WISHRS Luncheon
The Women in ISHRS Task Force (WISHRS) enables women in the field of hair restoration surgery to develop their individual potential as professionals and to promote an environment within the ISHRS that fosters inclusion, respect, and success.
WEAR BURGUNDY!
The WISHRS gathering this year takes a bold step forward: from building community to building the leadership pipeline. The lecture features a virtual keynote by COL (ret.) Dr. Jessica Bunin, West Point graduate, 23-year US Army physician-leader, and co-founder of All Levels Leadership. Her presentation titled “Assertive Communication for Women in Male-Dominated Specialties,” will be followed by a candid senior panel, a leadership pipeline mapping exercise, and a WISHRS emergency kit gifted to every attendee. The luncheon is open to all attendees across every role and career stage.
Women in ISHRS. Finding the path.
DATE: Thursday | October 15, 2026
TIME: 12:50PM – 1:50PM
LOCATION: [Room TBD]
Chair: Marie A. Schambach, MD, FISHRS | Guatemala
Colonel Jessica Bunin is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Immediately following graduation, she attended Tulane University School of Medicine. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. After completing her residency, she returned to West Point where she served as a Psychiatrist. After completing her billet at West Point, she returned to Walter Reed for a Critical Care Medicine Fellowship. After completing her Fellowship, she stayed on as Medical Director of the ICU, Chief of the Critical Care Medicine Service, and Associate Program Director of the Critical Care Medicine Fellowship. In July of 2014, she transitioned to Tripler Army Medical Center where she served as the Chief of Critical Care and the Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency.
In 2019, she transitioned to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) where she served as the Assistant Dean for Faculty Development and to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where she serves as Program Director for the Critical Care Medicine Fellowship. She is now a Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at USUHS. She has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as a Psychiatrist and an Intensivist, respectively.
Watch Intro Video
Summary
Dr. Marie Schambach, Chair of WISHRS, has a conversation with featured speaker Dr. Jessica Bunin for a preview of the WISHRS session at the 2026 ISHRS World Congress in Rio de Janeiro. This year’s theme, The Leadership Pipeline, explores how women can move from participation within ISHRS to greater leadership roles within the Society and the specialty.
Drawing on her experience as a physician, leadership consultant, and more than two decades of service as a U.S. Army officer, Dr. Bunin discusses lessons she learned about communication, confidence, and leadership. She shares why effective leadership requires more than clinical expertise, including the ability to receive feedback, navigate difficult conversations, communicate assertively, and stand confidently in your own presence and power.
Dr. Bunin also offers a preview of her WISHRS presentation on assertive communication for women in male-dominated specialties and introduces her “FIRM” approach to communication. She reveals the first step, “F”: finding a trusted feedback partner who can help you practice and strengthen your communication skills.
The conversation also touches on her upcoming book, Self-Awareness and Trust: Building Healthcare Teams from the Inside Out, and how self-awareness, trust, psychological safety, and effective communication can help create stronger healthcare teams and better leaders.
Most importantly, Dr. Bunin reminds women that leadership isn’t about someone else giving them power. The qualities they need are already within them, the goal is learning how to bring those qualities forward and use their influence effectively.
Join WISHRS on Thursday, October 15, at the ISHRS World Congress in Rio de Janeiro for this special leadership session, and don’t forget to wear burgundy!