By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    bowl of vegetable salad
    Raw Foods: benefits and harms
    November 9, 2021
    pros and cons of the keto diet
    Read This Before You Follow the Keto Diet
    May 18, 2022
    spinal cord injuries
    4 Potential Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries (and How to Seek Compensation)
    May 25, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    The key stakeholders involved in improving healthcare policy
    The Key Stakeholders involved in Improving Healthcare Policy
    October 26, 2023
    medical erros avoid
    How to Report Medication Errors and Why It’s Important
    November 17, 2024
    Essential Steps for Developing a Life Care Plan
    Essential Steps for Developing a Life Care Plan
    December 26, 2024
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Impressions from XX in Health
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Finance > Impressions from XX in Health
BusinessFinanceNewsPolicy & Law

Impressions from XX in Health

Anne Weiler
Last updated: April 4, 2014 8:00 am
Anne Weiler
Share
5 Min Read
xx in health conference
SHARE

xx in health conferenceLast week I was fortunate to attend the XX in Health conference sponsored by Rock Health at Cavallo Point in Sausalito.

xx in health conferenceLast week I was fortunate to attend the XX in Health conference sponsored by Rock Health at Cavallo Point in Sausalito. It was an evening and full-day of networking for women at all stages of their careers and across many disciplines including large insurers, startups, consulting companies, government, and healthcare providers.

Lisa Suennen, venture capitalist and healthcare consultant provided commentary and kept the day running smoothly. Pat Salber of the Doctor Weighs In did a great job of summarizing the day, so I’ll stick to my impressions.

First, I can’t remember the last time I was at any event that was all women and the first thing that struck me was the color and diversity of appearances and the amount of buzz in the room before the event even started. I’m used to IT conferences where everyone is wearing the same uniform of khakis and polos, and where everyone looks at their shoes until the evening cocktail hour. (Joke: How can you tell an extroverted engineer? S/he looks at your shoes.)

More Read

PCHC
Person-Centered HealthCare: Improving Patient Experience By Improving Care
Wal-Mart provides evidence Obamacare is working
Increasing Medicare Eligibility Age and the Law of Unintended Consequences
Massachusetts Health Reform Bill Tackles Cost Control and More
Health Care Buzz Today

Second, I was struck by the honesty of the personal stories that were told. It was refreshing to hear how people struggled. So often we only hear the ups, and miss all the trials that got a successful person to that place. What struck me is that it seemed unlikely that a group of men would share to this depth.

Third, women’s career paths while producing highly talented and well-rounded individuals do not fit the traditional “climbing the ladder.” During my 10 years at Microsoft, I saw people with calculated career paths. They did whatever it took to get to the next level, and they got there faster than I did. I looked for interesting experiences. Opening speaker, Colleen Reitan of Healthcare Services Corporation talked about a similar approach, but was questioned by an audience member if perhaps women take this route because they have no other choice or face roadblocks. At the break, my table talked about this a bit, and think that unfortunately there a lot of external factors, like not wanting to look too aggressive that make women take this path.

Another prevalent theme was that women are well suited to solve challenges in healthcare due to their natural empathy, and that healthcare problems can only be solved with human communication, spaces for healing, and spiritual connection.

Many speakers talked about mentors who had challenged them, supported them, and sometimes bluntly said they couldn’t do things, which spurned greater action. Interestingly, I can’t remember a single person with a great female mentor. They were all senior men, most of these speakers were in later career so it might just be a product of the time they were starting.

Finally, one of my biggest takeaways was to look for the “underdog.” Vivek Wadwa, the only male speaker, talked about how while Silicon Valley was staffed by immigrants, he was told by every VC that “Indians don’t make good CEOs” so rather than fight this, he looked to CEOs of successful Indian companies for backing and advice, which might not have been a typical choice. I heard the same advice from other startup CEOs I talked to: you are different, find others who are different and help them.

The event this year had a waitlist of over 400 people, so if you’re interested in attending you will want to make sure you are following @xxinhealth.

If you’d like to get some great impressions of the event, you can see some of the best tweets here.

TAGGED:XX in Health
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share
By Anne Weiler
Follow:
Anne Weiler is CEO and co-founder of Wellpepper, a clinically-validated and award winning platform for patient engagement that enables health systems to track patient outcomes in real-time against their own protocols and personalize treatment plans for patients. Wellpepper patients are over 70% engaged. Prior to Wellpepper, Anne was Director of Product Management at Microsoft Corporation.

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

Health careHome HealthWellness

6 Ways to Make Sure You’re Detoxing Properly

June 1, 2018

6 Lessons from the World Cup for Medical Device Companies

July 24, 2014

UnitedHealth, YMCA Expand Diabetes Prevention Program with P4P for Walgreens

August 31, 2011

Steady as She Goes or Down With the Ship, a Parable for Healthcare

June 17, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?