Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee, vice president of health services and medical affairs at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of New York was the inaugural speaker at the LIA's new series – “Lunch & Learn.” Lunch & Learn provides LIA members with a unique setting to network and learn about myriad topics that affect their lives and businesses. Dr. Ross-Lee addressed an audience of 25 attendees in an intimate luncheon setting provided by Atria Tanglewood in Lynbrook.

Early on Dr. Ross-Lee provided a few anecdotes about her famous sister, singer Diana Ross, and how as an older sibling she was responsible for all the accolades her sibling has received over the years. But, make no mistake about it; Dr. Ross-Lee is a formidable leader in her own right in the medical profession. When she was appointed Dean of the Ohio University School of Osteopathic Medicine in 1993, Dr. Ross-Lee was the first African-American woman to head a U.S. medical school.

The theme of her presentation: "Today's Woman: Perspective, Power and Progress," addressed the specific challenges women face related to health care and pursuing careers in medical fields. Dr. Ross-Lee highlighted her own rise from inner city Detroit to becoming a physician and one of the leaders in her field.

Dr. Ross-Lee wants physicians to become more involved in their own profession when it comes to important issues like insurance, malpractice and patient's rights, but she is very please by the strides women have made in the medical world, pointing out that 50 percent of all medical students today are female.

Look for the next LIA Lunch & Learn in early Spring 2009.