International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8, serving as an opportunity to advocate for gender equality, celebrate the accomplishments of women around the world and highlight women’s rights, including women’s health.

In commemoration of this day, we’re spotlighting women physicians from Dignity Health Medical Groups who have contributed greatly to their respective practices and passing along their professional insight within their specialities in support of overall women’s health.

Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group (MMG) has appointed Peter Valenzuela, MD, MBA, as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). As CMO, Dr. Valenzuela will oversee all aspects of clinical care for MMG and provide strategic leadership to provide high-quality, patient-centric care in the Sacramento region. This includes the performance, recruitment, engagement and wellness of the 480 primary and specialty care clinicians with Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group. He will be responsible for patient safety, satisfaction and overall quality of clinical care.

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., impacting both men and women, and most racial and ethnic groups. While high blood pressure and high cholesterol are key risk factors for heart disease, so too are external factors like trauma and stress.

Catharine Malmsten, MD, a Cardiologist at Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group in Elk Grove, shares her insight on how stress and heart health correlate, along with advice on how we can combat stressors in our lives to remain healthy, especially during a pandemic.

As COVID-19 vaccines continue to be administered across the country, false information about the vaccine can also spread. When it comes to COVID-19 vaccines, it is important to be able to differentiate between common misconceptions and facts. Getting the vaccine is one of the best ways to protect against COVID-19, bringing our communities one step closer to putting an end to this pandemic. Angelina Crans Yoon, MD, an allergist and immunologist at Woodland Clinic, offers her medical expertise to shed some light on lingering questions around the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

Ya ha pasado casi un año desde que comenzó la pandemia de COVID-19, y reflexionamos sobre cuánto han cambiado nuestras comunidades y vidas a causa de ella. Somos conscientes de lo difícil que ha sido este último año para los pacientes y las comunidades que servimos. Las vacunas COVID-19 ofrecen una luz prometedora para el final del túnel de esta pandemia y nos sentimos honrados de ser parte de ese esfuerzo.