LVHN Is Recognized with Lehigh Valley Business Empowering Women Award for the 3rd Consecutive Year

Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN)’s legacy of patient-centered care began with 13 compassionate, civic-minded women more than a century ago. Caring deeply about the health and well-being of their community, they raised $5,300 for a plot of land at 17th and Chew streets in Allentown, Pa., and in 1899, opened The Allentown Hospital. This was the beginning of LVHN’s remarkable story.

On Aug. 12, LVHN, part of Jefferson Health, was recognized by Lehigh Valley Business with the Empowering Women Award for the third consecutive year. The Empowering Women awards shine a light on companies and organizations that demonstrate tangible efforts and documented results in supporting and empowering women in central and eastern Pennsylvania.

LVHN has a proven track record of elevating women, encouraging their growth and supporting their leadership. LVHN has been women-centric since its inception. Today, approximately 79% of LVHN’s workforce is women. This is a testament to the environment created here for women to thrive. LVHN employs 555 female physicians, 178 female residents and fellows, 3,947 female registered nurses, and 157 female IT personnel. Further, 1,234 women are in a supervisor role or higher, and 6,032 women have been employed at LVHN for 10 or more years.

At LVHN, we are passionate about offering opportunities for colleagues to learn and grow through mentoring, pursuing degrees with the help of tuition discounts and reimbursements, established career paths, and academic career consulting. No matter the goal, LVHN can help colleagues pursue it. 

Female colleagues can also grow as leaders through the Women Physicians Advisory Group (WPAG) and Women in Leadership and Learning (WILL). The WPAG was started in early 2012. The original mission of WPAG was “to facilitate opportunities of interaction and networking between women medical students, residents, fellows and teaching faculty.” Due to increasing interest expressed by other women physicians, the group expanded to include all women physicians within LVHN in its activities.

LVHN launched WILL in 2022 to promote leadership development, support, advocacy, self-promotion and education around the inclusivity and success of women in leadership roles. WILL connects the women of LVHN with each other and encourages them to reach new heights in their work and life through mentoring opportunities, inspirational speakers, panel discussions and enjoyment collaboratives.

LVHN celebrates women who make a difference. Women at LVHN are consistently recognized with the prestigious Women of Influence Award from Lehigh Valley Business. Each year, Lehigh Valley Business honors the region’s most accomplished and impactful businesswomen with the Women of Influence Awards. These exceptional women are leaders in their fields, and each shares a commitment to excellence, integrity and making the region a better place to live and work. They also give the invaluable gift of time to others by making it a priority to mentor the next generation of leaders.

LVHN also makes many community investments to empower women. The health network is a longtime premier sponsor of the Lehigh Valley Women’s Summit, one of the largest gatherings of female leaders and influencers in the region with over 500 women in attendance, as well as Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania’s annual Lehigh Valley Take the Lead event, which honors incredible female leaders who are positive role models in our community. In Carbon County, LVHN serves as an ongoing sponsor of the Carbon Chamber’s Women in Business program, which hosts educational luncheons. Other community investments include annual sponsorship of the YWCA of Allentown’s The Perfect Fit program, where each year more than 600 women find the clothing and confidence necessary to start a job and build a career, and support of Bloom for Women. In 2024 and 2025, LVHN showed its support of both the Empowering Women Awards program and the Women of Influence Awards program through sponsorships.

LVHN prides itself on proactively engaging women in their health. Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute maintains its Mobile Mammography Coach program to bring the convenience of high-quality mammography services to underserved communities throughout the region, and annually hosts its “Pink Out” event with free education and resources in October. In 2024, Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute welcomed its second Mobile Mammography Coach to respond to the increased need. The Cancer Institute also participates in many community-hosted breast health events, including the annual expo of the Women’s 5K Classic, among the largest health expos in the region.

Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute's Women's Heart program is home to the largest group of female cardiologists in the region. The Heart and Vascular Institute prevents, treats and manages heart conditions during all ages and stages of a woman’s life, including heart services for congenital issues, as well as heart challenges that arise during pregnancy or as a result of cancer treatments. Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute is an ongoing supporter of the American Heart Association (AHA) and its “Go Red for Women” platform aimed at reducing heart disease in women and providing education on factors that impact women’s heart health.

In 2022, LVHN announced the Women Adjusting to Various Emotional States program, also known as WAVES, a one-of-its-kind program offered by LVPG Obstetrics and Gynecology. Designed for women who are dealing with the emotions of pregnancy and motherhood in the first 12 months postpartum, WAVES provides education, resources, treatment and support from obstetric professionals who have extra training in perinatal mental health.

CenteringPregnancy maternity support is a new path for maternity support. Rather than a mom-to-be going to doctors’ visits individually, a group of moms in approximately the same stage of pregnancy go through the process together. Moderated by a certified nurse-midwife, appointments last two hours, and the group meets 10 times over the course of their pregnancies. Appointments also include plenty of individual time for moms to have one-on-one checkups. Listening to baby’s heartbeat and tracking mom and baby milestones happen just like they do with more traditional care.