Book Recommendation

Leading from the front: experiences of Canadian physician leaders

Editors: Chris Carruthers, MD, and Patricia Lightfoot, DPhil

Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Society of Physician Executives

Leading from the front: experiences of Canadian physician leaders is a crash course for MDs interested in physician leadership. Published by the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Society of Physician Executives, it features the stories of 14 Canadian physician leaders. They describe how their leadership skills aided them in times of career challenges and recount both their missteps and victories as they lead in a variety of settings, including the Canadian Forces, the Canadian Blood Services, the government as a MP, and a minister of a large tertiary care institution.

The e-version of the book can be read for free.

Article Recommendation

An Overview of Women in Oncology, Past and Future

Published in American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book 2013 No. 448-55

By: Elizabeth Jaffee

Retrieved from: http://meetinglibrary.asco.org/content/70-132

Women have made great progress in pursuing careers in oncology and medicine. However, they still identify with less apparent, but still burdening challenges. Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee explains these challenges and lists strategies to help bridge the gap between the current state of women in oncology and the future to which we aspire.

Challenge	Challenge	Institutional Effort Required	Personal Effort Required
Women receive fewer invitations to speak at, organize, or chair national meetings.	Increase visibility on the national stage. Contact the organizer director and share your work even if the agenda for the meeting has already been set.		•
Women compete less often for major leadership positions.	We need to provide more incentives to senior women to apply for these positions. Leadership training would provide additional training and mentorship to women considering these positions and will increase their confidence. Access to more convenient child-care may help increase interest in younger female investigators.	•
Women need to be more assertive in the workplace to have their input heard and ask for what they need.	Become less concerned with what others think, believe in oneself, and “wear” self-confidence for others to see. Successful women talk about their strengths and contributions to ensure their values are appreciated, facilitated, and compensated.		•
Women need to deal with adversity and criticism.	Accept criticism as a part of daily business and learn from it. When you are in a position of having to give feedback that may be viewed as critical, always be critical, have a positive spin as a part of the learning process, and show respect for colleagues' input.		•
Balancing work and home life.	Prioritization is key. Choose right job fit Identify mentors/role models Let go of type-A personality requiring perfection of everything Overcome guilt Set limits on time/use of technology Find right life partner Academic institutions can loosen criteria for moving rapidly through tenure track. Grant opportunities can be offered for women who become part-time employees through early child-bearing years.	•	•

WinC NEWS

Oncologist in the Hot Seat

Do you have any burning questions about career advice or work-life balance in oncology? Look no further! WinC is introducing a new series, called Oncologist in the Hot Seat. Every few months, our members will have the exclusive opportunity to ask a prominent leader in oncology their questions, which will then be answered on the WinC website. We are pleased to announce that our inaugural Oncologist in the Hot Seat is Dr. Karen Gelmon, Medical Oncologist at the BC Cancer Agency! Please send in your questions to Rachel Adilman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by September 30th, 2013.

New Website Launched!

WinC is excited to announce its expansion into All in Cancer (AlinC). AlinC will be a reflection of WinC that will provide a forum for ALL cancer care providers to connect, find suitable mentors, and increase leadership skill development. All WinC members will have direct access to AlinC. Check out AlinC at: www.allincancer.org and "like" All in Cancer on Facebook! Stay tuned for further AlinC developments.

2013 Best of Oncology East Conference

Register now for the 2013 Best of Oncology East Conference, November 29th, 2013. This one-day conference will be covering the most clinically relevant updates in cancer treatment on multiple tumour topics from 2013, featuring renowned speakers from across Canada! Early bird rates expire on September 26th, so register today to get this great deal! For any questions, please contact Oncology Education at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 23-Sept-2013 to 24-Sept-2013 Clinical Genomics for Cancer Diagnostics Conference Boston, MA, United States
• 25-Sept-2013 Ovarian Cancer, the Leah Lederman Lecture and Annual General Meeting London, United Kingdom
• 26-Sept-2013 to 27-Sept-2013 Progress Towards Individualised Cancer Treatments London, United Kingdom
• 27-Sept-2013 to 1-Oct-201 European Cancer Congress 2013 (ECCO-ESMO-ESTRO) Amsterdam, Netherlands