Now I have a full picture of how Dr. Sotto describes and relates to Dr. Really-good-at-her-job across multiple posts. Here's a synthesis drawn entirely from her own writing.
Dr. Really-good-at-her-job is not a fictional character. She is a composite — a vessel for every real conversation Dr. Sotto has had with faculty who are historically marginalized and excluded in academic medicine and higher education. She shows up across the blog series as a recurring presence, a stand-in for an entire community of women, women of color, and underrepresented scholars whose stories, Dr. Sotto writes, "no academic journal will pick up… with this conversational casual voice."
We all need sponsors. We all benefit from someone who says our name when we are not in the room (POSITIVELY!). Someone who connects our expertise to the right opportunity, who introduces us to the right people, who puts our name forward for the award, the committee, the position. A true sponsor sees your excellence and makes sure others see it too. It feels like having your mom in the room talking about how brilliant you are. (Minus, perhaps, the part where she shows everyone your childhood photos.)
In inclusive and equitable mentoring, mentors recognize their privilege, support mentees of color in ways that shift power, create true agency, and promote systemic change rather than "helping" them navigate injustice.
This post reflects on gratitude as a genuine wellness practice while warning against using it to excuse injustice. It highlights how the phrase “you should be more grateful” is often wielded to silence women of color in academia, masking power imbalances and bias. Ultimately, it calls on leaders to reject this mindset, listen actively, and embrace accountability as part of creating truly equitable academic spaces.
This piece explores how “institutional history” is often used as a hiring rationale, sometimes masking a preference for comfort and the status quo over fresh vision. Through the story of Dr. Really-good-at-her-job and her internal competitor, it challenges leaders to examine whether their decisions truly serve innovation or simply protect entrenched power. Ultimately, it urges honesty, rigorous vetting, and respect for candidates who bring new perspectives and proven talent.
Dr. Really-good-at-her-job meticulously pursued every formal channel to address unfair treatment only to find that institutional accountability rarely follows. This post challenges academic leaders to reflect on their own power and shares a call ongoing leadership accountability as the true measure of integrity in academic medicine.
Another installment of Dr. Really-good-at-her-job. Remember the first one about the Most Complicit Compliment—that phrase, “They are threatened by you”?
This time, let’s talk about the moments when Dr. Really-good-at-her-job is ready to leave your institution, and someone says, “While you are here…”
This powerful blog post critiques the phrase “They are threatened by you” as a harmful, backhanded form of dismissal often directed at women of color in academia. Framed as a compliment, the phrase minimizes real acts of bias and gatekeeping—especially from so-called allies—while masking systemic barriers to leadership, advancement, and recognition. Through the experience of “Dr. Really-good-at-her-job,” the author highlights how subtle sabotage from “Dr. Ally-in-name-only” reflects broader patterns of exclusion and internalized misogyny within academic institutions.
This study explores how benevolent sexism—subtle, seemingly positive but ultimately harmful attitudes—affects women faculty and staff in academic medicine.
"We affirm that embracing cultural humility ensures curiosity and eliminates acts of condescension. To be humbled is to be vulnerable, disconnected from pride, and willing to listen, leading to growth."
"Many of us have been asked: What can I do within my academic role? Although not exhaustive, the list below offers a list of 42 actions faculty, and members of the academic community can do to advance racial equity in academic medicine, in no particular order."
Anti-racist medical education may not be the vaccine we are looking for, but it deserves to be properly represented and not mislabeled. Our medical students are demanding a better and all-inclusive medical education.
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