Macon Magazine

of Community Medicine, Callins later decided she wanted to remain involved in clinical teaching but also return to practice in another rural community, becoming Twiggs County's only physician on record. In her position, Callins offers clinical training opportunities for medical students, nurse practitioner students, and midwives, and shadowing opportunities for physician assistant and undergraduate students. "It's important for students to see the needs up close and then decide how they can help to address those needs," she said. Most recently, Callins worked with Mercer medical students to launch Future S.T.A.R.S. (Students Taking Action and Reaching Success) in Healthcare at Twiggs Elementary School, a program to promote interest in health careers. "I firmly believe it helps if you see what you can become," Callins explained. "So this initiative is a small effort to start growing our own right here in Twiggs County. "Any physician working in a rural community has the opportunity to inspire the next generation while providing opportunities to address individual healthcare needs and those of the communities they serve," Callins continued. Callins recalled several influential women and men in her life who have propelled her forward. "We all have to embrace the idea of mentorship and sponsorship, and that means connecting with people so that you can encourage them," she said. "We are fortunate to have female leadership in medicine in Middle Georgia," added Carla Belcher, CEO of Community Health Care Systems, Inc. Belcher, who grew up in Central Georgia and graduated from Northside High School in Warner Robins, began her career in health care shortly a er graduating from Georgia Tech with a B.S. in Industrial Management. A er working with the Eye Foundation Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, she accepted the chief executive officer position for CHCS in 1998. At the time, the "WE ALL HAVE TO EMBRACE THE IDEA OF MENTORSHIP AND SPONSORSHIP, AND THAT MEANS CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE SO THAT YOU CAN ENCOURAGE THEM." — DR. KEISHA RENEE CALLINS organization had a single office in Wrightsville, Georgia; today, CHCS has 17 practice locations in East and Central Georgia providing care for more than 22,000 patients. "We have seen a dramatic uptick in the number of women working as providers in our health care clinic sites," Belcher said. "Without stereotyping women, we see women excelling in all aspects of clinical care following evidence-based guidelines for treatment at a very high rate, and research studies suggest that women physicians spend more time with patients, on average, than men and focus more on discussions about preventative medicine." Belcher said she believes it takes perseverance and a willingness to take on challenges to become a female leader in the medical community. "Personally, our organization was very small when I came aboard; our organization needed to grow to be able to meet demand for services, but also to provide care for people without a lot of financial resources," she said. "I am very proud of what our organization has been able to accomplish." Rana K. Munna, M.D., who practices internal medicine in Macon and is an active board member of the Bibb County Medical Society, noted that medical school classes are now comprised of 50.9 percent women nationally. "Because of this figure, the future of medicine will be full of mentors to younger women who desire to attend medical school," she said. "I always try to convey to those I mentor that this is not a part-time endeavor; being a physician is all-consuming, it is demanding, and there will be sacrifices." Early in their careers, women face bias in the demanding health care field, where long and grueling shi s, along with a lack of comprehensive protections and benefits for families, can create unfair pressures during their childbearing years. Walker added, "We carry significant traditionally feminine household responsibilities whole devoting years to additional education and working hours that may be outside the customary 9 – 5," she said. "It is definitely possible to be a wife and a mother, if a woman chooses to do so, but it's still a challenge." Another challenge holding female physicians back in leadership is that "we are indoctrinated, from a very early age, to play nice," Munna said. "Being a strong leader does not require us to act badly, just strongly, with firm conviction." That can and should be done through community involvement, dedication to the passion for medicine, and mentorship, she said. Pay equity, too, is a consistent challenge, Munna added. As women in the medical field, she knows the importance of doing one's homework and learning about salaries in the field. "We have to be willing to step up to and/or walk away from negotiations, remembering that we will only DR. KEISHA RENEE CALLINS 64 maconmagazine.com | APRIL/MAY 2023

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