Bunny Ellerin is an award-winning leader, thinker, writer, and speaker who has helped transform New York City into a thriving hub of healthcare innovation. She co-founded and serves as president of NYC Health Business Leaders (NYCHBL), a community of 3,500 healthcare executives, entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors. Bunny also serves as director of Columbia Business School’s Healthcare Management Program, and she founded the Harvard Business School Healthcare Alumni Association. She was named to Crain’s Notable Women in Health Care in 2019 and selected in 2018 as one of PharmaVOICE’s 100 most inspiring healthcare innovators. In our podcast interview with her, she shared insights on NYCHBL’s growth, successful networking, and women in healthcare leadership.
Highlights of our conversation include:
- How men can support women in the entrepreneurship environment:
“Men have to be part of the solution if they have been part of the problem.”
In business contexts, men often witness women not receiving due credit; to continue to further women in leadership positions, both women and men need to do their part in uplifting women and fighting against the double standards that women face. Some ways men can contribute to the movement are by intervening in harassment, recommending qualified women for board seats and executive positions, and speaking up in a positive manner about their female coworkers.
“Women also have to be willing to bring men into the conversation, and ask them to be an ally, and ask them to be an advocate.”
- How to network in a fulfilling way:
“The worst mistake people make is considering networking a transaction.”
Bunny walked us through some do’s and don’ts of networking to build maintain relationships:
- Don’t reach out only when you need something.
- Don’t overwhelm yourself.
- Don’t be afraid of rejection.
- Do reach out to certain people regularly, i.e. every quarter.
- Do keep yourself motivated. Take a step every day, for example, “challenge yourself to reach out to two new people today.”
- Do have a networking strategy if it makes you nervous. Come up with a talking point going into conversations (something big in the industry, today’s big news) to get the conversation flowing.
“Identify people you admire and respect — networking is about building long term relationships.”
Want to hear our conversation with Bunny Ellerin? Check it out on Spotify and Anchor!
Theia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to inspiring and empowering the next generation of women entrepreneurs and investors in healthcare. Visit our website to join our community and access resources that will support your entrepreneurial journey and pursuit of changing healthcare.
Story written by Luiza Perez and Priya Kumar.
