Inspiring Women: Psychiatrists Share Who Influenced Their Careers for Women's History Month

In these reflections in recognition of Women's History Month, 3 psychiatrists shared personal accounts of the women who most influenced their lives and careers in medicine.

Across the clinicians featured, a commonality emerged: each identified their mother as the most formative woman in their professional development. Freda Lewis-Hall, MD, who grew up as a young African American woman in the 1960s, described her mother's unwavering advocacy against persistent institutional discouragement. Her mother urged her to directly contact Howard University School of Medicine about admission—advice that proved pivotal when she was accepted that year after a waitlisted candidate withdrew. Lewis-Hall reflected on the profound weight of this timing, noting that her mother passed away that same summer, never witnessing her daughter begin medical school. Gus Alva, MD, DFAPA, described his mother who had been forced to abandon her own aspirations in medicine due to life circumstances, an unfulfilled ambition she ultimately passed on to her children. Thomas Valente, MD, echoed these themes, citing his mother's identity as a nurse as a natural bridge to honoring Florence Nightingale as a broader historical inspiration.¹

Beyond their mothers, the speakers collectively invoked a wide range of women who broke barriers across science, activism, athletics, and public life—among them Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, Billie Jean King, and civil rights advocate Mary McLeod Bethune.² These figures were characterized as women who "broke down the barriers" and modeled courage in the face of resistance.

Clinicians highlighted shared themes of resilience, mentorship, and the enduring influence of women—both celebrated and unsung.

Dr Lewis-Hall is on the board of directors and is chair of the scientific committee for Helus Pharma.

Dr Valente is a psychiatrist in Leesburg, Florida.

Dr Alva is a board-certified psychiatrist and the Mood Disorders Section Editor for Psychiatric Times.

References

1. Karimi H, Masoudi Alavi N. Florence Nightingale: the mother of nursing. Nurs Midwifery Stud. 2015;4(2):e29475.

2. Lo C. Decade by decade: major events in women’s history. Smithsonian Magazine. March 1, 2008. Accessed March 30, 2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/decade-by-decade-25263355/