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September 2026 Women in Psychiatry Committee Report
The Women in Psychiatry Committee brings together women psychiatrists across Massachusetts at every career stage for mentorship, community, and leadership development. Our mission is to create a supportive environment where women in psychiatry can share experiences, develop leadership skills, explore scholarly and clinical interests, and build networks that strengthen their careers and communities. The committee remains committed to supporting women across all practice settings.
The committee is co-chaired by Drs. Katiuska Ramirez, Haley Euting, and Samina Mahesar, who assumed leadership in September 2025. Dr. Rayah Touma Sawaya (Boston Medical Center, PGY-4) has served as Resident Co-Chair since April 2026. We are delighted to welcome Diana Kim, MD (Boston Medical Center, PGY-3), who joined as Resident Co-Chair at our August 26, 2026 meeting. Congratulations and welcome, Dr. Kim!
The committee opened the 2026-2027 academic year with a virtual meeting on August 26, 2026, spent reconnecting as a group, welcoming new members, and setting direction for the year ahead. Members agreed the committee will meet every two months, a cadence intended to sustain momentum and make participation manageable alongside clinical and academic responsibilities.
The committee will continue to center the experiences and issues of women in psychiatry, with mentorship and leadership development remaining core commitments. Building on the interests expressed by members and by our resident co-chairs, we will also integrate women's mental health and reproductive psychiatry content into the year's programming.
The 2025-2026 year gave us a strong foundation. In October 2025, a joint meeting with the MPS C-L Psychiatry Committee featured Drs. Josh Leo (BIDMC), Polina Teslyar (BWH), Ilana Braun (DFCI), and Kaila Rudolph (BMC), who reflected on their paths across clinical, academic, and leadership roles. In January 2026, Dr. Huma Farid, Director of the BIDMC Academy and Division Chief of General OB/GYN, spoke on mentorship and sponsorship in academic medicine, introducing the idea of a "mentoring board of trustees" and describing how the most impactful mentors move beyond advice into active sponsorship. In April 2026, members set goals for the committee and shared their experiences as women in psychiatry. In June 2026, Dr. Brett Young, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mount Auburn Hospital, led a negotiation skills workshop offering practical strategies for knowing your priorities, building leverage, and negotiating with humanity.
We welcome all women within MPS seeking connection, guidance, and a collaborative space to learn and lead together. To join the committee, please contact Mayuri Patel at [email protected] (APA/MPS membership required).
Warmly,
