Women in Oncology Presentation with Guest Speaker: Shelley Broader
On Jan. 31, Moffitt Cancer Center’s Ted and Marty Couch Auditorium packed with guests excited to hear the inspiring words of Shelley Broader, guest speaker of the 2020 Women in Oncology presentation. She tackled “Life Lessons: Creating Your Own Leadership Manifesto” and left the audience feeling motivated to excel in any leadership position.
About four years ago, Feb. 3 was recognized as National Women in Medicine Day, also known as Elizabeth Blackwell’s birthday. Blackwell was the first woman to graduate from medical school in the United States in 1849, a huge achievement to be acknowledged. She certainly sparked inspiration in many because more than half of medical school graduates today are women.
To celebrate this day, Moffitt introduced a program to honor women physicians and researchers that have dedicated their time and efforts in oncology, as well as motivate and support upcoming women in medicine and science. This year, the cancer center welcomed featured guest Shelley Broader, a member of Moffitt’s national Board of Advisors and a senior retail executive who has led several successful retail operations in the U.S. and beyond. Since getting her start in investment banking, she has won many awards including a 2017 Owler Top Rated CEO Award in Retail and Ecommerce, and gained recognition in Fortune’s International Most Powerful Women list. Broader offered her insight on leadership, her individual experience and important lessons she learned on her way up.
“Being a humble teacher and a proud learner is the fastest way to accelerate progress and learning within your organization,” said Broader. It is basically saying “there are things that I know and experiences that I’ve had that I’d be happy to share with you because I know where you’re coming from. Any place that’s got a better idea than what I’m doing, I want to open up my mind and say I am a proud learner!”
Broader also touched on the challenges of being thrust into a leadership position while having less knowledge than her colleagues. She noted the importance of effective communication and self-reflecting in a way that is productive and beneficial to the entire organization, especially in such an authoritative position. Her anecdotes spoke volumes to the crowd.
Women in Oncology at Moffitt was created to celebrate the valuable role female faculty members play in making a positive difference at the cancer center and in our communities. It is led by Yvette Tremonti, executive vice president and chief financial & administrative officer, and Dr. Asmita Mishra, associate member, Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy.
