I had the pleasure of ending my time at SIIM’s 2018 Annual Meeting by being in a room of 30 Radiologists & Informaticists, discussing women’s issues in the industry at a roundtable session. After attending the session and the RADxx happy hour event the previous evening, I realized I had some thoughts I wanted to frame for my colleagues across the entire industry – prospects, customers, competitors, and partners alike.

Promoting women in radiology and imaging doesn’t just stop in the four walls of a hospital or at a tradeshow with 1,000s of their peers, it includes all of us in the industry and that even means vendors and their entire team from administration to sales. Many of our teams are still dominated by men, and we need to be self-aware of some of our jovial, but potentially off-putting flaws.

1. Actively listen. Don’t wait for someone else to finish talking so that you can talk – listen to what they’re saying and add value to the conversation, not just noise.
2. If you see someone struggling to participate in a group discussion because they’re too courteous to interrupt don’t ignore them and be sure to acknowledge when they do get a thought in.
3. If you’re building a relationship with a group of men and there are no women present, keep the conversation professional.
4. Don’t go to a networking event, especially one for promoting women in an industry dominated by males (read: any industry), looking to get a telephone number.
5. Promoting women in radiology and informatics isn’t just about doctors and healthcare professionals – it’s also about your own team members. Look to them, make sure you’re doing all that you can to help them grow in this industry, too. Are you mentoring your employees? Or are you sponsoring them? Do you know the difference?

Achieving diversity and equality in the workplace is one of the most important issues of our generation. RADxx is helping us take a step in the right direction, what is your company doing to help the cause?