• Rebecca D Margolis, Laura K Berenstain, Norah Janosy, Samuel Yanofsky, Sean Tackett, Jamie McElrath Schwartz, Jennifer K Lee, Nina Deutsch, and Jina L Sinskey.
• Department of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA.
• Paediatr Anaesth. 2021 Sep 1; 31 (9): 944-952.

BackgroundThe Women's Empowerment and Leadership Initiative in the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia was established to support women's efforts to achieve promotion, leadership positions, and equity in pediatric anesthesiology through coaching, mentoring, sponsorship, and networking. Career advancement relies on the establishment of mentoring relationships within institutions and at regional and national levels. Prior to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, networking was primarily conducted at large national meetings.AimsWhen national meetings were canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Women's Empowerment and Leadership Initiative sought to reduce networking barriers by creating a pilot program called "Grow and Advance through Intentional Networking" (GAIN).Materials & MethodsMonthly 1-h virtual GAIN sessions were developed based on topics requested by the Women's Empowerment and Leadership Initiative members. Faculty facilitated psychologically safe small-group discussions to maximize engagement.ResultsWe present an overview of our pilot GAIN program, which has been well received by the Women's Empowerment and Leadership Initiative members and met with continuous demand for more sessions.DiscussionProfessional networking is critical for career advancement and for developing and maintaining a sense of community and well-being. Early- and mid-career physicians depend on these relationships to facilitate academic productivity and promotion.ConclusionPrograms like the Women's Empowerment and Leadership Initiative GAIN are critical for advancing our specialty and supporting the well-being of pediatric anesthesiologists. GAIN addresses barriers to professional networking, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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