This year’s sixth annual Gwen Ifill Panel and Forum took a new approach, connecting multiple majors that now fall under the Gwen Ifill School’s department, such as Political Science and Women’s Gender and Sexuality studies.
Dr. Ammina Kothari, Dean of the renamed Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities and Social Sciences, began the day reflecting on the importance of the interdisciplinary nature of the Simmons community and how it emphasizes “critical thinking, artistic expression, storytelling and cultural understanding, as well as the exploration of new ideas.”
With this year’s topic being “Women’s Health is Public Health,” various points from barriers in accessing healthcare to the larger role of the media in the narrative were discussed, but there was a clear theme throughout both the panel and the forum.
“It’s not time to give up. If anything it’s time to speak even louder. Our health is important,” stated Tozoe Marton, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Simmons alumna, during the panel discussion regarding the women’s health movement.
At the forum, Dr. Robert Ifill, brother of Gwen Ifill, introduced Dr. Sharon Malone, New York Times best-selling author and Washington, D.C.-based board-certified OB/GYN and menopause practitioner. He reflected on her time with his family, noting that Malone was Gwen’s gynecologist and later her friend, at her bedside in hospice care.
Malone received 2025’s Gwen Ifill Next Generation Award, which recognizes “a professional who exhibits the promise to carry on the work of fostering civic dialogue and an informed, diverse citizenry.”
Malone’s experiences in women’s health from both and clinical and a personal perspective, regarding her family and friends, made a unique perspective for her New York Times best-selling book “Grown Woman Talk: Your Guide to Getting and Staying Healthy,” as noted during her moderated discussion with Lisa Mullins, WBUR’s “All Things Considered” radio host and Simmons 1980 graduate.
“Don’t let fear be a determinant if you are going to do what’s right for you. Channel that fear into action,” Malone told the audience, after reflecting on her late sister, Gwen, who passed from metastatic breast cancer that may have been prevented by an earlier mammogram.
Malone left the audience with a call to action: “Don’t just advocate for yourself individually but for all of us, collectively.”
