According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), medicine remains male-dominated, with women physicians making up only 37.1% of the workforce in 2021. However, a study that same year released by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that women are 32% more likely to die post-operatively if their surgeon was a man, relaying better health outcomes for both male and female patients with female surgeons. This echoes a 2017 JAMA study outside the surgical domain that also showed lower mortality and hospital readmission rates with care by female physicians. Additionally, according to a 2002 JAMA systematic review, 50% of women physicians are likely to spend 16 minutes or more with their patients compared to 42% of male physicians. Despite these studies favoring female-led care, so much gender bias and stigma still exist in the healthcare sphere. Recorded back in February during National Women Physicians Day, it was just fitting that this episode tackled the realities in the field of medicine that have been longstanding since its conception in the United States: patriarchy, sexism, pay gaps, and glass ceilings.

I am beyond delighted to commence this season with my dear friend, double-board certified physician, and mother, Dr. Michelle "Shelly" Rockwell. She received her BS in English from New York University, postbaccalaureate pre-medical studies at Columbia University, MD from the University of Michigan Medical School, and residencies in both Family Medicine and Sports Medicine at the University of Utah. In 2017, she founded and currently stands as the CEO of The Doctor Mommy Group PLC, which serves as a community to help new mothers navigate the first year of motherhood. She has been featured in Women's Health Magazine, PopSugar, Business Insider, and the Los Angeles Times.

Livestream Air Date: February 2, 2023

Follow Michelle Rockwell, MD, CAQSM:Instagram, Facebook

Follow Friends of Franz Podcast: Website, Instagram, Facebook

Follow Christian Franz Bulacan (Host): Instagram, YouTube

Thankful to the season's brand partners: Covry, House of M Beauty, Nguyen Coffee Supply, V Coterie, Skin By Anthos, Halmi, By Dr Mom, LOUPN, Baisun Candle Co., RĒJINS, Twrl Milk Tea, 1587 Sneakers