Redonda Miller urges women to “be open to whatever exciting new opportunities come along, and don’t be afraid to go after them.”
The first woman president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital spoke recently at A Woman’s Journey, an annual Johns Hopkins Medicine conference that since 1995 has informed women about advances in medicine, empowering them to make better health decisions.
This year’s daylong event attracted about 900 participants to the Hilton Baltimore, where Johns Hopkins doctors and scientists led 32 seminars on topics such as preserving bone density and increasing happiness. This year also introduced Dessert with the Experts, which gave participants opportunities to chat with 38 Johns Hopkins specialists about health and discoveries.
The day began with hundreds of women gathering in the hotel ballroom to hear Miller’s keynote speech. She described her winding journey from a high school where few went on to college to president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital. “I told myself, ‘It’s OK to change your mind,’” she said, as she described switching from engineering to pre-medicine at Ohio State University and then leaving her home state for medical school at Johns Hopkins.
Another turning point came eight years ago, when she was 42 and juggling three jobs at Johns Hopkins. She was seeing patients as an internist specializing in women’s health, while also serving as the Department of Medicine's vice chair of operations and the medical school's assistant dean of students. She was also pregnant with her second child.
As if that weren’t enough, she told her audience, she had applied to be the hospital’s vice president of medical affairs. The day after her second daughter was born, the search committee informed her that she was a finalist for the position. Could she come in for multiple interviews over three days? With a new baby, Miller considered saying no. But she knew this was the position she wanted. The committee graciously granted her some extra time, and she got the assignment.
Miller says that position prepared her for “the best job in the world,” president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital. It was because she had moved outside her comfort zone.
“I am reminded every day—and especially as I speak to you—that we just never know where life will lead us,” she said. “And that’s a good thing.”
Next year’s A Woman’s Journey is scheduled for Nov. 11, 2017.
Redonda Miller, M.D., M.B.A. | 2016 A Woman's Journey Keynote Presentation
Redonda Miller, M.D., M.B.A. is the 2016 A Woman's Journey keynote speaker in Baltimore, Maryland. Doctor Redonda Miller's journey has brought her to become the first women president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and share that experience.