Pharmafile Logo

The Power of the Pivot: How Nurse Practitioners are Closing Care Gaps for Women

The career path of a Nurse Practitioner is often envisioned as a straight line: clinical practice, specialization, perhaps a supervisory role. But for two pioneering NPs, Laura Demuth and Jackie Gianelli, that line took them into the executive suite and a new era of care. Their journeys, shared in a recent conversation with Stacey Hughes, Vice President of Learning and Development at Medscape Education, reveal a shared passion for leveraging their clinical expertise to close some of the most profound, yet often-ignored, gaps in women’s health.

- PMLiVE

For Jackie Gianelli, a menopause expert and Clinical Director of the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness at Mount Sinai, the problem is systemic. She explains that for two decades, following the Women’s Health Initiative study, menopause virtually “vanished” from medical and nursing school curricula. This created a profound knowledge vacuum, compounded by a “bikini medicine” approach that fragments women’s healthcare into simple systems. Gianelli states, “The reality is that women’s health is mental health… women’s health is cardiometabolic health, you know, and we are not small men.” She and her team are designing an innovative longitudinal care model, moving beyond one-off appointments to offer whole-person, holistic health through the profound hormonal transition of midlife.

Listen to the episode here. 

Laura Demuth, Senior Vice President at the digital health company Curology, found her pivot when she realized the non-linear potential of her NP license. Starting as one of three clinicians, she helped scale the clinical team to over 150, wearing countless hats in operations, licensing, and people management. The company’s founding mission—making effective skincare accessible—deeply connected to her passion for serving women. Demuth highlights the often-underestimated psychological impact of skin conditions on women, calling it “one of the deepest joys of my professional life” to see smiles “get bigger over time” as their confidence grows.

Both women agree that their rigorous clinical backgrounds—particularly in high-stress settings like the ICU for Gianelli—provided the critical “life skills” to succeed in leadership. Gianelli cites references “calm under pressure” and the ability to work through complex, high-stakes problems as key takeaways. Demuth adds that the NP role trains you to be a leader by default: “You are the center of that patient… you are making things happen around for the betterment of that patient.” This cross-functional leadership and diagnostic ability translates directly to tackling a company’s biggest problems at a strategic roundtable.

Their advice to any clinician feeling burnt out or “boxed in” is clear: you have options. “Don’t feel pressured to get more certifications, but instead, focus on making your existing skills extremely marketable,” Gianelli advises. “Follow your curiosity,” and Demuth adds a critical caution: “If you hear no a first time, don’t take your first no for the gospel.” These working mothers prove that with tenacity and a vision for better care, the ceiling of the Nurse Practitioner role can be shattered.

Listen to the episode here. 

Follow us for updates on upcoming podcasts and more insightful conversations.

For more information, please contact Jelena Spyropoulos.

 

About Medscape Education

Medscape Education (medscape.org) is the leading destination for continuous professional development, consisting of more than 30 specialty-focused destinations offering thousands of free CME and CE courses for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professional

This content was provided by Medscape Education

Company Details

 Latest Content from  Medscape Education 

Medscape Present Outcomes of Neurology Education at AAN 2023

Medscape had education outcomes on the brain for this year’s AAN conference in Boston.During the conference, Medscape presented 5 scientific posters describing the impact of continuing medical education in migraine,…

Medscape Education Global Delivers Education and Outcomes to ECCMID 2023

Medscape Education Global has wrapped up its time in Copenhagen at ECCMID 2023. During the conference, Medscape Education Global had the opportunity to engage learners with an educational symposium and…

Antithrombotic Therapy for Peripheral Artery Disease: Medscape Education and Outcomes

At this year’s ACC2023 event, the Medscape Education team shared 7 posters highlighting the outcomes of cardiology continuing medical education (CME) programs. These posters covered a variety of cardiology topics…

Putting Skin in the Game at AAD 2023

AAD has wrapped up in New Orleans, and the Medscape team have returned home from another successful conference.During the conference, Medscape hosted one educational symposium, Reframing the Management Approach for…

Wrapping up EAU with a Look at Medscape’s Urology Impact

The Medscape Education Global team has returned from EAU in Milan, Italy, having presented an educational symposium and a networking event with Urology faculty and supporters.The educational symposium, Harnessing the…

Medscape’s Commitment to Health Equity and Women’s Health

Women’s health is a topic of increasing importance and interest among the medical community. Beyond impacting the individual patient, women’s health is a public health issue in communities around the…

Medscape Education Demonstrates Deep Cardiology Outcomes Expertise at ACC 2023

As cardiologists from around the world return home from New Orleans and ACC 2023, Medscape Education is looking back at a successful conference.At this year’s event, the Medscape Education team…

Rare Diseases on Medscape Education: Pustular Psoriasis

Rare Disease Day may be over but our committment to advancing outcomes for patients continues. Watch this video to understand a patient’s journey with pustular psoriasis.To learn more about Medscape’s rare…

Rare Diseases on Medscape Education: Long-Chain Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorder

Rare Disease Day may be over but our committment to advancing outcomes for patients continues. Listen to a mother explain her daughter’s journey with a long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorder.To…

Medscape Expands Global Reach with Acquisition of Health Information Platform Grupo SANED

WebMD Health Corp., an Internet Brands company and a leader in health information services for physicians, other healthcare professionals and consumers, today announced that it has acquired Grupo SANED, Spain’s leader in…