NEWS & EVENTS

Women of the HSMA: Dr Jamanda Haddock

Q&A - 7TH MARCH 2022

Dr Jamanda Haddock of Cleveland Clinic London on female role models, valuable advice and the main challenges facing women in healthcare today

 

To mark International Women’s Day 2022, we are celebrating the women of the HSMA. Each day we will be publishing a Q&A with one of the remarkable women who make up our vibrant community of healthcare specialists. Meet Dr Jamanda Haddock, chair of hospital services and associate chief of staff at Cleveland Clinic London.

Tell us about your role at the hospital.
My role as associate chief of staff reaches across the organisation in clinical operations, with a particular focus on our medical staff. As institute chair for hospital services, I organise and recruit for the support services, imaging and pathology.

Who are the women who have inspired you the most?
My mother has always been an inspiration to me. She is a doctor and went to medical school in 1948 as one of six women in a year of 60 students. She taught me the importance of independence and the pleasure to be had from a career you really enjoy. While there is some way to go before we have equality for women, thinking about her helps me remember how far we have come in her lifetime.

Do you have any advice for other women looking to follow a career in healthcare?
Medicine is a hugely rewarding career. It’s also demanding. It’s not only important to choose a specialty which excites you professionally, but also to consider how you will balance its demands with other important aspects in your life. Being happy and fulfilled on a personal level enables us to be the best version of ourselves and deliver the best care for our patients.

As a woman, what are the biggest challenges you have faced along the way?
My biggest challenge has been balancing the numerous professional and domestic demands on my time. In addition to the job, I have a husband, four children and an elderly mother who I support, so life is busy. My favourite word is ‘focus’, because if you focus on the one thing that you’re doing at a time, it’s amazing how much you can get done!

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #BreakTheBias. What does this mean to you? 
It means broadening the criteria by which we measure success. In my experience, the biggest factor that determines a woman’s ability to stay in the workforce is flexibility. The more this can be built into the work environment, with teamwork and mutual support, the easier it is for women to succeed.