Today and every day, we celebrate mothers and mother figures in our lives and recognize the care they give to their families, their communities and their careers. This Mother’s Day, we asked Stephanie Parmely, PhD, a Behavioral Health Psychologist at Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group and mom, to weigh-in on how she navigates motherhood, her career and most importantly, self-care.

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.

We celebrate National Women Physicians Day on Feb. 3, commemorating Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, who was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the U.S. in 1849. Today, we honor and recognize the accomplishments and milestones of all women doctors since then.

To celebrate, we asked a handful of women physicians within Dignity Health Medical Groups to weigh-in on what National Women Physicians Day represents for them and share advice for other women entering the medical profession.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase education and awareness around a disease that affects women of all ages and ethnicities. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S., second only to skin cancer. Close to 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. 

Joelle Jakobsen, MD, FACS, a general surgeon and breast cancer specialist with Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group in Folsom, and Carmichael Calif. and Daniel Herron, MD, director of Women’s Imaging at Dignity Health Advanced Imaging, shared helpful information on breast cancer and mammograms.

One in five women in California will experience distressing emotions, anxiety or depression during their pregnancy or up to a year after giving birth. This time can be difficult for the entire family. Early identification and treatment are vital to the health of not only the mother, but also her infant, partner and family. The pandemic has only increased new parents’ need for support.