This Scholarship was created in 1946 to commemorate the work of Dr Vera Scantlebury Brown, OBE, Director of Maternal and Pre-School Welfare in Victoria from 1926 to 1946. It represents a celebration of Dr Scantlebury Brown’s leadership in the development of female professionals and as such is open to women only. Women who work in the area of prenatal, child and family health, development and wellbeing are encouraged to apply.

The purpose of the Scholarship is to enable the successful applicant to undertake further studies or research overseas or in Australia. The value of this scholarship is up to $7,000.

Every applicant shall at the time of her selection agree that within a period of no more than 12 months from the date of completion of her study she shall return to Victoria and work for at least 12 months in the area in which she has gained training and experience. Applicants are required to submit a Report of their work following completion of their studies no later than twelve months after receiving the scholarship. Applications will be taken from the 1st July 2010 with the closing date being Friday 20th August 2010.

Please click on this link for more information and an application form

The Constance Stone Oration is awarded by the Victorian Medical Women’s Society yearly. The oration celebrates the past and present achievements of the VMWS and medical women and is named to honour the first female registered to practice Medicine in Australia. Speakers are invited to deliver the oration because of their significant achievements which are in keeping with the aims of the VMWS. The Constance Stone Award, given yearly to the person who delivers the Constance Stone Oration is supported by a bequest to the VMWS by Dr Merrilyn Murnane, AM.

Click here to read more and to access the Constance Stone Oration Honour Roll

Happy, Healthy Women, Not Just Survivors is a joint advocacy initiative between the Australian Women's Coalition (AWC), the Australian Federation of Medical Women (AFMW) and the Victorian Medical Women's Society (VMWS).  Following on from the recent national summit, a briefing paper has been released that provides the background information, evidence and educational resources to inform and highlight the issues that need to be addressed to safely and effectively meet the needs of sexual violence survivors over a lifetime.

Sexual violence is a common experience for women in Australia, with 1 in 3 reporting sequal violence over their lifetimes and 1 in 10 reporting penetrative or attempted penetrative sexual abuse. Significant health consequences result over a lifetime, and with domestic violence, sexual violence is responsible for the greatest burden of disease for women aged 18-45 years. In site of this, women who experience sexual violence are reluctant to access healthcare services. There is a critical dissonance between survivors' needs and service provision.

Click here to download the briefing paper Happy, Healthy Women, Not Just Survivors.
Click here to view the cover letter for the paper.

In the lead up to the MDG summit in September at the United Nations, the latest information and materials on the MDGs has been released. Preparations for the Summit on the MDGs (to be held in New York on 20-22 September) officially started this month, when the General Assembly President started Government consultations on 4 March. Negotiations on an agreed action agenda for 2011-2015, to be adopted at the Summit, are scheduled to start in mid-April.