Anushay Hossain, Feminist Author, Women’s Advocate to Address Sexism, Racism in Healthcare for the WMC Beverly Wettenstein Women’s History Lecture

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Anushay Hossain, feminist author, podcast host and women’s advocate, will discuss the systemic sexism and racism in American healthcare and the need for transformative change as part of a Women’s Media Center lecture series this month.

Hossain’s speech will premiere online on March 31, 2025 during Women’s History Month. It is inspired by her Simon and Schuster book: “The Pain Gap—How Sexism and Racism in Healthcare Kill Women.” Her show, “The Pain Gap Podcast” provides a vital platform for critical conversations about medical gaslighting and misogyny, creating an important examination of the women’s health crisis in America, especially for women of color.

“When it comes to our health and rights, the truth is women aren’t being hysterical enough,” Hossain writes in her book. “Throughout history, we have been too quiet. We are still staying silent and polite—and it’s literally killing us. Perhaps a little fury and confrontation is just what the doctor ordered.”

The WMC Beverly Wettenstein Women’s History Lecture is the third in a series named for Beverly Wettenstein, who bequeathed the funding to WMC. Wettenstein, who passed away in 2019, was a renowned journalist, speaker, media critic and historian. She chronicled the representation of women in national media outlets and was the founder of the “Women in History and Making History Today – 365-Days-A-Year - Database.” She also served as a public affairs executive with several global banks, as well as Semester at Sea. She wrote the “HerStory” column in the Dallas Morning News. Dr. Cristina Azocar, author and journalism professor at San Francisco State University, was the inaugural speaker. Dr. Janet Dewart Bell, WMC Board Chair and president and founder of LEAD InterGenerational Solutions, was last year’s speaker. This year, Dewart Bell will introduce Hossain.

Following her lecture, Hossain will have an extended conversation about bridging the healthcare gap with Vicki Shabo, Director and Founder of Better Life Labs and Senior Fellow for Gender Equity, Paid Leave & Care Policy and Strategy at New America. Shabo is a gender equity expert, policy advocate and coalition builder, who has helped to win paid leave, paid sick time, equal pay and pregnancy fairness policies affecting tens of millions of people. For well over a decade, she has been at the forefront of the campaign to win a national paid family and medical leave program.

Hossain’s advocacy for women’s health and rights is deeply-rooted in her personal experiences that sparked her mission to understand and communicate how sexism in American healthcare endangers women’s lives. Her commentary and analysis have been featured on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, Forbes, CNN, USA TODAY, and Newsweek. Hossain is an expert for WMC’s SheSource, an online database of media-experienced women experts. She also participated in WMC’s Progressive Women’s Voices leadership training.

“Historically, women have been excluded from medical research and doctors too often have been dismissive of their symptoms,” said Julie Burton, President and CEO of the Women’s Media Center. “We need a healthcare system that prioritizes women’s wellbeing, Anushay is a powerful voice for that change. She’s boldly and effectively using her hallowing, near-death childbirth experience and advocacy to empower women to speak up and demand better healthcare.”

The Women’s Media Center is an inclusive and feminist organization that works to raise the visibility, viability, and decision-making power of women and girls in media by ensuring that their stories get told and their voices are heard. We do this by researching and monitoring media; creating and modeling original online and on-air content; training women to be effective in media; and promoting women experts in all fields.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Watch the full lecture here.

For additional information, contact: mediarelations@womensmediacenter.com.