On Monday, April 24, the Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership held its 15th Annual Woman One Award Ceremony at the Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia.

The ceremony honors a woman of exceptional leadership while also raising scholarship funds for talented, underrepresented women in medicine who, after graduating from Drexel University College of Medicine, intend to serve disadvantaged communities.

This year’s award honoree was Molly D. Shepard, president and CEO of The Leader’s Edge/Leaders By Design, a company dedicated to the advancement of executive and high-potential leaders. She is a sought-after thought leader and speaker in the field of women’s leadership development and is the author of four books, including “Breaking Into the Boys’ Club” (2015) and “The Bully-Proof Workplace” (2017).

Shepard is actively involved in the community. She has served as co-chair for Women Against MS for the past five years and is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Greater Delaware Valley Chapter. She is also the founder of the Women’s Initiative for The United Way of Southeastern PA and is chairman emeritus of the United Way.

The evening's program included speeches from Lynn Yeakel, director of the Institute for Women's Health and Leadership; Judith M. von Seldeneck, founder, chairman and CEO of Diversified Search; Charles Pizzi, retired president and CEO of Tasty Baking Company; Drexel University President John Fry; Ashley Lunkenheimer (Shepard’s daughter), senior legal counsel at AmeriHealth Caritas; and the night’s honoree, Molly D. Shepard.

As the 15th Woman One honoree, Shepard joins a prestigious list of past honorees including Estelle Richman (2003), Leslie Anne Miller (2004), Dawn Staley (2005), Suzanne Roberts (2006), Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD (2007), Stephanie Naidoff (2008), Jane Pepper (2009), Eliana Papadakis (2010), Sara Manzano-Díaz (2011), Dianne Semingson (2012), Lisa Thomas Laury (2013), Laurada Byers (2014), Lynne Honickman (2015) and Renee Amoore (2016).

This year's program raised nearly $300,000 in scholarship funds, bringing the total funds raised to more than $3 million since its founding 15 years ago. Since its inception, the program has supported the medical education of 29 women at Drexel University College of Medicine. The funds raised this year will allow the Institute to bring two new Woman One Scholars into the program. Those scholars will be announced over the summer.

All current Woman One Scholars attended the event, including Christina Schroeder, who will graduate this year with her MD and MBA.  A California native, she will now join the 21 other Woman One Scholar Emeritae, as she begins her pediatric residency next year at Harbor UCLA Medical Center.

You can learn more about Christina and the other current Woman One Scholars here.