Reflections on My Fireside Chat with Doximity: Women of Color in Engineering

I had the incredible opportunity to speak at Doximity, the largest online community of healthcare professionals in the U.S., as part of their Equity in Tech Talks series. With over 80% of U.S. doctors and half of all nurse practitioners and physician assistants as members, Doximity has a unique vantage point on equity, diversity, and the intersection of technology and healthcare.

The virtual fireside chat brought together about 200 employees to discuss the importance of diversity in engineering, focusing specifically on the experiences and contributions of women of color. It was an honor to share my journey, reflect on the challenges underrepresented groups face in tech, and offer actionable steps teams can take to build more inclusive engineering cultures.

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Key Themes from the Chat 💡

1. The Competitive Advantage of Diversity

Diverse teams aren’t just nice to have—they’re essential. I shared how teams that prioritize diversity experience:

• Improved recruitment and retention: Teams with diverse representation are better equipped to attract and retain talent, creating a culture where people feel like they belong.

• Better innovation and decision-making: Whether it’s building products or advancing AI, incorporating voices from different life experiences leads to more holistic, impactful solutions.

2. Inclusivity in Interviewing

We also discussed how traditional hiring practices—like relying heavily on specific frameworks, such as Ruby on Rails—can inadvertently exclude talented candidates. I encouraged the audience to rethink their approach to interviews by:

• Expanding pipelines beyond traditional sources.

• Auditing job descriptions and interview formats to minimize bias.

•      Diversifying the perspectives of those conducting interviews.

3. Intersectionality in AI and Engineering

A highlight of the conversation was connecting the need for representation in engineering teams to the advancement of AI. If we want AI to benefit people globally, we need people with diverse lived experiences shaping it. Otherwise, we risk perpetuating biases that can have real-world consequences, as seen in medicine and other fields.

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Actionable Takeaways for Teams 🎯

Overall I tried to leave attendees with three calls to action:

1. Rethink hiring practices: Evaluate whether your current processes are unintentionally narrowing your candidate pool.

2. Provide growth opportunities: Share workshops, leadership programs, or ERG resources to support women and underrepresented individuals in tech.

3. Support women in your life: Advocacy can be as simple as mentorship, sponsorship, or even vocalizing support for women navigating male-dominated spaces.

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A Personal Note 💛

This fireside chat was particularly meaningful for me. It came at a time when many organizations focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are struggling to survive—Latinas in Tech recently announced it’s at risk of shutting down. I found myself struggling to stay positive throughout the talk. These challenges remind me the fight for equity in tech is far from over, but they also underscore the resilience of our communities.

I’m incredibly grateful to Félix Chinea, Jessica Tsadwa, and the entire team at Doximity for creating a space to have these important conversations. Thank you for making this experience seamless, welcoming, and impactful.

If you’re part of a company looking to improve diversity on your engineering teams, I’d love to continue the conversation. Let’s work together to ensure the future of tech is inclusive for everyone. 🚀

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Orgs to Support 🎗️

If you want to learn more about organizations I support, here are a few I mentioned in the talk:

• Techqueria

• Latinas in Tech

• CodePath

• ColorStack