NEWS
Step Up and Speak Out: Lessons from Women Leaders in Cardiology
Published Date – 4 September 2025
The Industry panel discussion at RISE @ ESC Congress 2025 brought together inspiring leaders in cardiology, industry, and medical innovation to discuss promoting women in cardiology and the importance of diversity and inclusion.
Moderated by Dr. Dipti Itchhaporia, the conversation featured Jeanine Cordova, Global Medical Director, Obesity Team, Amgen; Dr. Kendra Grubb, VP and CMO of Structural Heart, Medtronic; Carol Pitcher-Towner, SVP, Head of Development Programs, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals; and Doris Pommi, SVP, Cardiovascular Care, Siemens Healthineers.
Together, they shared their personal journeys, their companies’ commitments to equity, and their advice for women rising in the field, encouraging participants to be bold, network, and advocate for themselves.
Practical Advice for Rising Leaders
Throughout the discussion, panelists offered tangible steps for women looking to grow their impact:
- Be bold: Ask for opportunities, follow through, and don’t fear rejection.
- Speak up: Don’t hide your expertise – your perspective is needed at the table.
- Advocate for each other: If you can’t take an opportunity, pass it on to another qualified woman.
- Seek mentorship: Find multiple mentors across academia and industry, and remember, asking is often seen as flattering, not burdensome.
- Start small: Consider investigator-initiated studies, advisory boards, or local opportunities to build your visibility and impact.
Working your way up the ladder, letting people know what you’re interested in, honing in on what your brand is and what you want to be known for, that’s going to help you ascend.
Dr. Kendra Grubb
Building Inclusive Cultures
Our industry leaders shared some of the many ways that their organizations are actively working to foster diversity in leadership and clinical research while ensuring women in cardiology are supported:
- Medtronic focuses on creating opportunities for women to lead, both as employees and as Principal Investigators. “We want to have at least 40% of the directors, senior directors, in those leadership roles be women,” Dr. Kendra Grubb said. “That directive creates the mentality and culture of helping women find that path to leadership. That culture then facilitates this emphasis on women’s heart health.” This was seen with the SMART Trial, where 85% of participants were women.
- Siemens Healthineers developed the Step Up Community, a platform where employees at all levels can openly discuss career development, mentorship, and life decisions. They are also examining how to ensure diversity in all areas of the business. “When you look at research and development, we have very few applicants [from women],” Doris Pommi stated, “and that is one of the aspects where we are opening up our labs. It’s an obligation on us as leaders to support young women.”
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals champions inclusion through iThrive, a program for women leaders at all levels to ensure they can reach their full potential. “As we think about women in cardiology, diversity is important, but [so is] inclusion, and that for us is not only the cultural aspects within the organization, but also how we think about how we run our clinical trials, our advisory boards, etc.,” said Carol Pitcher-Towner.
- Amgen mandates female representation on executive committees for its Phase III programs and supports career transitions for diverse talent, including military veterans. “We’ve recently compiled our executive committees for our phase three programs, and it was interesting to see that in their development: the executive chairs, along with Amgen, demanded representation of women on the executive committees and national leads throughout the program.” Jeanine Cordova explained.
The Challenge: Moving Beyond “The Same Old Players”
Panelists acknowledged a persistent challenge: clinical leadership opportunities often circulate among a familiar group of investigators.
“[When] somebody approaches me with an opportunity, if I can’t do it, I will give them a list of other women who would be equally qualified to take that opportunity. And I encourage you all to do that,” Carol Pitcher-Towner stated. “Offering another opportunity to somebody who’s maybe more junior, opening doors for people is really important. Take the friends that you’ve made today and advocate for them when they’re not in the room.”
Dr. Kendra Grubb gave her advice: “You start with your local rep, that information then filters back to us, and we start this list of names of people who are interested. We are always looking for talented people who are willing to work hard. Getting involved in clinical trials is really hard work. Working your way up the ladder, letting people know what you’re interested in, honing in on what your brand is and what you want to be known for, that’s going to help you ascend.”
Have the courage to advocate for yourself and for those around you; someone is always looking up to you.
Jeanine Cordova
”Step up and speak up,” Doris Pommi added. “Because very often, we have a very good network with the leaders of the department. It’s on you to speak up, get in contact with us. It’s also your turn. Don’t put your light under the table.”
“Women are so good about coming together, being very communicative, and advocating for each other is something you do really well. Do it more, and don’t be afraid to ask,” said Jeanine Cordova. “If there’s someone in industry that you meet here today, don’t be afraid to network with them.”
RISE Program Director Dr. Roxana Mehran urged industry and professional organizations to collaborate to ensure that new, diverse voices are elevated. She went on to highlight Women As One’s Talent Directory, which plays a critical role in connecting qualified women in cardiology directly with industry partners. “Finding the people to bring to you, that’s what we at Women As One will do for you,” she added. “Because this is so very, very crucially important – to get the right woman in the right seat at the right time.”
Closing Words of Wisdom
Each panelist left the audience with a final call to action:
- Kendra Grubb: “When the door of opportunity opens, walk through it.”
- Doris Pommi: “Be bold, step up and use the opportunity.”
- Carol Pitcher-Towner: “Claim your seat at the table, you are as good as anyone else, so have confidence in yourself.”
- Jeanine Cordova: “Have the courage to advocate for yourself and for those around you; someone is always looking up to you.”
The industry is ready and eager to partner with women in cardiology. The responsibility now lies in both directions: companies must continue to create pathways for inclusion, and women must be bold enough to claim them.
Women As One will continue to amplify the voices of women in cardiology, open doors, and ensure that the next generation of leaders in cardiology is more diverse, representative, and empowered than ever before.
Join the Women As One Talent Directory today
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