Kruse: Springfield-area women making a difference in improving health for everyone

I was recently asked about the biggest disappointment in my 49-year medical career. The answer is easy. I am most disappointed that health outcomes in the U.S. have not kept up with the rest of the world over the past half-century, and that I have missed opportunities to have greater influence. I am, however, encouraged that this trend will be countered by a movement toward a more diverse leadership in medicine, based on advances at SIU School of Medicine (SIU SOM).

Some history is in order. After completion of medical and public health training, I became aware that, relative to the rest of the industrialized world, the United States lagged behind most nations in population-based health outcomes, spent more per capita on health care, and had the least equitable access to care.

In 2005, Dr. Barbara Starfield, a world-renowned pediatrician and epidemiologist and head of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, published a landmark article in the Milbank Quarterly. This work precisely defined the characteristics of effective, efficient and equitable systems of health care among industrialized nations. There was now no excuse. We had the answer to improve the U.S. health care system.

But almost nothing positive happened from a health policy standpoint.

There was one great thing. The Affordable Care Act provided legislation that allowed for 45 million more people to be insured. The number of Americans without health insurance now stands at 22 million, an all-time low, but still a national embarrassment.

And that was it. The fragmentation, inefficiency and inequity continued.

Some outcomes actually worsened. The maternal mortality rose over the past 20 years. The population-based health outcomes for women of childbearing age and children in the U.S. are by far the worst among the rich nations, and have a disproportionate negative weight when overall outcomes in the U.S. are compared to the rest of the world.

Even if there is discouragement at the national level, I am encouraged by the forward-thinking work at SIU School of Medicine. This work relates to the leadership and the influence of women.

A few months ago, four female faculty members at SIU SOM received the Inspire Award from the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA). Only 65 women in the nation received this award. Here are the awardees from SIU SOM:

• Dr. Stacy Sattovia is professor of internal medicine. She received the award for her work in culinary medicine, a discipline that combines the art of food and cooking with the sciences of nutrition, medicine and healing. Her team’s work has created great enthusiasm among our students.
• Dr. Vidhya Prakash is professor of internal medicine and infectious diseases and is our chief medical officer. She received the award for her leadership in the development of the Alliance for Women in Medicine and Science at SIU SOM. This organization has transformed our institutional culture and has inspired many young women in paths to leadership.
• Dr. Janet Albers is professor and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She received the award for her collaborative work to develop a pervasive network of federally qualified health centers in western, central and southern Illinois. This led to the establishment of programs for community health workers across the area and has improved equity in access to health care for thousands of people.
• Dr. Kari Wolf is professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and CEO of the State of Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Center at SIU SOM (BHWC). She received the award for her advocacy work that led to the establishment of the BHWC, a center that has expanded training and launched new programs for mental and behavioral health throughout the state.
• To top it all off, Dr. Susan Hingle has been named the president of AMWA for 2025. Dr. Hingle is professor of internal medicine and associate dean for human and organizational potential at SIU SOM. Her selection as AMWA president recognizes her dedication to the advancement of women in medicine and her national standing in the discipline of medicine.

The faculty of SIU SOM includes 196 women, or 48% of all faculty members. This is a higher percentage than four-fifths of all other medical schools. Women faculty members at SIU SOM hold 51% of all major committee memberships, hold the chair of 70% of all major committees, and hold 60% of executive leadership positions.

Consider all of this: culinary medicine, engagement of the community for health, a greater workforce for mental and behavioral health, and local and national inspiration of women for leadership. The advancement of women in positions of power and influence at SIU SOM is a major advance in a profession historically governed by men. When other institutions follow the SIU SOM example, I am confident that work at the organizational level will be the stimulus that will improve population health outcomes and health equity in the U.S.