Honoring Inspiration: Marking the Inaugural Celebration of Temple Health Women

On Tuesday, October 10, The Lewis Katz School of Medicine and Temple Health honored the women powering our mission – and all those who inspire them — with an inaugural event recognizing their indelible impact. The day’s two inspirational sessions were spearheaded by Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS, The Marjorie Joy Katz Dean of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. Aligned with her historic one-year anniversary as the school’s first woman dean, more than 150 colleagues from across the school and Temple Health campuses came together for the celebration.

The program featured moving commentary from Deb Cancilla, EVP Data Strategy and Chief Information Officer and Jane Scaccetti, Former CEO of Philadelphia-based tax firm Drucker & Scaccetti and current Temple University and Temple University Health System board member and Trustee, along with storytellers who openly and honestly shared their experiences from unique vantage points across the organization. Those storytellers included Dr. Dorian Culmer-Butler, Assistant Professor and Director of the University Laboratory Resources at the Katz School of Medicine; Dr. Natasha Vedage, a senior fellow in the Section of Cardiology; and Glenda Montrose, a Supervisor with Temple University Health Food Service.

Dean Goldberg spoke gratefully about the women in her life, including her own mother, who inspired her 30-year Temple Health journey. She thanked the women who came before her for the privilege of being where she is today – trailblazers who knew women deserved to achieve more. She also spoke about celebrating the women whose achievements – while they may not make headlines – are foundational to the success of Temple’s academic medical center.

“What I've seen over and over again in my 30 years here, and what I focus my celebration on today,” she said, “is how much we owe to the women who aren’t necessarily in the spotlight.”

Dean Goldberg went on to acknowledge women working at all levels and in various departments across Temple Health’s large and expanding network of campuses, including environmental and food services, labs, the blood bank, nurses and administrative and operations support staff – the “doers” who make it all possible.

She also paid homage to Marjorie Joy Katz, expressing gratitude for being part of her history and legacy, and went on to introduce the day’s powerful keynote speakers and storytellers:

• Keynote Speaker Deb Cancilla, EVP Data Strategy and Chief Information Officer offered perspective on a career spent in male-dominated industries, the power of forging her own way not just with determination but by embracing the challenges around her, mastering the art of adaptation and ensuring continuous growth every single day for herself and for Temple Health.
• Keynote Speaker Jane Scaccetti, Temple University and Temple University Health System board member, Trustee and former CEO of Philadelphia-based tax firm Drucker & Scaccetti summarized the lessons she has learned about great women – noting that they are comfortable reaching out to others in their village for support, take being underestimated and turn it into a strength and force to be reckoned with, and that they inspire and encourage those around them to push us all, collectively, forward.
• Storyteller Dr. Dorian Culmer-Butler, Assistant Professor and University Attending Veterinarian and Director of the University Laboratory spoke about the challenges she has faced as a woman of color in her profession and about the power of being “all of who you are” without feeling the need to hide or mask elements of our personalities in order to be accepted and taken seriously. She acknowledged that inspiration certainly comes from positive experiences and cheerleaders but also from the challenges we face and the push-back from non-believers, too.
• Storyteller Dr. Natasha Vedage, a senior fellow in the Section of Cardiology, shared next on what it has meant for her to build a sense of community around her, despite a lack of women in procedural cardiology sub-specialties and on the power of female mentorship and sponsorship and what it has meant for her and for those who will come behind her to “see someone who looks like me succeeding.”

Storyteller Glenda Montrose closed out the event, humbly sharing with attendees her journey to becoming a Food Service Supervisor – and her path to accepting her role as a powerful and worthy woman in healthcare – and how leaning on her strengths as a mother and on her two young children for inspiration have propelled her in her career and in her life.

Both sessions also included a moment in when Dean Goldberg prompted the audience to share the names of women who have inspired them – and those names appeared on the screen as a powerful reminder of the inspiration surrounding everyone at the institution.

The special occasion was dedicated to late Temple University President JoAnne A. Epps, an outspoken advocate and leader who beautifully encapsulated the very best parts of Temple University, lifted all those around her and cared deeply for our organization and community. Dr. Goldberg closed her remarks by sharing a quote from President Epps in hopes that it would inspire others the way it had her:  “If we want to be sure that our time here has meant something, we must ensure that we have handed off to those coming behind us a commitment and a passion to work for the best world possible.”