On May 11th 2021, I will be attending the Western Pacific Region Consultation on Climate and Health. This event is being organised by the World Health Organization, the Global Climate and Health Alliance, WHO-Civil Society Working Group on Climate and Health, and other health partners.
This is part of a series of consultations which will build on recent health leadership in climate action, including the Healthy Recovery letter which AFMW has contributed to, and the Race to Zero Dialogue on Climate and Health organised in partnership with the UNFCCC. The Regional Consultations are part of a series of activities paving the way to the United Nations climate negotiations in November (COP26).
These consultations provide an important opportunity for the health community and AFMW in particular, to offer guidance to climate decision-makers during a crucial year for climate action. Given the extraordinary pressures and demands on the health community during the ongoing pandemic, and the gendered impacts of climate change on women and children, such consultations provide an opportunity for AFMW to engage and lend its weight to these discussions.
Yours sincerely,
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis
MBBS FRACGP DRANZCOG MHH
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM is the Immediate Past President of the AFMW (2020-2023), former President of VMWS (2013 & 2017-2020) and current AFMW National Coordinator (2024-2026). She is a full time clinician who also holds positions on several not for profit organisations, driven by her passion for bridging gaps across the health sector. She is a leading women’s health expert, keynote speaker, climate change and gender equity advocate and government advisor. Magda is member of The Australian Health Team contributing monthly articles.
Magdalena was awarded a lifetime membership of the RACGP for her contributions which include past chair of Women in General Practice, longstanding contribution to the RACGP Expert Committee Quality Care, the RACGP eHealth Expert Committee. She is regularly invited to comment on primary care research though mainstream and medical media and contributes articles on various health issues through newsGP and other publications.
Magdalena has represented the RACGP at senate enquiries and has worked on several National Health Framework reviews. She is author of the RACGP Guide on Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and co-reviewer of the RACGP Red Book Women’s Health Chapter, and reviewer of the RACGP White book
Both an RACGP examiner and University examiner, she undertakes general practice research and is a GP Educator with the Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence, which develops education tools to assist the primary care sector identify, respond to and manage family violence . Roles outside of RACGP include the Strategy and Policy Committee for Breast Cancer Network Australia, Board Director of the Melbourne University Teaching Health Clinics and the elected GP representative to the AMA Federal Council. In 2022. she was award the AMA (Vic) Patrick Pritzwald-Steggman Award 2022, which celebrates a doctor who has made an exceptional contribution to the wellbeing of their colleagues and the community and was listed as Women’s Agenda 2022 finalist for Emerging Leader in Health.
Magdalena has presented at the United Nations as part of the Australian Assembly and was appointed the Australian representative to the World Health Organisation, World Assembly on COVID 19, by the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) in 2021. In 2023, A/Professor Simonis was included on the King’s COVID-19 Champion’s list and was also awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine through a range of roles and to women’s health.
