Dr. Geraldine McGinty, chief strategy officer of Weill Cornell Medicine’s Physician Organization, has been named the 2019 recipient of the Jessica M. and Natan Bibliowicz Award for Excellence in Mentoring Women Faculty.
The Bibliowicz Award recognizes outstanding men and women faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine who demonstrate a commitment to advancing the academic careers of women in the areas of clinical care, research and education. Dr. McGinty was honored for her longstanding dedication to advancing the professional development of faculty, students and trainees at Weill Cornell Medicine, as well as those at other institutions nationwide. She formally received the awardon April 22 during Weill Cornell Medicine’s second annual Diversity Week.
“It is an honor to receive this award,” said Dr. McGinty, who is also an assistant professor of clinical radiology and of clinical healthcare policy and research. “It’s a huge vote of support for the importance of mentorship from both my colleagues and mentees.
“‘Attention is the currency of leadership,’” she added, quoting Ronald Heifetz, the founder of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School. “With this award, Jessica and Natan are making a statement at the highest level of our governance that mentorship is an important activity.”
“At Weill Cornell Medicine, we profoundly believe in the power of mentorship to nurture the next generation of women leaders in science and medicine,” said Jessica Bibliowicz, chair of Weill Cornell Medicine’s Board of Overseers. “Dr. McGinty’s dedication to fostering the academic and medical careers and aspirations of her numerous mentees is inspiring and perfectly exemplifies the spirit of this award.”
A champion of sponsorship, Dr. McGinty actively facilitates career-expanding opportunities for her mentees. She consistently recommends colleagues and mentees for membership on professional committees, on which they can hone their leadership skills and offer key insights driven by their diverse perspectives and backgrounds. She also seeks to connect investigators within Weill Cornell Medicine whose medical and scientific interests align so they can learn from each other, she said. Dr. McGinty extends this philosophy to her work on the national level, as chair of the American College of Radiology’s Board of Chancellors—the first woman to ever hold that post.
“We all know that the pipeline for women leaders gets very tight toward the top,” she said. “If we are going to open that up, those in leadership in the organization have to help those coming up to see their path. It’s the mentality of, ‘If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.’”
Dr. McGinty’s dedication to nurturing the talents of those around her has garnered widespread appreciation and admiration from her mentees and peers.
“Dr. McGinty exemplifies how a mentor or sponsor can increase the academic productivity of those with whom she works,” said Dr. Janine Katzen, an assistant professor of clinical radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine, who as a mentee of Dr. McGinty joined fellow mentees Dr. Elizabeth Arleo, an associate professor of radiology, and Dr. Katia Dodelzon, an assistant professor of clinical radiology, to nominate her for the award.
“Whether in her departmental role or in an institutional leadership position, Dr. McGinty always makes mentorship and support of others a priority,” said Dr. Rob Min, chair of the Department of Radiology and CEO of Weill Cornell Medicine’s Physician Organization, who also submitted a nomination for her. “In all of my years, I have seen no equal to Geraldine McGinty as a mentor.”