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The Voice of Women Physicians: Why It’s a Great Time to Join the American Medical Women’s Association
Women’s medical organizations are on the rise. Why? Because they are needed. Women in medicine have not yet found their voices, or their concerns addressed by the well-established, male-dominated organized medical societies. Women make up >35% of practicing physicians but are less than 12% of leaders in every field. And sadly, those in fields dominated by women have even fewer women leaders.
But there is one organization run by and for women physicians. It has been around for almost 100 years: the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA). AMWA is repositioning itself for the 21st century. They are getting attention from legislators and others who are in the position to make substantive changes in the healthcare arena for our patient and for the physicians who care for them.
As a life member, I have found wisdom, shared values, and great networking among this unique group of women. It’s great to meet women in different specialties who care about women patients, women physicians and the future of medical care in the US an abroad. AMWA membership automatically confers membership in MWIA, the Medical Women’s International Association. I currently serve as the co-chair of the AMWA’s Gender Equity Task Force, a group that has produced an important position paper on gender equity in medicine, presented a poster on our research with support from a grant from the Giambalvo Scholarship, and we are currently writing a white paper on the work habits and attitudes of women physicians. Best of all we help each other train and mentor the next generation of women physicians.
AMWA’s membership drive is underway. Join! (Seriously, a one-year introductory fee is only $98 — that’s definitely a bargain.) Go check out their website, history, and impact both at home at abroad. THE DEADLINE IS JUNE 30, SO DON’T WAIT!
Join now, and mention WMDR as your source when you do. Women MD Resources is a corporate sponsor for AMWA and offers AMWA members special discounts on services and products. AMWA membership is only open to physicians in practice — not to medical students or residents.
–Linda Brodsky & the WMDR Team
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