This is a reshare of the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) most recent newsletter. AFMW is affiliated with Medical Women’s International Association, an association of medical women and students representing women doctors from all six continents and eight regions. In this newsletter, the Secretary General MWIA shares the story of Dr Elizabeth Blackwell the first woman physician in the United States of America to receive a medical degree.
Greetings dear colleagues and friends,
As we enter the 2nd month of 2022, I wanted to briefly share the story of Dr Elizabeth Blackwell the first woman physician in the United States of America to receive a medical degree. Her birthday February 3rd is celebrated as National Women Physicians Day.
Elizabeth was born on February 3rd 1821 near Bristol in the United Kingdom and moved to the USA with her parents as a young girl. She has been a trailblazer. Blackwell championed the participation of women in the medical profession and opened a medical college for women. Her many accomplishments include her emphasis on preventative care and personal hygiene, as she recognized that male doctors often caused epidemics by failing to wash their hands between patients. She was instrumental in founding the National Health Society and published several books, including an autobiography, Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women (1895).
The Elizabeth Blackwell Medal was created by American Medical Women’s Association as a lasting tribute to the first woman awarded an M.D. degree from an American medical school. It is granted to a woman physician who has made the most outstanding contributions to the cause of women in the field of medicine.
I am honored to be recipient of the Blackwell medal along with other awardees over the past 75 years.
Let me take this opportunity to express my appreciation to you all as women physicians working in the various disciplines of medicine for your commitment in improving the health of communities you live and work in.
Please check out the details about the upcoming Congress in Taipei in June 2022 below https://mwia.net/meetings/triennial-congress/
Hopefully if we can resume travel I look forward to seeing many of you in person in June.
Best wishes
Padmini Murthy
Secretary General MWIA
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.
