Insight
Women Who Lead: An interview with Malissa J. Wood, MD
By Women As One
Welcome to Women Who Lead, a series highlighting inspiring women leaders in cardiology who are shaping the future of cardiovascular medicine.
In this edition, we feature Dr. Malissa Wood, a distinguished cardiologist, physician executive, and champion for diversity and health equity.
Through her clinical leadership, programme-building, and advocacy, Malissa has advanced the care of women with cardiovascular disease while shaping more inclusive systems within medicine.
From founding landmark women’s heart health and SCAD programs to leading at the highest levels of organised cardiology, her work continues to strengthen opportunities for women physicians and improve health outcomes for women worldwide.
As Chief Medical Officer of Women As One, Dr. Wood leads the organisation’s medical and scientific activities, guiding clinical strategy, research, advocacy, and partnerships that advance equity for women in medicine.
What first drew you to cardiology, and what personal or professional experiences most shaped your leadership journey?
I was drawn to cardiology because it sits at the intersection of science, prevention, and human connection.
Early in my training, I became aware of how differently cardiovascular disease presents in women—and how often those differences were overlooked. That realisation shaped both my clinical focus and my leadership journey.
Professionally, stepping into roles where I could build programmes, mentor others, and address inequities—particularly in women’s heart health—made it clear to me that leadership is not about title, but about creating systems that serve people better.
Can you describe a defining moment when your leadership made a meaningful difference for a patient, colleague, or institution?
One defining moment was helping to establish a multidisciplinary women’s heart health programme at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Seeing improved outcomes for patients—and watching early-career clinicians grow into confident leaders within that programme—reinforced the power of intentional leadership. It reminded me that when you invest in people and structure, the impact multiplies far beyond any one individual.
How has the landscape for women leaders in cardiology changed since you began your career, and what still needs to shift?
There is far greater visibility of women leaders today than when I began my career, and conversations around equity are more open and data-driven.
That said, representation still drops off sharply at senior leadership levels, and women continue to shoulder disproportionate clinical, mentorship, and “invisible” work.
What still needs to shift is not just access, but accountability—ensuring that leadership pathways are transparent, equitable, and sustainable.
What are the most persistent challenges facing women cardiologists in your country or region today?
Persistent challenges include pay inequity, lack of sponsorship, inflexible career structures, and the ongoing tension between professional advancement and personal responsibilities. Many women also face burnout from being asked to “do more” without the authority or resources to truly lead. Addressing these challenges requires structural—not just individual—solutions.
What leadership pathways are there for women cardiologists in your region, and where are opportunities still lacking?
Leadership pathways exist through academic promotion, professional societies, clinical programme development, and industry or nonprofit partnerships. However, opportunities are still lacking in early sponsorship, formal leadership training, and access to high-visibility roles that lead to executive positions. Too often, women are prepared but not positioned.
How is women’s leadership in healthcare viewed in your region, and what progress or resistance have you seen?
Women’s leadership is increasingly recognised as essential to high-quality, patient-centred care. We’ve seen progress in representation and advocacy, but resistance still shows up subtly—through unconscious bias, uneven expectations, and slower advancement.
True progress comes when women’s leadership is normalised, not exceptionalised.
What role do institutions and male colleagues need to play to truly accelerate gender equity in cardiology?
Institutions must commit to equity as a core value, supported by data, resources, and measurable outcomes. Male colleagues play a critical role as sponsors—opening doors, amplifying voices, and challenging inequities when they see them.
Gender equity is not a women’s issue; it is a leadership and quality issue.
In your view, what is the most urgent unmet need for women in cardiology today?
The most urgent unmet need is sustainable leadership infrastructure—clear pathways, protected time, and support systems that allow women to lead without burnout. Talent is not the limiting factor; opportunity and structure are.
What advice would you offer to early-career women cardiologists who want to lead, but may be unsure how to start?
Start by leading where you are. Seek mentors and sponsors, say yes to opportunities that align with your values, and don’t wait to feel “ready.”
Leadership is a skill that develops through action. Most importantly, remember that your perspective matters—especially in shaping the future of cardiovascular care.
Women like Malissa J. Wood, MD exemplify the vital role of leadership in advancing gender equality in healthcare and improving outcomes for women with cardiovascular disease. Supporting women in cardiology is essential not only for fairness but for better science and patient care.
The Women Who Lead series aims to uplift talented women in cardiology, raising their international profile and inspiring the next generation of women in cardiology. Join the Women As One community, The Pulse, today.
GSK said its ovarian cancer drug shrank or cleared tumours in more than 60 per cent of patients in an early trial as CCO Luke Miels pushes faster development.
The company said that in an early-stage trial, Mocertatug Rezetecan, known as Mo-Rez, shrank or eliminated tumours in 62 per cent of patients with ovarian cancer after chemotherapy had failed, and in 67 per cent of those with endometrial cancer.
Hesham Abdullah, GSK’s global head of cancer research and development, said: “Treatment of gynaecological cancers remains a major challenge, with a pressing need for new therapies that offer improved response rates.
“With Mo-Rez we now have compelling evidence of a promising clinical profile.”
GSK acquired the Mo-Rez treatment, an antibody-drug conjugate, from China’s Hansoh Pharma in late 2023 and has trialled it in 224 patients around the world, including the UK, over the past year.
Only a few patients needed to stop treatment because of side effects, the most common being nausea.
It is given every three weeks by intravenous infusion, meaning directly into a vein.
Combined with data from a separate intermediate trial in China, the results have given the British drugmaker the confidence to go straight to late-stage trials, with five clinical studies planned globally in the next few months, including on patients in the UK.
Speaking to journalists before the conference, Abdullah described Mo-Rez as a “key asset” in the company’s growing cancer portfolio.
It is expected to be a blockbuster drug, with peak annual sales of more than £2bn, which GSK hopes will help it achieve its 2031 sales target of £40bn.
A few years ago GSK did not have any cancer drugs on the market, but it now has four approved medicines and 13 in clinical development.
Last year, oncology generated nearly £2bn in sales, up 43 per cent from 2024, with sales of its endometrial cancer drug Jemperli rising 89 per cent.
Self-employment is linked to lower rates of high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, poor health and binge drinking in Hispanic women, research suggests.
The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Ethnicity & Disease, suggest work structure may be related to cardiovascular disease risk among this group.
Dr Kimberly Narain is assistant professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, senior author of the study, and director of health services and health optimisation research for the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center.
She said: “Hispanic women experience a disproportionate burden of heart disease compared to non-Hispanic women. This is the first study to link the structure of work with risks for heart disease among this group of women.”
The researchers examined 2003 to 2022 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to assess the association between self-employment, cardiovascular disease risk factors and health outcomes for Hispanic women.
The data included 165,600 Hispanic working women. Of those, about 21,000, or 13 per cent, were self-employed rather than working for wages or a salary.
Overall, the researchers found that self-employed women were less likely to report cardiovascular-disease-associated health problems.
They were also about 11 per cent more likely to report exercising compared with their non-self-employed counterparts.
Specifically, they found that self-employed Hispanic women had a 1.7 percentage point lower chance of reporting diabetes, roughly a 23 per cent decline.
They also had a 3.3 percentage point lower chance of reporting hypertension, roughly a 17 per cent decline.
The study also found a 5.9 percentage point lower chance of reporting obesity, roughly a 15 per cent decline.
It found a 2.0 percentage point lower chance of reporting binge drinking, roughly a 2 per cent decline.
It also found a 2.5 percentage point lower chance of reporting poor or fair overall health, roughly a 13 per cent decline.
The relationship between heart disease risks and the structure of work among Hispanic women was not driven by access to healthcare or differences in income, Narain said.
In fact, the decrease in high blood pressure linked to self-employment was nearly as large as the decrease in high blood pressure linked to being in the highest income group.
The study has some limitations.
The researchers relied on self-reported outcomes, which might be less reliable among ethnic and racial minorities and those from a lower socioeconomic background.
In addition, the researchers’ definition of poor mental health does not entirely match the accepted definition in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
They also did not have data allowing them to examine the specific types of occupations held by the women.
The study design also cannot prove any causal relationship between self-employment and cardiovascular disease risk, which is a subject the researchers will explore.
“The next step in the research is to conduct studies that are able to better assess if the structure of work is a cause of higher heart disease risks among Hispanic women.”
Narain said this.
Study co-authors are Lisette Collins, who led the research, and Dr Frederick Ferguson of UCLA.
Grants from the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center-Leichtman-Levine-TEM program and the UCLA National Clinician Scholars Program supported the research.
Working from home is linked to 0.32 more children per woman when both partners do it at least once a week, research across 38 countries suggests.
The study found that among working adults aged 20 to 45, estimated lifetime fertility, meaning children already born or fathered plus plans for future children, rises when one or both partners work remotely.
In the US, the increase was even higher at 0.45 children per woman.
On average, women whose partners did not work from home had 2.26 children.
When the woman worked from home at least one day a week, this rose to 2.48. When both partners did so, it increased to 2.58.
If the man worked from home at least one day a week, the increase was more limited at 2.36 children.
The research, by Steven J. Davis and colleagues and published as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research, points to three possible explanations.
Remote working may make it easier to balance childcare with paid work, leading some couples to have more children.
Families with children may also be more likely to look for remote roles. Or the growing availability of those roles may lift fertility by opening up more parent-friendly jobs.
“All three stories align with the idea that WFH jobs make it easier for parents to combine child rearing and employment,” the report suggests.
The pattern held both after the pandemic, between 2023 and 2025, and before it, between 2017 and 2019.
The implications for national fertility rates vary mainly because working-from-home rates differ widely between countries.
Among workers aged 20 to 45, the share working from home at least one day a week ranges from 21 per cent in Japan to 60 per cent in Vietnam. The UK ranks third globally and leads Europe at 54 per cent.
The report estimates that, if “interpreted causally”, remote working accounts for 8.1 per cent of US fertility, equal to about 291,000 births a year as of 2024.
The researchers note that while this may sound modest, it is larger than the effect of government spending on early childhood care and education in the US.
“Bringing WFH rates to the levels that currently prevail in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada has the potential to materially boost fertility in many other countries,” the report suggests.
However, the research cautions against broad policy approaches, saying the desire for remote work varies widely between individuals, and that it is not practical in every job or organisation.
“Thus, policy interventions that push for a one-size-fits-all approach to working arrangements are likely to yield unhappier workers and lower productivity,” it warns.
A UK Parliament report has also found that remote and hybrid work can boost employment, with parents, carers and people with disabilities likely to benefit most from more flexible working options.
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