I am pleased to announce that Rakhee Bhayani, MD, has been appointed as the Vice Chair for the Advancement of Women’s Careers in the Department of Medicine (DOM). Dr. Bhayani is Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) and the Director of the Forum for Women in Medicine (FWIM). Dr. Bhayani brings a wealth of experience to this new role which will oversee and integrate existing gender equity programs and new initiatives to advance women’s career development in the Department of Medicine. I am confident she will drive progress and positively impact the careers of women trainees and faculty in our department.
Dr. Bhayani completed her undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering at Duke University. She received her medical degree at WUSM and completed her internal medicine residency training at WUSM/Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Dr Bhayani has been a valuable member of the Washington University community for over 20 years.
Since joining the faculty, Dr. Bhayani has been an integral part of the educational mission as a preceptor in the internal medicine resident primary care clinic. In 2014, she founded the Forum for Women in Medicine (FWIM), a professional development initiative for women trainees in DOM. FWIM organizes skill-building workshops, visiting professor luncheons, and networking events. Through her leadership and dedication, she leads a robust committee that organizes almost a dozen activities annually. Rakhee created the FWIM Trainee Leadership Development Program, an eight-month longitudinal certificate program for women trainees. In 2022, Dr. Bhayani started the DOM Women in Medicine & Science Seminar, featuring outstanding women speakers from across the US. She is actively involved in the Bias Reduction in Internal Medicine (BRIM) initiative as a division lead and serves on the steering committee. She has been an active member of the Academic Women’s Network and currently sits on the board. She was recently selected to join the Washington University Executive Task Force on Climate and Culture. Dr. Bhayani is nationally recognized for her gender equity work as evidenced by her many presentations, workshops and posters at national society meetings, and involvement in national committees, including her work with the Women in Medicine Leadership Development Forum in the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine and with the Women and Medicine Commission in the Society for General Internal Medicine.
As the inaugural Vice Chair for the Advancement of Women’s Careers, Dr. Bhayani will work closely with me, division and departmental leadership, faculty, and trainees to drive change in policies and procedures to accelerate women’s careers and leadership. She will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies to support the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women faculty and trainees and to create a workplace culture that values and supports the contributions of women in clinical care, research, education, and leadership. We are excited to welcome Dr. Bhayani to this important role and look forward to working together to achieve our common goal of advancing women faculty and trainees. Please join me in congratulating her and supporting her in efforts to advance women’s careers in the Department and the School of Medicine.