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 

The Power of Disease Awareness in Infectious Disease Education at IDWeek 2023

Medscape Education had one of its biggest conferences of the year with IDWeek 2023, hosting six educational symposia and presenting five scientific posters highlighting the outcomes of recent infectious disease...

Hear From Her: Announcing The Women in Healthcare Leadership Series Podcast

On the 8th November 2023, Medscape will launch the first episode of their new podcast: the Women in Healthcare Leadership Podcast Series.This insightful series was designed to elevate and empower...

Medscape Education Invites Listeners to ‘Hear From Her’ With New Women in Healthcare Leadership Podcast Series

Medscape Education has launched their new podcast: the Women in Healthcare Leadership Podcast Series. The series, hosted by Medscape Education employees, features women in leadership roles across industry as well...

Sharing Outcomes in MS at ECTRIMS 2023

During ECTRIMS 2023 congress, the Medscape Education Global team will be on site to present a poster of their educational outcomes.The poster, Virtual Patient Simulation Improves Neurologists’ Performance in Making...

Shining a Light on Current Topics in Oncology

The Medscape Oncology team will be on the road again, this time in Madrid, Spain for ESMO 2023. This year, the team will be sharing education with a deep impact...

Disseminating Outcomes and Impact in Berlin

The Medscape Education Global team is looking forward to a busy time in Berlin at the EADV Congress 2023. During the congress, Medscape will be presenting five posters examining the...

Medscape Education’s Large Presence at IDWeek 2023

Medscape are powering education and disease state awareness in infectious diseases at #IDWeek 2023

Contagious Conversations: Exploring Infectious Disease in the Digital Age

As the world of medicine continues to evolve, it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve. In this dynamic era, digital communications have emerged as a driving force in discussions...

Presenting Outstanding Outcomes from HCP Education in Multiple Myeloma at IMS in Athens

From September 27-30, members of the Medscape Education Global team were in Athens, Greece sharing 5 posters at the International Myeloma Society Annual Meeting, 2023.The posters presented the outcomes and...

Impacting Lives with Rare Disease Education

Education on rare diseases is crucial. Estimates suggest there are approximately 10,000 rare diseases, with 263–446 million people affected worldwide.Since its launch in September 2022, the Medscape Pathways in Rare...