Session Title: Iron Sharpens Iron: Advancing Careers Through Peer Encouragement
Date: November 6, 2026
Time: 9:00 – 10:00 am

Abstract Summary

Some professional relationships begin by design. The most powerful ones begin by chance. This session is built around a true story: two healthcare executives who met by chance at Kindred Healthcare and chose, deliberately and consistently, to invest in each other’s growth across years, career transitions, and entirely different professional paths. Their story becomes the framework for how intentional peer encouragement produces real, measurable career outcomes for women in healthcare leadership.

About

MarCia Ekworomadu currently serves as the Vice President of Oncology Operations at UnityPoint Health, one of the largest non-profit health systems in the Midwest. Her role includes leading strategy, financial, and operational oversight of seven cancer centers throughout Iowa and Illinois. In previous roles, MarCia served as the Executive Director of Service Line Strategy for UnityPoint Health, leading the design and implementation of all growth service line solutions across the system. Before coming to UnityPoint Health, Ekworomadu served as Director of Inpatient Services for Hospital Operations and Project Director of Inpatient Clinical Operations at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, the top institution in the nation for cancer care, where she collaborated with faculty and led teams responsible for operations integration and optimization and institutional priority initiatives.

MarCia has a passion for exceptional, accessible, and sustainable healthcare delivery. MarCia has a zeal for innovative solutions to healthcare delivery within underserved populations and serves the healthcare community as a Public Health advocate in several organizational board seat capacities.