Women in Radiology (WIR) Ally Award

The Women in Radiology group of the Michigan Medicine Department of Radiology seeks to recognize research and advocacy in several domains that are aligned with the group’s mission. Specifically, this award will recognize efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion in trainee or faculty recruitment, selection, and hiring; career development and leadership for women and underrepresented minorities; wellness and work-life balance in radiology in general; and health disparities related to image-based screening, utilization, or outcomes in underrepresented groups.

All Department of Radiology faculty, house officers and staff are eligible to be nominated. If the efforts are those of a team, the nomination should be submitted to recognize the team and the award will be shared.

Nomination Process:

  • Women In Radiology Steering Committee will solicit nominations each spring
  • Submissions should include a description of published or presented research, public advocacy or other activities resulting in policy, administrative or operational change aligned with the above goals
  • Nominees may include radiology residents, fellows, faculty, or staff members of any gender or a team of people.

Award Recipient

2022

Senior Ally Award | Linda Hart

Linda Hart is an administrative assistant in the Department of Radiology. She is highly active in many groups in both the Department of Radiology and University of Michigan, promoting the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is a member of “Voices” or “Voices of the staff” as a long-term mentor and as a facilitator on the “Enhancing the Employee Experience” team by assisting in onboarding and mentorship of staff, “Black Employee Association at the University of Michigan” which works towards creating a conducive work environment and supports aspirations of Black employees, Department of Radiology “DEI Committee,” and “Women of Color Task Force” at the Center for the Education of Women. She advocates for those whose voices are less heard and has built solid working relationships and opportunities for communication to talk to people, listen to their concerns, provide resources she has gathered during her employment journey, and at times brainstorm ways to effect change.

Junior Ally Award | Mamadou Sanogo, MD

Dr. Sanogo is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology and the Program Director for the Independent Interventional Radiology Residency. Dr. Sanogo embodies humanistic ideals in as a physician, educator, and person. He is an exceptional advocate for others, including patients, faculty, staff, and trainees. He steps beyond the role of physician and works tirelessly, breaking down barriers of health inequity to provide expert and compassionate care for all of his patients. He has a longstanding commitment to bringing Interventional Radiology to Africa and has helped to establish the first IR residency training program in Tanzania where he continues to provide hands-on training and care. He promotes equity and inclusion as a bystander for others; for example, by intervening during situations of unfair treatment and bullying. As Program Director, he takes a holistic and welcoming approach to candidate recruitment and selection. As a result of his leadership in this process, opportunity-bias is leveled and paves the way for ensuring a diverse and inclusive next generation of interventional radiologists.

2021

Julie Phillips

Clerical Supervisor, East Ann Arbor and Brighton Center for Specialty Care

Julie has created an inclusive and diverse work environment through recruitment, selection, hiring, and training and also through promoting career development and leadership opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities. She is respectful of all and does not deviate from her true core of treating everyone the same, no matter their background. By being an active listener and remaining open-minded to different viewpoints, she supports each staff member so that they have a sense of belonging and safety and so that they feel included and rewarded. She promotes better patient care by placing emphasis on the care provided to our entire patient population regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.

2020

The Women in Radiology Ally Award selections committee decided to create a Junior and Senior Ally Award in 2020 to recognize that opportunities to promote change vary depending on the stage of one’s career.

Junior Ally Award | Karen Guy Grajewski, MD

Resident, Diagnostic Radiology

Dr. Grajewski received the Junior Ally Award as a fourth year Diagnostic Radiology resident. She has demonstrated exemplary service in promoting the interests of women radiologists and trainees. Since her first year as a radiology resident, she has been a vocal leader in the Michigan Radiological Society (MRS) by being involved with the Commission on Women and Diversity and being the co-chair for the MRS subcommittee for Family Friendly Policies. She has increased awareness in the region regarding parental leave policies and lactation facilities by contacting training programs and radiology practices regarding their policies, sharing resources on the MRS website, and delivering an excellent Grand Rounds in our department regarding parental leave. She has published interviews conducted with women in radiology leadership positions in the MRS newsletter. She has also been involved in medical student outreach and recruitment at local medical schools through MRS and the U of M chapter of the American Medical Women’s Association by participating on panels for radiology interest groups, presenting on Radiology as a profession, and organizing mixers.

Senior Ally Award | Stephanie Patterson, MD, FACR, FSBI

Faculty, Breast Imaging

Dr. Patterson received the Senior Ally Award as a valuable faculty member in the Breast and Abdominal Imaging Divisions for over 25 years. She has pursued ground breaking changes towards diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the Department of Radiology and participated in workshops to enhance the education and exposure of under-represented minorities (URM) to the field of Radiology. She has been the Chair of the Department of Radiology Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion since its inception in 2016 and shaped the committee from the ground up. She has steadily gain knowledge in DEI through after-hours and weekend workshops and seminars to improve relationships amongst staff and faculty and is determined to create a culture of trust and equity as she works towards this goal. For several years, she has participated in the Michigan Medicine Student National Medical Association SimFest team which hosts a hands-on workshop demonstrating and teaching ultrasound guided biopsies to URM medical students and with Nth Dimensions to expose women and URM undergraduate students to competitive sub-specialties of medicine, including Radiology.

2019

Annette Ingram Joe, MD

Faculty, Breast Imaging

Dr. Joe was nominated by multiple people for her numerous contributions at the national and local levels which include years of mentoring and educating under-represented minority groups, reducing healthcare disparity and promoting health education in minority patients, and working to increase the number of minority organ donors in Michigan.

Dr. Joe was nominated by several people and each person described different highly impactful service activities. This list includes activities described in the nominations.

  • Dedicated years of mentoring the next generation of doctors from under-represented minority groups at the high school, undergraduate, and medical student levels and local, regional, and national levels.
  • Promoting medical education among minority medical students and physicians by being involved in organizations and committees such as the:
    • Michigan Radiological Society’s Commission for Women & Diversity in Radiology
    • Fitzbutler Jones Society of the University of Michigan
    • Diversity, equity, and inclusion committee for the Department of Radiology
    • Black Medical Association at Wayne State and U of M, giving & arranging talks
    • National Medical Association (promotes the collective interests of physicians and patients of African descent) by being on the scientific committee and giving talks, attending local and national meetings
    • Putting on the Michigan Medicine Simfest hands-on breast biopsy workshop at the Student National Medical Association meeting
  • Actively working to reduce health disparities in minorities and improve minority health by:
    • Giving talks to underprivileged girls and mothers about breast health to reduce disparity in these groups at greater risk for morbidity/mortality
    • Being a member of The Greater Wayne Counter Chapter of The Links, Inc, a national community service organization for professional women of color where she has given talks to local and chapters about early breast cancer detection
    • Advocating for African-American breast cancers survivors through the Sisters Network--Greater Metropolitan Detroit Chapter (the only national African American breast cancer survivorship organization in the US).
  • Actively working to increase the number of minority organ donors in Michigan by:
    • Being a board member of the Minority Organ Transplant Education Program
    • Life Walk participant and team organizer
    • Being on the Governing Board of Gift of Life in Michigan
  • Other relevant honors include:
    • Distinguished Service from the National Medical Association section on Radiology
    • University of Michigan Black Pre-Med Association Mentor Award