WIO Endowment Grants Garner Support with Increased Fundraising in 2023

In celebration of Women in Otolaryngology (WIO) Day and Women’s History Month in March, the Endowment Committee of the WIO Section, led by Chair Kelly M. Malloy, MD, challenged institutions and private practice groups to donate to the endowment with the end result being over $28,000 raised by 51 contributors!

The purpose of the WIO Endowment is to provide grants to projects that demonstrate a significant contribution to further explore and advance the success of women in otolaryngology and align with the following goals:

• Career development of women otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons, whether private, academic, or military
• Actionable research that affects how women are integrated into mainstream otolaryngology
• Unique approaches to work/life integration—an issue facing all otolaryngologists
• Leadership development
• Inspiring and informative speakers relevant to women’s needs and interests for AAO-HNS WIO Section meetings and functions

“Because of the WIO Endowment grant, I was able to secure Geeta Lal, MD, co-founder of the Society of Surgical Ergonomics and a surgical coach, for a one-hour webinar going over the impact of poor ergonomics in surgery and specifically in otolaryngology. She also provided some tangible solutions to common ergonomic problems providing very practical knowledge. A live quiz at the beginning and end of the program was administered, and feedback from the webinar was uniformly positive. This makes a case for surgical ergonomics being a part of every residency curriculum,” said Priya D. Krishna, MD, past recipient of a WIO Endowment Grant, “Surgical Ergonomics for the Woman Surgeon.”

The following individuals were awarded WIO Endowment Grants in 2023 for their submitted projects: 

Amanda J. Bastien, MD, MS
Influences Upon the Professional Success of Women in Otolaryngology

Priya D. Krishna, MD
The Otolaryngology Women’s Leadership Society (OtoWLS) Leadership Program

Lindsay Scott Moore, MD
Gender Disparities Among Surgeon Scientists in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Andrea M. Park, MD
Understanding How Pregnancy Affects Surgical Ergonomics

Abhita T. Reddy, MD, MBA
Women in Otolaryngology Podcast

Minka L. Schofield, MD
Minding the Gaps to Success Webinar for Women: Married to Medicine

Minka L. Schofield, MD
Evaluating the Parental Leave and Lactation Policies of Academic Otolaryngology Practices

Taylor Standiford, MD
Needs Assessment and Pilot Program for Leadership Training for Women Otolaryngology Residents

Shiayin F. Yang, MD
Development of a Long-Term Sponsorship and Career Development Program for Women Otolaryngology Residents