Name
From Burnout to Breakthrough: Women Leaders Share Their Stories
Description

Women leaders in healthcare face intense professional pressures combined with disproportionate family and home responsibilities, increasing their risk for stress and burnout. They also encounter gender inequities and workplace bias, which undermine autonomy and add emotional strain. High emotional demands and limited control within healthcare systems further accelerate emotional exhaustion. Together, these intersecting challenges create conditions in which burnout becomes highly prevalent among women in healthcare leadership. After an introduction to a few salient and sobering points and statistics, hear from 6 members of the CFHA Women in Leadership workgroup, who will share their personal experience with burnout and how they coped.

Speakers
Liz Nikol, DBH, LCSW, A-CBT
Laura Shultz, PsyD, ABPP
Sara Green-Otero, LCSW-S, CSWM
Sharon Black, PhD, LISW-CP/S
Maggie Johnson, LCSW
Kirsten Infinger, LICSW
Content Level
All Audience
Tags
Mentorship, Self-care/Self-management, Training/Supervision
Session Type
Concurrent
Objective 1
Identify key structural, cultural, and emotional factors that contribute to heightened burnout risk among women in healthcare leadership, including gender inequities, emotional labor, and caregiving demands.
Objective 2
Describe the personal and professional impacts of burnout as illustrated through the lived experiences of five women leaders, highlighting common stressors, turning points, and barriers to resilience.
Objective 3
Discuss strategies and actionable approaches that women leaders can use to cope with burnout, strengthen well‑being, and foster sustainable leadership practices within healthcare settings.
Content Reference 1

Mohr, D. C., Elnahal, S., Marks, M. L., et al. (2025). Burnout trends among US health care workers. JAMA Network Open. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2833027

Content Reference 2

Moss, J. (2021). The burnout epidemic: The rise of chronic stress and how we can fix it. Harvard Business Review Press.

Content Reference 3

Sullivan, A. B., Hersh, C. M., Rensel, M., & Benzil, D. (2023). Leadership inequity, burnout, and lower engagement of women in medicine. Journal of Health Service Psychology, 49, 33–39. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42843-023-00078-9

Content Reference 4

Fackelmann, K. (2024, February 22). Women in health care face significantly higher burnout rates compared to their male colleagues. George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. https://smhs.gwu.edu/news/women-health-care-face-significantly-higher-burnout-rates-compared-their-male-colleague

Content Reference 5

McGovern, G. (2024, October 22). Women more likely to face burnout in health care: System‑wide solutions are needed to address issues. Pharmacy Times. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/women-more-likely-to-face-burnout-in-health-care-system-wide-solutions-are-needed-to-address-issues