Featured Speakers

Dr. Andrea K. Boggild is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and Medical Director of the Tropical Disease Unit of Toronto General Hospital. She is a licensed Medical Microbiologist and Infectious Diseases physician with additional certifications in Tropical Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine, who provides care to patients with travel-acquired illnesses in her medical practice. As a Clinician Scientist in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, she has graduate supervisory privileges through the Institute of Medical Science and leads a research program in tropical medicine and travel and migration health. She serves in many leadership capacities nationally and internationally, including on advisory groups to the Public Health Agency of Canada and World Health Organization, and as the Editor-in-Chief for Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines. Dr. Boggild is heavily engaged in the EDIIA space and creation of novel pathways to representation across the academic enterprise. She has a longstanding interest in the intersection of human and ecological health, as well as how socioeconomic and demographic inequities drive health disparities globally.

Dr. Merlin is a physician-investigator and behavioral scientist whose research focuses on chronic pain and opioid misuse/use disorder across populations and settings, including primary care, palliative care, and individuals with serious illness such as HIV and cancer.

Dr Eve Bloomgarden is a board-certified Endocrinologist at NorthShore University Health Systems in the Chicagoland area, where she is the Director of Thyroid Care and the Director of Endocrine Education and Innovation. Her clinical expertise is in the diagnosis and management of thyroid dysfunction and thyroid cancer. Dr. Bloomgarden received her medical degree from New York University and completed residency and fellowship training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She is the Chief Development Officer of Women in Medicine® NFP and a founder and the Chief Operating Officer of the grassroots advocacy organization IMPACT (www.impact4hc.com). Through leadership roles with IMPACT and WIMS, she advocates for her patients, for women in medicine and for her fellow healthcare workers. She speaks on a wide range of topics ranging from endocrinology to advocacy to empowering healthcare professionals to tackle misinformation on social media. Dr Bloomgarden has written for multiple national publications including the Washington Post, US News, the Chicago Tribune, The Hill, KevinMD, and others, and has been interviewed and featured in articles in the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times, Forbes, InStyle, and Romper. She has been featured on multiple podcasts including Track the Vax, The Curbsiders, Get Real Health, and the Unbiased Science Podcast. She loves spending time with her husband, also a physician, and their two young children.

Stephanie Pearson, MD, FACOG, is a board-certified OB/GYN and a licensed broker specializing in disability and life insurance for physicians. Injured in the prime of her career as an OB/GYN, Stephanie was forced to pivot; through her own firsthand experience, she found a new calling in advocating for and educating her peers on their insurance needs. Stephanie’s goal is to empower others to protect their most valuable asset: their ability to earn income. As a speaker, Stephanie combines her hard-won insurance expertise with her personal experience to address the physical and mental impact of physician disability, emphasizing the importance of proper coverage. Stephanie’s background includes 9 years of medical practice after receiving her M.D. from Drexel Universities MCP/ Hahnemann College of Medicine (now Drexel University College of Medicine), and completing a residency at Pennsylvania Hospital. She currently lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania with her husband, their two children, and dogs.

Linda McGhee is a clinical psychologist and nationally recognized moderator, mental health expert and speaker. McGhee has been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, Huffington Post, and Grown and Flown. She hosts “Good Mental Health on Radio One” which raises awareness around mental health. She is a mental health expert for the Steve Fund, an organization devoted to mental health for college students of color, and is a regular contributor to the Son Rise Project, an Oprah Winfrey Network podcast that supports families of black teenagers and young adults with mental illness. She is known for speaking nationally on mental health, education, anxiety and trauma, racial trauma and disparities. McGhee has recently provided commentary on the intersection of racial trauma, COVID-19 and the mass protests. She currently serves as the President of the Maryland Psychological Association. Dr. McGhee’s motto is, “Building strong, healthy leaders starts from a solid foundation.” She is a compassionate leader who seeks to bridge differences and shed light. Her strength lies in her ability to promote healthy discussions on sensitive issues.

Ankita Sagar, MD, MPH, FACP is a board-certified Internist and physician executive leader with expertise in quality improvement, clinical program building, healthcare delivery, and health policy. Dr. Sagar is the System Vice President of Clinical Standards and Variation Reduction for Physician Enterprise at CommonSpirit Health. She is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Creighton University. Dr. Sagar's clinical interests include standardization of clinical quality, ambulatory antimicrobial stewardship, post-COVID sequelae, and continuum of care for cancer survivors. She serves as the current co-Chair of the Early Career Physician Committee for the New York Chapter of the American College of Physicians (NY-ACP) as well as a Council Member of the Council of Early Career Physicians for the ACP. She was awarded the 2020 Laureate Award for the New York Chapter of the American College of Physicians in recognition of her contributions in leading programs addressing physician well-being, physician advocacy for responsible public policy, as well as medical education. In 2021, she was the recipient of the INSPIRE Award by the American Medical Women's Association, which honors women physicians who are inspirational and demonstrate vision, integrity, collaboration and service. She has been an invited speaker at national conferences by professional organizations including the American College of Physicians and the Society of General Internal Medicine. She has served as a panelist at regional conferences and national conferences on topics including women in medicine, career development for early-career physicians, burnout, and mentorship.

Karen J. Nichols, DO, MA, MACOI, FACP, CS-F is most recently Chair of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. She was also dean of Midwestern University/Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine from 2002-2018. She had previously served as Assistant Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education and Chair of Internal Medicine at the Midwestern University/Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine since 1997. She holds a Master’s Degree in Management with a specialty in Healthcare Administration. Dr. Nichols has served as President of the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Osteopathic Internists, being the first woman to hold both positions. She has received the premier awards from both the American Osteopathic Association and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. She speaks nationally and internationally on Physician Leadership, having just published a book of the same title. Dr. Nichols holds 9 honorary degrees.

I hold a Ph.D. from Benedictine University, an M.B.A. from Webster University, and an M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Illinois Institute of Technology. Currently, as a Clinical Instructor of Faculty Leadership Development within the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Illinois Chicago, I work with physicians and residents to determine the most effective ways to leverage their strengths and leadership potential to drive organizational results. My current work focuses on supporting physician leaders to understand their impact and direct them to think differently about achieving the interpersonal and managerial results they desire. Previously, I developed a high-potential leadership academy crossing the boundaries of administrative and physician leadership. I have also designed and led coaching interventions for faculty in academic medical roles, including the advancement of women in leadership roles. Trained as a scholar-practitioner, I am expanding my impact in leadership development by assessing the outcomes of individual assessment, coaching, and group development interventions with the goal of ensuring evidence-based practices are used in leadership development. In my research, I am interested in effectively assessing the impact of the coaching and assessment interventions I lead and building on the evaluation and understanding of motivation. Additionally, I’m working to provide access to individual assessment practices available to leaders in Fortune 500 organizations in non-profit and medical professional development.

Laura J. Zimmermann, MD, DipABLM, MS, FACP is a primary care internist and lifestyle medicine physician. She is an associate professor of Internal Medicine and Family and Preventive Medicine and is currently the Division Chief of General Internal Medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Dr. Zimmermann founded the Physician Mommies Chicago Facebook group, which includes over 3,200 physician mothers from the Chicagoland area. She is also co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of the Illinois Medical Professionals Action Collaborative Team (IMPACT), an organization leveraging social and other media to fight misinformation and advocate for science-based policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Zimmermann has served as the Medical Director of the Rush University Prevention Center, building a multidisciplinary lifestyle medicine clinic that integrates medical and behavioral care to prevent and manage cardiometabolic illness. Dr. Zimmermann also served as the Rush University Medical Group's Director of Clinical Preventive Medicine, leading interdepartmental quality improvement initiatives in hypertension control, cancer screening, and tobacco cessation. She has presented this work in national venues, including invited talks and webinars for the National Minority Quality Forum and the American Medical Association. Additionally, Dr. Zimmermann holds leadership roles in clinical trials targeting cardiometabolic risk, including the multisite behavioral trial Enhanced Lifestyles for Metabolic Syndrome and the NIH-funded Heart 2 Heart, a community-based participatory research trial partnering with churches to improve health on Chicago’s West Side. She lives in Oak Park, IL, with her husband, science and music writer Rob Mitchum, and their two young sons.

Jennifer Christner, MD is a certified coach, senior dean of Baylor School of Medicine and School of Health Professions and CEO of Christner Strategies (https://christner-strat.com/). She also loves theater and completed a 5 level improv program at Station Theater in Houston, TX. You'll see those principles (yes! there are principles! and a science to improv!) woven into some of her talks! She loves to help early-mid career professionals achieve their dreams and get unstuck. Her special sauce seems to be helping folks: 1) Get promoted within or beyond their current institution, 2) Understand that they create their own happiness, 3) Define and achieve their goals!! Dr. Christner has given numerous talk all over the country and is known to be an inspirational speaker.

Physician Leader | Master Certified Physician Coach | Positive Intelligence Coach | Podcast Host | Author | Speaker Medical Director, Anesthesia, Bethesda West Hospital Vice President, Florida Society of Anesthesiologists President, Female Indian Physicians of Florida Vice Chair, Committee on Women Anesthesiologists, American Society of Anesthesiologists Author: Book chapter in “Lessons Learned: Stories from Women Physician Leaders” Podcast: The Leadership Rx for Women Physicians https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leadership-rx-for-women-physicians/id1531236342 Website: www.theleadershiprx.com I coach early and mid career women physicians in key leadership areas of communication, conflict management and work-life balance so that they can confidently step into or excel in whatever roles they want.

Dr. Lipi Roy is an internal medicine and addiction medicine physician, a keynote speaker, as well as a sought-after media medical commentator. During the pandemic, Dr. Roy served as Medical Director of COVID Isolation and Quarantine Sites for Housing Works in New York City. She also serves as clinical assistant professor at NYU Langone Health. Dr. Roy’s work spans clinical medicine, media, academia, homeless health, social and criminal justice and public speaking. As the former Chief of Addiction Medicine for Rikers Island, Dr. Roy oversaw substance use treatment and recovery services at the nation’s 2nd-largest jail complex. Previously, Dr. Roy was a primary care doctor to Boston's homeless population among whom the leading cause of death was drug overdose. She also served as an attending physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and as faculty at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Roy is a strong advocate for public service, caring for incarcerated and homeless men and women, serving the underserved in Nicaragua and India, as well as treating New Orleans residents affected by Hurricane Katrina. Dr. Roy has also provided medical relief to earthquake victims in Haiti, and volunteered in the medical tent at the Boston Marathon. Dr. Roy is a dynamic public speaker and media personality whose mission is to educate and empower the public to make healthy decisions. She is a Forbes contributor and former MSNBC and NBC News Medical Contributor whose appearances include CNN, Dr. Oz, The Tamron Hall Show, Charlie Rose and CBS New York. Her articles have been published in STAT, The Huffington Post and Psychology Today; and she has been featured in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, Cooking Light and Oprah.com. She can be followed on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.