2026 Gender Equity Champion Awards
GE Grand Rounds
The awards will be presented at our Gender Equity Grand Rounds on April 3. Dr. Julie Silver will present “The Science of Belonging: Strategies to Enhance Community, Connection, and Culture.”
Congratulations to the 2026 recipients of the Barbara Jung Gender Equity Champion Awards: Dr. Jennifer Ray, assistant professor of clinical practice (Gastroenterology) and Dr. Tessa Steel, assistant professor (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine).
These awards recognize and celebrate individuals who are dedicated to supporting the success of women and gender minorities.
Jennifer Ray
Dr. Jennifer Ray is an assistant professor of clinical practice in the Division of Gastroenterology, co-director of the Gastroenterology Motility Program, gastroenterology clinic director and site director of the gastroenterology fellowship at Harborview Medical Center, and member of the fellowship clinical competence and selection committees.
She leads the division's Women in GI Council, a group dedicated to supporting the unique needs of women within the division.
GI dysmotility is experienced disproportionately by women. Ray co‑directs the Gastroenterology Motility Program and has developed a novel motility curriculum for fellowship training that is now used internationally. Given that motility training remains rare in gastroenterology fellowships nationwide, her work is shaping the education of future gastroenterologists and contributing to more equitable, evidence‑based care for women living with these disorders.
This year, Ray assumed a new leadership and advocacy role at the department level as the division's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) champion.
Tessa Steel
Dr. Tessa Steel is an assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, and a thoughtful leader, committed mentor, and effective advocate whose work has measurably strengthened the academic environment for women and gender minority trainees and faculty within the division.
She is an active member of the division’s Women of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine group that meets quarterly to create community, foster mentorship and sponsorship, and allow for discussion of professional barriers for women in medicine. She is also committed to supporting trainees, particularly women and those who are parents.
She is a founding member and leader of the Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) research group, focused on advancing health equity research within the division and department.
She leads research examining barriers to physician-scientist careers, with particular attention to the experiences of women trainees, especially those with caregiving responsibilities, and individuals from historically marginalized groups.