The sixth annual Ifill Forum, held on March 13, 2025, featured board-certified OB/GYN, menopause expert, bestselling author, and women’s health advocate Dr. Sharone Malone. In conversation with WBUR’s All Things Considered radio host Lisa Mullins ’80, ’05HD, Dr. Malone spoke about her close friendship with Gwen Ifill ’77, ’93HD and rallied women to advocate for better health. The event concluded with a book signing.
A trailblazing Black journalist dedicated to fair reporting and diversity in media, Gwen Ifill ’77, ’93HD, is “one of the most influential journalists of her time … and continues to be a role model for many,” began Dr. Ammina Kothari, Dean of The Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities, and Social Sciences, as she commenced Simmons’ the sixth annual Ifill Forum on March 13, 2025.
“At the Ifill School, we understand the responsibility to continue to carry Gwen Ifill’s powerful legacy forward ... The Ifill Forum brings together a diverse group of national voices for a public conversation on the key issues of the day. And today’s discussion on women’s health certainly falls into that category,” Kothari continued.
This year’s forum featured DC-based board-certified OB/GYN, menopause expert, and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Sharon Malone. She delivered a keynote entitled “Grown Woman’s Talk: Taking Ownership of One’s Healthcare,” after which WBUR’s All Things Considered radio host Lisa Mullins ’80, ’05HD served as the discussant.
Before the keynote address, Trustee Dr. Roberto “Bert” Ifill, Gwen Ifill’s older brother, expressed his pride in the Ifill School and recounted a poignant memory of Dr. Malone. “I believe that this Forum is a fitting tribute to Gwen’s life and legacy, and symbolizes the values that were paramount to her: fairness, openness to other perspectives, and above all, telling the truth.”
Dr. Ifill noted that Dr. Malone was his sister’s gynecologist, and later, her close friend and confidante. Beyond Dr. Malone’s impeccable credentials, Dr. Ifill attested to her “compassion, candor, and wisdom.” He recounted how, when Gwen Ifill was in hospice, Malone instinctively clasped Dr. Ifill’s hand the moment after his sister passed. “I’ll never forget that gesture, Sharon, and I’m forever in your debt,” he said.
University President Lynn Perry Wooten welcomed Malone, Mullins, Dr. Ifill, sisters of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., (the world’s largest collegiate Black sorority), and members of the Simmons community who attended the Forum in person and virtually. “The Ifill Forum is one of my favorite Simmons traditions,” said Wooten. “A Simmons education has always been about … learning that links passion to purpose to do the work of leadership… and Gwen Ifill epitomized that ideal.”
Wooten presented Malone with the 2025 Gwen Ifill Next Generation Award, recognizing “a leader who is committed to carrying on Gwen Ifill’s work of fostering civil dialogue and informed citizenship.” When bestowing the award, Wooten remarked, “I cannot think of a more fitting recipient than Dr. Sharon Malone, whose leadership in championing women’s health [and empowering women to take charge of their heath] has shown the spirit of this award.”
Women’s History Month: A Story of Two ‘Sisters’
Accepting this award, Malone expressed, “I am rarely at a loss for words, but today is …overwhelming for me … I cannot think of a better way to honor Women’s History Month than to accept this award in Gwen Ifill’s honor.”
For Malone, Gwen Ifill’s legacy was “one of excellence, integrity, and breaking barriers.” She was also “a great person and a great friend.”
To commemorate Women’s History Month, Malone juxtaposed Gwen Ifill with her late sister, Vivian Malone Jones. “Gwen and Vivian had more than their rightful share of intelligence, grit, and grace under pressure. I know that if they had met each other, they would have recognized a kindred spirit,” she said.
Dr. Malone’s sister Vivian was among the first two students to enroll at the University of Alabama, thereby defying Governor George Wallace’s racial politics. Despite this insurmountable barrier, Vivian “was determined to get there,” and graduated from the University in 1965, Malone recounted.
Though Gwen and Vivian were both inspiring women, Malone recognized the obstacles that society imposed on them. “These extraordinary women carried the burden of perfection at great personal cost,” she observed. “They walked a tightrope with no safety net — and in heels no less. They were not only representing themselves, but the pride and the expectations of an entire race.”
For Gwen and Vivian, women, as well as other women in her family and among her ancestors, Malone wrote her book, Grown Woman Talk: Your Essential Companion for Healthy Living (Crown-Penguin Random House, 2024). Each chapter begins with a “love letter” to her sisters. “I channeled the sisters [in this book.] … And my life has been very much imbued with the spirit, the grit, and the determination of all the women who have come before us.”
Transforming Disparity into Advocacy
“My book, both literally and figuratively, is a love letter,” Malone proclaimed. “As a physician, I have witnessed firsthand how all women, and especially Black women, struggle to navigate a system that was never designed with them in mind. It’s a system that often does not see them, hear them, or believe them. So, I became the de facto health navigator for my friends and family.”
In this way, Malone’s book, which she also described as a “roadmap” and “toolkit,” enables women to approach the convoluted health care system with pragmatism, resourcefulness, and advocacy.
When conducting research for the book, Malone conceded that health disparities for women, and notably Black and underserved women, were more dire than she initially realized. “I have a musical reference for everything,” she said, “and in the words of the great [rapper] Biggie Smalls, ‘If you don’t know, now you know.’”
Although Black and White women have approximately the same risk for breast and uterine cancer, Malone specified that Black patients with breast cancer are 40% more likely to die from the disease than their White counterparts. More alarmingly, Black patients with uterine cancer (which claimed Gwen Ifill’s life) are almost twice as likely to die than White women with this same condition. Historically, racist-inflected theories argued that Black populations possessed genetic defects that predetermined their worse health outcomes. Malone, however, debunked these myths.
Addressing the social determinants of health, Malone said, “Your zip code is more determinant of your health outcome than your genetic code.” Furthermore, she suggested that health disparities can transcend geographic, environmental, and economic barriers. Women of color like Gwen Ifill and her sister Vivian, for instance, were educated, successful, and had access to quality health care, but their outcomes were worse than those of most White women.
Drawing upon the research of Dr. Arline Geronimus, Professor of Health Behavior and Health Equity at the University of Michigan, Malone expounded upon the concept of “weathering.” As she explained, “The price that Gwen paid, and my sister paid, for perfection … took an unseen toll on their health. The stress-induced wear and tear, the weight of it all, of being ‘the first,’ ‘the best,’ ‘the example,’ — it is a burden that does not come without consequences.” Rather than examining health disparities as statistics, Malone voiced the urgency for proactive responses.
Ultimately, Malone urged the Simmons community to reclaim their power by speaking up against injustice. She also reminded them that women now constitute the majority of the US population and a larger majority of the active voting population.
“To honor Gwen’s and Vivian’s legacies …I want you to learn how to navigate the medical system, demand better care, and advocate [for] yourself and others,” Malone concluded. “Power concedes nothing without demand. And it is our job to demand that this country does better [by us and for us].”
Knowing How to Save Yourself
In conversation with Dr. Malone, Mullins asked her about the meaning of an alternate title that Malone conjured for her book: No One Is Going to Save You. Malone explained that today’s medical environment does not allow for extensive, comprehensive care. For instance, doctors are moving from place to place, operating under the constraints imposed by large health care conglomerates, which results in reduced one-on-one patient interactions (sometimes five minutes per appointment).
“As ‘employees’ [rather than autonomous, private practitioners], they don’t mean to do you harm. But the reality is that they don’t have time, and they don’t know you … You need to know how to save yourself, because no one is going to save you,” she said.
Accordingly, Malone’s book provides actionable suggestions and bibliographic references for women to navigate the challenging terrain of the health care system in the US. “It’s all about empowerment and advocacy for yourself and for your family,” she said.
Mullins and Malone turned to the topic of family health history. Malone, who comes from a large Black family with several siblings and sisters — including many who succumbed to cancer at relatively young ages — underscored the importance of gaining this knowledge, which can be communicated via storytelling.
“Knowing your family history is important … not necessarily because it determines what will happen to you,” Malone explained. “Genetics is not destiny — but it gives you an idea of the road signs ahead that you may be [traveling] on, which therefore gives you an opportunity to intervene [before it’s too late].”
Malone suggested that women approach large, intergenerational family gatherings (including Thanksgiving), as opportunities to inquire and tell stories about their families’ health history. This information helps patients recognize risks, patterns, and symptoms, which in turn propels them to undergo regular, preventative, and diagnostic screenings. For instance, once a woman realizes that her family has a history of breast cancer, she can modify her behavior accordingly.
“You don’t need to live in fear or dread; you just need to know,” Malone said. “Don’t let fear be the determinant of whether or not you are going to do what’s right for you; channel that fear into action.”
Moreover, Malone and Mullins underscored the need for speaking out and destigmatizing issues surrounding women’s health. “The silence is what kills us, not necessarily the disease,” Malone said. “The more you say it [i.e., ‘I have breast cancer’], the less stigmatized it is.”
Advocating in, and Beyond, Mid-life
Once women reach mid-life, advocating for themselves becomes more critical. As a menopause expert, Malone has witnessed how most women — especially women of color — suffer menopausal symptoms willingly and unnecessarily.
“100% of women will go through [menopause] if you live long enough, and yet we know nothing about it,” Malone said. “We have to remove the emotional charge and stigma surrounding it.”
All too often, Malone remarked, women — particularly women of color — surrender to suffering, as if feeling unwell constitutes a necessary part of womanhood. To be seen, heard, and believed by their health care providers, women must advocate for themselves, which may include seeking a second opinion if needed.
Within the menopausal realm, Malone noted that effective treatments — namely, low-dose vaginal estrogen — can be used to relieve women’s symptoms. Currently, only 5% of women and 1% of Black women who have menopausal symptoms take hormonal therapy. The “black box warning” on estrogen products, which, according to Malone, is very misleading, has ultimately perpetuated women’s suffering.
During the Q&A with members of the audience, Malone instructed people to come prepared when they see their doctor.
Addressing the current challenges of the medical profession, Malone said, “I don’t want to discourage anyone who wants to go into medicine … we need you … But we need to think of a better way to [re]create [the health care environment].”
Malone ended with a “call to action.” As she stressed, “We need more aggressive attention for women’s health, [which is often under-researched and under-funded] … Don’t just advocate for yourself individually, but for all of us collectively.”