Two of our AFMW members, namely A/Prof Jacqueline Boyle and Dr Magdalena Simonis were invited to participate in the Women in Global Health Australia (WGHA) webinar, “Unequal Burdens for Women in Healthcare”.
Thank you to all that joined us for #UnequalBurdens The thought provoking discussion is now online.
Thank you to our panel members for their expertise and time @mbismark @DrFayeMcMillan @drmsimonis @kylieward @jacanab @nadahamad #LouiseONeillhttps://t.co/ceWnQkIGm1— Women in Global Health Australia (@WGHAustralia) June 6, 2022
The pandemic has placed an unequal burden on women healthcare workers, who in Australia make up 75% of the workforce. Women in healthcare experienced a higher risk of exposure and infection, barriers to accessing personal protective equipment, decreased leadership and decision-making opportunities and increased workloads. Despite all this, women healthcare workers still absorbed the increased caregiving responsibilities when access to school and child care support was restricted.
COVID-19 has highlighted the urgent need for system level changes to better support women across the healthcare workforce. Join Women in Global Health Australia as we hear from the first hand experiences of healthcare workers, including representatives from medicine, nursing , allied health, and aged care. We will facilitate a discussion on the system changes required, particularly around care, parental leave and flexibility and highlight current approaches to drive evidence-based change.
See Unequal Burdens for Women in Healthcare
Magdalena Simonis, AFMW President
Jacqueline Boyle, AFMW member
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM is a 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.
