (Lenore S. Kakita, MD)
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