Reflections On My Conversation With Julia Faller

Julia Faller is the Chief Medical Officer of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center — but her path there was anything but linear. She grew up in Ottawa, Canada, followed her husband to the United States, started medical school with an 11-month-old at home, and managed to time three more children around academic breaks while her husband eventually stepped back from his career to support hers. In this conversation, she reflects honestly on what it actually took.
We talk about the moment she realized leadership meant something different than she thought — that the title came with real weight, real responsibility, and the uncomfortable realization that her words carried more power than she’d noticed. She describes learning to lead not by declaring herself a leader, but by seeing something broken and finding a few people willing to fix it with her.
Julia also speaks directly to the women coming up behind her. Her advice is practical: find a partner who genuinely supports your goals, build community wherever you land, and don’t wait for a perfect plan before moving forward. She’s candid about what she’d do differently (more intentional time with her husband during the hard years) and what she wouldn’t change.
Topics covered in this episode include navigating major life pivots, the role of siblings and early support systems in building confidence, mentorship from both men and women, women in STEM and medicine, work-life integration for mothers in demanding careers, and staying physically and mentally grounded as a senior leader.