BIDMC Marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science

February 11 is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and UN-Women to promote the critical role women and girls play in science and technology communities.

BIDMC has a long history of women researchers in medicine and science. Below is a brief list of only a few of our distinguished women leaders.

Ayesha Abdeen, MD, is an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in hip and knee replacement surgery. She’s an expert in minimally invasive surgical techniques, focusing her research on improving patient outcomes and innovative technologies. As an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School, she’s also helping to train the next generation of surgeons.

Stephanie Buss, MD, is a cognitive neurologist who specializes in treating patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Her research interests include neural plasticity and non-invasive brain stimulation, and she is an Instructor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School.

Alexa B. Kimball, MD, MPH, is a dermatologist and also serves as President and CEO of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians (HMFP) at BIDMC. A Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Kimball is an international expert on psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa, and has published more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Anica Law, MD, is a pulmonary and critical care specialist who also conducts research in BIDMC’s Center for Healthcare Delivery Science. Her work focuses on improving patient outcomes in critical care, including a close look at ICU nurse staffing ratios. Dr. Law is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Marsha Maurer, RN, DNP, is the Chief Nursing Officer at BIDMC and has been a leader in healthcare for more than 30 years. She completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Simmons University and continues to build a strong vision for nursing and advanced clinical care through practice research and innovation.

Rose Molina, MD, MPH, is an obstetrician-gynecologist who treats patients at The Dimock Center in addition to BIDMC. She is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School and is working to ensure every person—regardless of race, ethnicity, immigration status or other social factor—receives appropriate, safe and respectful care during pregnancy and childbirth.

Mary Rice, MD, is a pulmonary and critical care physician at BIDMC. As a prominent clinician-scientist focused on the study of environmental risk factors for asthma and COPD, Dr. Rice has made recent headlines for her work raising awareness of the health effects of air pollution and climate change. She is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Jacalyn Rosenblatt, MD, is the Associate Chief of the Division of Hematology/Hematological Malignancies and Deputy Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Institute at BIDMC. She cares for patients with blood cancers such as multiple myeloma and leukemia, and is developing groundbreaking treatments, including personalized vaccines that use the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. Dr. Rosenblatt is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Andrea Steely, MD, is a cardiothoracic surgery fellow at BIDMC and a past recipient of the Thoracic Surgery Foundation’s International Medical Volunteer Scholarship. She has traveled to Rwanda twice where rheumatic heart disease is rampant, yet there are no cardiac surgeons in the country. This fall, Dr. Steely will join a practice in Los Angeles where she will be the first woman in the cardiac surgery practice group.

Kathryn Stephenson, MD, MPH, is an immunologist and infectious disease specialist who conducts research in the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research (CVVR) at BIDMC. In addition to treating patients, she leads a research team that is developing and testing new medications to prevent and treat HIV and other infectious diseases. She serves as Director of the Clinical Trials Unit for CVVR and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Gyongyi Szabo, MD, PhD, Hon. ScD, is the Chief Academic Officer of BIDMC and Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH). She oversees BILH’s robust research and education programs, and the Technology Venture Office, supporting a broad range of basic, translational and clinical research priorities. Dr. Szabo is a physician-scientist and a leader in the field of liver immunology, with a particular focus on alcoholic hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and viral hepatitis.