AMSA Women's Empowerment Institute

Women Leaders Changing the Face of Medicine

February 20-23, 2009 * Washington, DC

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Application Deadline: January 2, 2009

INTRODUCTION

The need for women leaders in medicine is critical.  Although more women are pursuing a medical education, gender inequalities persist within nearly all health care professions. The dearth of women is most glaring in more competitive fields and in academic positions: women comprise 30% of general surgery residents and only 2% of MD faculty in orthopaedic surgery.  A little over 10% of medical school deans are women. The under-representation of minority women is particularly striking. Among female physicians, only 4% are Black, 2% Hispanic, and 0.2% Native American, although they constitute 14.8%, 13.4% and 1.5%, respectively, of the total population. 

The lack of women in leadership positions within medicine is detrimental to both the medical profession and our basic understanding of women's health. For example, historically, women were included in very few clinical studies, yet nearly all treatment, screening, and prevention findings from male populations were extrapolated to females.  Women physicians were among the first to advocate for a clearer understanding of the role of gender and sex in biology and medicine. 

The Women’s Empowerment Institute (WEI) is designed to provide an opportunity for diverse women physicians-in-training to gain experiences, skills, and knowledge that will help them become leaders and change the face of medicine in meaningful ways.  The Institute emphasizes the myriad forms that change can take while encouraging individuals to start thinking creatively and realistically about how they might achieve their goals.  In addition, the Institute focuses on building a network of current and future leaders to provide ongoing support for personal and professional development in the many fields and roles we may come to inhabit during our careers.

DESCRIPTION

WEI is a 3-day leadership-building experience consisting of opportunities to meet and interact with current leaders in medicine, skills-building workshops, lectures on topics including women’s health, patient-centered medicine, gender disparities in the biomedical professions, and lobbying on Capitol Hill.  The emphasis of this year's Institute is on creating positive change as women leaders in medicine.  We will examine the following questions: What are the areas in medicine you would like to target for change?  What platforms exist for change?  How do we create new mechanisms and opportunities for change? Most importantly, how can we be leaders who enact change and what are the best ways to accomplish our personal and professional goals as women in medicine?  To explore these questions, we will meet with women leaders in a variety of medical careers (including various fields of clinical practice, academic medicine and research, community medicine, and policy work) and focus on building important communication and project-development skills.  Additionally, the Institute will serve as a weekend of support, camaraderie, and inspiration as we embark on the paths of our future medical careers.

The fee for attending this institute is $180. This fee includes room and board as well as food during the institute and travel in and around Washington, DC. Participants will be responsible for their own travel accommodations to and from Washington, DC, as well as any food or entertainment sought outside of the institute. Participants will be notified of acceptance by January 4, 2009. If selected to attend WEI, participants will be expected to arrive in Washington, DC, on the evening of February 20, 2009, and should plan on staying until the evening of February 23, 2009.

The Women’s Empowerment Institute aims to:

• Assemble a diverse group of women who enhance each other’s knowledge and strengths through sharing stories
• Inspire and empower tomorrow's women leaders in medicine to effect change (in your communities and abroad)
• Foster a network of women leaders to provide ongoing peer support and mentoring
• Improve recognition of the need for more women leaders in medicine
• Aid in the development and implementation of tangible projects oriented toward affecting long-standing change

If selected, you will be encouraged to:

• Enact your plan for change, be it personal, professional, political, or community-based
• Attend the AMSA National Convention in Washington, DC, in March
• Be a resource for women within your community and in your region  
• Actively plan and implement events addressing issues of women's health at your institution and/or within your local community

TO APPLY

Please submit the following items by January 2, 2009:

1. Completed online application, including a brief description of your interest in attending WEI, past leadership experiences, and a women’s health issue you would like to address.
2. Current curriculum vitae (limit 3 pages) should be submitted separately to amsa.wei@gmail.com
3. A $5.25 application fee below should be paid online by the same deadline in order for your application to be considered. If you encounter any problems using GoogleCheckout, please email dsp@amsa.org.

If you have questions, please contact Cassandra Foss, cassandrafoss@creighton.edu.