AFMW is very proud of our member Dr Liz Rickman, President of the Australian Lesbian Medical Association (ALMA) for being selected as one of the 100 international participants by Homeward Bound Projects 2021.
https://homewardboundprojects.com.au/hb6/hb6-2021-participants/
These 100 women have been selected from an immensely impressive application pool, for the sixth program. All have a background and/or qualification in science, technology, engineering, mathematics or medicine (STEMM), and they come from all over the globe, from a broad range of professions, occupations and career levels, and have been selected based on their potential to demonstrate a new model of leadership, creating better outcomes for the planet.
The aim of the Homeward bound project is to form a coalition of 1000 women leaders of all backgrounds, to support each other and effect change in the world.
As part of this homeward bound scholarship they will be taking an Antarctic voyage together eventually, when global permissions allow travel given what’s happening with COVID-19.
The link here provides options for friends/ supporters to crowd fund and support their journey of learning and contributing.
Hearty congratulations to you Liz on this marvellous opportunity. We look foreword to hearing the updates and to hearing you speak at one of our sessions, along with some your new friends. “
Magdalena Simonis
President AFMW
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.
