Message from the President

History, Resolve, and the Year Ahead

Dear friends of the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation,

Every January invites reflection. We look back at what carried us here and try to imagine what lies ahead. This year, I keep returning to a single image: walking a familiar path when the weather turns into a full blizzard.

You know where you came from. You know where you are going. But the storm around you feels relentless. The wind is loud. The snow blurs the horizon. Each step takes more energy than it should, and the temptation is to stop, to wait it out, to wonder if the path is still there at all.

If that sounds familiar, it is because it mirrors what so many are experiencing across medicine, science, public health, and academia right now. The current political climate has created headwinds that are hard to ignore. Uncertainty around policy, pressure on research and academic freedom, public mistrust of science, and real disruptions to the systems that allow rigorous discovery and evidence-based care to move forward. Even when the destination is clear, the noise can feel consuming. It can make progress feel slower. It can make the work feel heavier. It can make people question whether their footing is secure.

In a blizzard, perspective matters. The people who keep moving are the ones who remember the terrain. They know the landmarks. They understand what has already been navigated. That is what history gives us. There can be no purposeful future without the perspective of history.

At the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation, we maintain the path behind in order to inspire those forging ahead.

We serve as stewards of stories that must not be lost, and we take pride in sharing them with the women of today. When we preserve the full truth of women’s contributions, we do more than correct the record. We strengthen the foundation beneath today’s work and tomorrow’s breakthroughs. We enhance understanding of the pressing issues facing healthcare now, including how they are rooted in history. And we bridge generations, honoring the brave women who fought to establish their place in medicine while inspiring the leaders who will shape what comes next.

If you are feeling the strain of the moment, you are not alone. But we are not without direction. We know where we have been. We know where we are going. And even when visibility is low, we do not lose the path, because we carry it with us.

Here is my invitation as we step into this new year: join us and keep walking.

Become a member. Make a gift. Share our work with a colleague or trainee. Partner with us. Lend your voice, your expertise, and your support to this mission. In a blizzard, you do not get through by gritting your teeth in isolation. You get through by linking arms, holding steady to your values, and taking the next step together.

Let’s carry on through the blizzard, grounded in the past, clear about our purpose, and committed to shaping a future that is stronger because the full story is finally being told.  We cannot do this alone, and I want to share with you my process and thank Gabie Benson, the Executive Director of WIMLF, for partnering with me to convey our collective thoughts and the words to crystallize the direction of WIMLF.  Gabie and I meet bi-weekly, and through our conversations, we craft ideas and communicate strategies to move forward with hope. Our Board of Directors, an incredible group of women, and our Advisory Leadership Council are critical to this process. 

Please join us in these tumultuous times, and together we will achieve our vision for women scientists and the health of our nation.

With gratitude and resolve,

Danielle Laraque-Arena, MD, FAAP, FCOPP
President, Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation