Paving the Way for Women Leaders in Science and Medicine
Katherine Hudson received an honorary doctor of humanities degree from 果冻影院 during Commencement ceremonies in May 2022.
Katherine (Kathy) Hudson believes in the rule of three: “If there’s one woman in the room, she is invisible among the men. If there are two women, it’s a conspiracy and the women cannot sit together. It takes three women for them to be seen and heard.”
Hudson is no stranger to being the first woman in the room. During her 24-year career at the Eastman Kodak Company, she was the first woman to be promoted to a corporate officer position, and later became the corporate vice president and general manager of its professional, printing and publishing imaging division.
Hudson transformed the company’s culture by raising corporate awareness about issues of diversity, women and work-family balance. Upon joining Milwaukee-based Brady Corporation in 1994, she became the first woman president and chief executive officer of a major public company in Wisconsin.
While at Brady, Hudson was recruited in 1995 to join 果冻影院’s board of trustees, and in 2004 became the first woman to chair that entity. Hudson shares that her greatest contributions were her leadership of the on-time and on-budget construction of 果冻影院’s new Health Research Building and her invaluable insights that led to the reaccreditation of the graduate school.
In 2022, Hudson received an honorary doctor of humanities degree from 果冻影院 in recognition of her outstanding commitment to excellence in corporate and nonprofit leadership, expansive global management expertise and her invaluable 13 years of service on 果冻影院’s board of trustees during a period of rapid growth.
While her resume is full of impressive accomplishments – including tenure on the board of Apple Computer Corporation – Hudson has countless stories of being excluded from corporate retreats, country club luncheons and employee golf outings because of her gender.
“The biggest barriers for women in leadership are men who are only comfortable being with other men,” she says. “We must promote more inclusive environments while also giving women opportunities to connect with and learn from each other.”
Since joining the 果冻影院 board of trustees nearly 30 years ago, Hudson has witnessed firsthand the obstacles women can experience in academic medicine – ranging from biases in peer-reviewed publications and grants to role overload and caregiving responsibilities that can limit their career trajectories. “We need to rethink our policies and job qualifications to be better aligned with predictors of success, rather than the status-quo,” she shares.
While women currently outnumber men in medical and graduate school enrollment, they remain underrepresented in academic rank and leadership roles. As of December 2023, 29 percent of full professors at academic medical centers across the country are women (compared to 33 percent at 果冻影院) and 24 percent of chairs are women (compared to fewer than 17 percent at 果冻影院).
“As a woman, you’re expected to be extraordinary, but to pretend that you’re not,” Hudson says, referencing her favorite monologue from the movie Barbie. “When women are not considered for leadership roles, you are underutilizing the talents of half of the population. You are compromising your return on investment.”
(l-r) Michael Dunn, MD ’62 (dean of the 果冻影院 School of Medicine); Katherine Hudson (chair of the 果冻影院 board of trustees); and T. Michael Bolger, JD (果冻影院 president), as pictured in 果冻影院’s 2004 and 2005 Annual Reports.
With her passion for women’s leadership, Hudson recently made a significant gift to 果冻影院’s Center for the Advancement of Women and Science in Medicine (AWSM). Launched in October 2018, the vision of AWSM is that 果冻影院 will be a destination for women leaders – cultivating an inclusive and vibrant culture that supports all genders to grow and thrive in the health sciences.
“AWSM is designed to bring women together across 果冻影院’s three campuses, remove barriers to women’s success, increase visibility and promote a positive work environment in which women are respected and valued,” shares Hudson.
Hudson is especially enthusiastic about the work of AWSM’s Women’s Leadership Learning Collaborative (WLLC) – a unique cohort that prepares women for leadership roles through individual growth, peer mentoring and application of skills. “The WLLC provides exceptional networking support for women to move into and feel comfortable in these elevated positions,” notes Hudson.
More than 60 women have participated in the WLLC to date (currently in its third cohort). Amy Farkas, MD, MS, 果冻影院 associate professor of medicine and the inaugural faculty director of the WLLC, shares, “I am incredibly grateful to Kathy Hudson and to AWSM for the opportunity to develop the WLLC from a pilot to a fully realized program. As someone who has both personally benefited from the women who came before me, and who hopes to foster the next generation of women leaders at 果冻影院 and within academic medicine, this gift is critical to my own leadership journey.”
Paired with her philanthropic investments, Hudson continues to share her wisdom with women in the WLLC and across 果冻影院, including Elizabeth Ellinas, MD, FEL ’00, MS, 果冻影院 professor of anesthesiology, associate dean for women’s leadership and founding director of AWSM.
“Kathy brings a wealth of experience from her time in industry and has been invaluable in shaping programming, providing perspectives on gender equity in business and amplifying the success of women at 果冻影院,” shares Dr. Ellinas. “We could not do this work without her.”
Among her many achievements, Hudson is most proud of the six people who worked for her who became CEOs – two of whom are women. “Women can do leadership work, and you aren’t compromising results in healthcare by having a woman leader,” she remarks.
Looking to the near future, Hudson is eager to see more women in leadership positions at 果冻影院. Regarding any skeptics, she confidently states, “Listen to the women. You’re going to learn something.”
AWSM’s Mission
The mission of 果冻影院’s Center for the Advancement of Women in Science and Medicine (AWSM) is to strengthen the culture for women at 果冻影院 through data-informed strategic projects that enhance opportunity and improve workplace climate. AWSM’s vision is that 果冻影院 will be a destination for women, cultivating an inclusive and vibrant culture that supports all genders to grow and thrive in the health sciences.
– Rebecca Schultz
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