MEMBERSHIP Self-advocacy, Positivity Guides Leadership Graduate to New Heights

Not only was Christine Doss Esper, MD, recently promoted to associate professor of neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Movement Disorders, in Atlanta, GA, but in 2022, she was elected chair of the AAN’s Women’s Issues in Neurology Section and chair of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Telemedicine Study Group. She is quick to attribute these impressive career successes, at least in part, to skills—and confidence—she gained through her experience in the AAN’s Women Leading in Neurology (WLN) program.

“I am a different person today because of the WLN program, and it gave me an essential set of skills to grow further professionally and personally,” explained Esper. During one of her first WLN sessions, her coach, Joanne Smikle, PhD, emphasized the applications of self-leadership, and her discussion on self-advocacy and self-promotion really spoke to Esper. “It is important to own your journey, understand the value that you bring, and thoughtfully advance your brand,” she said. “This can be particularly challenging for women in academic medicine, and likely results in many lost opportunities. It is very easy to get stuck in the mundane dayto-day activities of research, patient care, charting, etc., but we need to change our perspective and assess our overall intention with our professional life. I learned how to reframe the factors necessary for professional success, which allowed me to decide how to apportion my time towards pursuits that promote growth and team development while simultaneously creating new opportunities that benefit our patients and our people.”

Another pillar of self-leadership that the program taught Esper is how to actively reject pessimism. “Medicine is increasingly challenging as physician burnout mounts and the workforce crisis grows,” she said. “However, it is essential to minimize wasting time and energy on the negatives, what ifs, and blaming others. We learned to believe in ourselves and be the change that we want to see in the world. Others gravitate towards positivity, and many will join and follow progressive, confident, and optimistic leaders in their journeys.”

WLN also creates a unique and powerful opportunity for its participants to network—"an action that cannot be overemphasized,” according to Esper. “While judicious selection of tasks, projects, and endeavors is critical, I have learned that being open, outgoing, engaging, and helpful will beget more high-value opportunities,” she said. “As you engage in these new endeavors, you meet new colleagues, make new friends, and generate productive outcomes. What initially was ‘work’ is less burdensome and is much more enjoyable with camaraderie.”

Esper is equally grateful for her WLN mentor, Cynthia Comella, MD, FAAN. “She is a beacon for women in neurology and a true trailblazer in the field of movement disorders. Her guidance this past year has been priceless, and I would love to pay this forward to other female neurologists.” Esper’s recent election as chair to the AAN Women’s Issues in Neurology Section puts her in a unique position to tackle some of these challenges, “and Regina Troxell, MD, vice chair of the section, and I are establishing working groups to tackle many of these issues."

Added Esper, “I cannot thank the AAN enough for this opportunity!”

The empowering and inspirational Women Leading in Neurology program is designed to help mid-career participants tackle gender disparities head-on, create a peer network with other women AAN members, and advance to the top levels of leadership in their fields and within the Academy.

Learn more about AAN Leadership Development Programs at AAN.com/Lead

The 2022-2023 Women Leading in Neurology program is supported in part by AbbVie; Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease; Alnylam; argenx; Bristol Myers Squibb; Harmony Biosciences; Impel Pharmaceuticals Inc.; MERZ Therapeutics; and Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 