USJ's Women's Leadership Center Honors Ten Women Health Care Professionals for Gratitude and Growth Program

by Stacy Routhier

West Hartford, CT (05/16/2022) — The University of Saint Joseph's Women's Leadership Center (WLC) honored ten women in health care professions on May 9, 2022, for their participation in the Gratitude and Growth Program that was funded by the International Women's Forum of Connecticut. The Gratitude and Growth Program is a special cohort-based program designed to thank women in frontline health care careers by preparing them for career advancement. The three-part program, which took place during the fall of 2021, focused on professional career coaching, including work with USJ's Career Development Center staff on resume-building and social media profile development; mock interviews; and a professional headshot. This individualized career development program also carried a small stipend for those selected.

The special program held on campus enabled Gratitude and Growth Program participants to share what they have learned from the program and from their work during the COVID-19 pandemic and provided networking opportunities with WLC Steering Council members and other community leaders.

The honoring event included remarks from USJ President Rhona Free, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Women's Leadership Center Melanie Sinche, followed by select participants sharing the impact of the program on them. The evening finished with certificates of participation and a networking reception.

The Gratitude and Growth event was made possible by funding given by The International Women's Forum of Connecticut. Special thanks to Paddi LeShane for her sponsorship of this year's Gratitude & Growth Program, Maggie Pinney for her assistance in program design, and Cynthia Whipple for program implementation.

The following women were honored for their participation:

Jasmiry Bennett, APP Clinical Manager, Yale-New Haven Health

Leah Goldberg, Registered Nurse, The Bone and Joint Institute at Hartford Hospital

Natasha Gregory, Medical Social Worker-LMSW, Hartford Hospital

Michelle Jefferson, Crisis Intervention Team Clinician II, Community Mental Health Affiliates

Carolyn Martindale, Director, Heart and Vascular Specialty Programs, Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute

Courtney Rowe, Pediatric Urologist, Interim Medical Director, Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Nicole Taylor, Senior Clinical Advisor/Assistant Nurse Manager, Trinity Health of New England/Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital

Lisa Tyndall, Nurse Manager, St. Francis Hospital/Trinity Health of New England

Alicia Wang, Pediatric Cardiologist, Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Bonnie Watters, Associate Administrator, Department of Emergency Medicine, VCU Health

Learn more about the Women's Leadership Center at The University of Saint Joseph by visiting: usj.edu/wlc

In photo: from left to right:

Marie Meliksetian, President, International Women's Forum of Connecticut, Leah Goldberg, The Bone and Joint Institute at Hartford Hospital, Nicole Taylor, Trinity Health of New England/Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital, Bonnie Watters, VCU Health, Carolyn Martindale, Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Jasmiry Bennett, Yale New Haven Health, Lisa Tyndall, St. Francis Hospital/Trinity Health of New England, Alicia Wang, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Natasha Gregory, Hartford Hospital, and Rhona Free, President, USJ

Not Pictured: Michelle Jefferson, Community Mental Health Affiliates and Courtney Rowe, Connecticut Children's Medical Center

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