Gayle Capozzalo is the Executive Director of The Collaborative, an initiative of the Carol Emmott Foundation. The Collaborative is a self-governing network of large healthcare organizations dedicated to ensuring that their structures, processes, and policies support inclusive cultures that treat all employees fairly.
The IHF entered into a formal partnership with the Carol Emmott Foundation in 2024 and, since then, Gayle has been instrumental in her role on the Women in Leadership SIG steering committee, as well as an advisor to the SIG’s mentoring circles project. In this interview, Gayle shares insights from her years of experience in the healthcare sector, as well as her reflections on the opportunities for today’s hospital leaders to make a positive impact on inequity. Why is gender equity so important in healthcare leadership and in the healthcare workforce, and how does it impact the patients and communities we serve? For years, studies in healthcare have found that when there is a gender balanced leadership the organization does better from a financial, operational, quality and engagement perspective. Patients are more likely to follow physicians’ instructions if they are the same gender as the physician. Women leaders elicit greater employee engagement and patient engagement than men. There are many reasons for this, not to mention that over 75% of the people who work in patient care are women. Women are brought up to be biased towards listening, engaging, and caring more for people. It certainly does not mean that all women fit this stereotype or that all men follow the stereotype of providing orders, “going for the gold”, focusing more on outcomes than process, etc. These are general patterns and cannot be brought to the individual level. However, a balanced leadership can provide diverse insights to problems and direction setting. Since you retired from the leadership team of Yale New Haven Health System, have you seen progress in gender equity in healthcare leadership? Yes, overall, in healthcare administration there are more women leaders. The data collected by the organizations who are members of The Collaborative show that they have significantly increased the number of women in their C Suites and on their Boards. What is your biggest concern at the moment in terms of equity and diversity in the workplace in the healthcare sector? The political situation in the USA now. The politicization of gender identity and the words “diversity, equity and inclusion” have resulted in organizations terminating mentoring and sponsorship programmes for women, removing education initiatives on bias, not recruiting diverse candidates, and not collecting data and reporting on how gender and race impact patient care and workforce engagement. Some organizations are no longer holding leadership accountable to ensure that there is diversity in their leadership teams. Historical data show us that diverse leadership leads to higher patient quality, better patient engagement, better workforce engagement, and overall better financial results. With the reduction in Medicaid (medical payments to providers for caring for those who do not have the means to pay) and elimination of other safety net programmes (housing, food, disability, etc.), there is a good chance America will continue to rank among the worst in infant mortality and morbidity among high income countries. You have worked a lot with the IHF’s Women in Leadership SIG on bias – why is this aspect so important? We all experience bias. It is a systematic inclination – conscious or unconscious – that influences judgement, decision-making, or perception in a particular direction. There are three categories of bias: Cognitive bias: Mental shortcuts or patterns of thinking that lead to errors (e.g. confirmation bias, anchoring). Implicit bias: Unconscious attitudes towards people based on factors like gender, race, or age. Structural/organizational bias: Policies, practices, or norms that unintentionally favour certain groups or outcomes over others. It is important to pay attention to bias because making people aware and encouraging them to address their biases can lead to: Better decision-making Bias can cloud judgment, leading leaders to ignore data, misinterpret risks, or overvalue personal preferences. Understanding bias helps companies’ base choices on facts and evidence instead of assumptions. Innovation and creativity Diverse teams free from bias generate better ideas. If bias prevents certain voices from being heard, businesses risk missing out on innovative solutions. Talent management Bias in hiring, promotions, and evaluations can cause organizations to overlook capable talent. Recognizing and reducing it ensures that employees are rewarded fairly and motivated to contribute. Trust and brand reputation Biased services, products, or marketing, (e.g., excluding certain groups) can damage a brand’s credibility. Awareness helps organizations design more inclusive offerings that resonate with a wider audience. Compliance and risk reduction In many industries, unchecked bias can expose businesses to legal and financial risks (e.g., discrimination lawsuits). What three things should all hospital leaders do to create an inclusive workplace? Leaders build inclusive cultures by modelling the behaviours they want to see, embedding fairness into systems, and ensuring every voice has influence. You supported the IHF in piloting a new mentoring circles project in 2025 – why is mentoring important in gender equity efforts? Mentoring is important because it can provide guidance, advice, and role modelling for less experienced women. Women often receive confidence-building advice, and career advancement information that is so often the expected experience of men. Is there one book/podcast/newsletter/other about gender equity that you would recommend? I would recommend: Making Work Fair by Iris Bonet and Siri Chilazi The Carol Emmott Foundation Newsletter The ACHE Blog Many podcasts and newsletters… just search on the topic
