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 new Secretary General MWIA, Mariam Jashi MD, MPH, MPA shares information about the Swiss Registration of MWIA, MWIA Strategic Plan for 2022-2025 and the Establishment of 9 special Interest Committees and Groups.
MWIA August 2022
Dear Colleagues and Partners,
On behalf of the newly established Executive Committee of the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA), let me extend warmest greetings to you and express confidence that through our joint collaboration over the next 3 years, we can bring impactful change to the lives of millions of women, girls and our fellow medical women across all geographic regions of the world.
As the newly elected Secretary General of this noble organization, I look forward to working with each of our National Associations, Individual Members and Partner Organizations for strengthening MWIA and implementing the new Triennial Theme that President Eleanor Nwadinobi launched in her Inaugural Speech – One Humanity: Health Solutions through Our Partnerships.
Hereby, let me briefly update you on some of the important areas of MWIA work since our 32nd International Congress and General Assembly in Taipei, Taiwan.
1. Swiss Registration of MWIA
The new Executive Committee has been actively working on the implementation of the 2022 General Assembly decisions and recommendations, with special focus on completing the MWIA registration process under the Swiss Code 61. After a series of intensive consultations with colleagues and lawyers, we have already submitted the documentation package for MWIA registration in Switzerland.
2. Appointment of MWIA Special Representative in Switzerland
We are delighted to inform you that Dr. Eleanor Nwadinobi, MWIA President has exercised her rights as enriched by the Statutes and By-Laws and appointed our Swiss colleague as the Special Representative of MWIA in Switzerland and the Proxy Member to the Executive Committee.
Dr. Adelheid Schneider-Gilg, President of the Medical Women Switzerland will serve in this position for the next 3 years. We are grateful to Dr. Schneider-Gilg for her exceptional support and look forward to working with her in this new role.
We would also like to extend special thanks to Dr. Edith Schratzberger-Vécsei, MWIA Regional Vice President for Central Europe for facilitating this important process.
3. MWIA Strategic Plan for 2022-2025
As one of our primary tasks, the new Executive Committee has prioritized the development of a 3-year Strategic Plan for MWIA. The document will serve as our common agenda for operationalization of the Triennial Theme and a platform for expanding our strategic partnerships with public and private stakeholders.
I am particularly honoured, that as the Secretary General, I have been entrusted by the President to coordinate elaboration of the MWIA Strategic Plan. Hereby I would like to thank Dr. Connie Newman, Regional Vice President for North America for her agreement to co-facilitate the strategic planning virtual retreats.
More importantly, we look forward to active engagement and valuable inputs from every member of our Association to this historic process for MWIA and to finalizing the Strategic Plan by October 2022.
4. MWIA Committees and Special Interest Groups for 2022-2025
The Executive Committee agreed, that for the 2022-2025 Triennial Theme, MWIA will operationalize 9 Committees and has already initiated the nomination and appointment process of Committee Chairs. Special Interest Groups will be also established in fall 2022, I parallel to our work on the new Strategic Plan for the Association.
As the President and I informed you in our joint letter from August 22, we look forward to receiving Expression of Interests from our members to MWIA Committees and Special Interest Groups by September 15, 2022.
Following is the list of MWIA Committees that are been established and the names of Committee Chairs, where already appointed:
- Standing Finance Committee to be chaired by Dr. Bong Ok Kim, Regional Vice President for the Western Pacific, representing the Republic of Korea
- Partnerships Committee to be chaired by Dr. Amany Asfour, MWIA President-Elect, representing Egypt
- Ethics and Resolutions Committee to be chaired by Dr. Claribel Abam, the national of Nigeria and the current Regional Vice President for Near East and Africa
- Science, Technology & Research Committee (chair to be elected)
- Editorial and Communications Committee led by the Secretary General
- The Past Presidents Advisory Committee under coordination of the President
- yMWIA (chair to be elected)
- Governance Committee (chair to be elected)
- The Awards Committee (chair to be elected)
As noted, the final list of Special Interest Groups will be defined based on your feedback and the outcomes of the MWIA Strategic Planning process.
Way Forward
The unique legacy of MWIA was built by each generation of its leaders and members, making our Association stronger throughout the decades.
And I take this opportunity to sincerely thank each member of the MWIA community for your exceptional dedication and efforts for the protection and promotion of the health, well-being and rights of women, girls and our female medical professionals.
As the Secretary General, I assure you of full support from the new Executive Committee to showcase the work and successes of our National Associations and individual members both at country and global levels.
Sincerely,
Mariam Jashi MD, MPH, MPA
Secretary General MWIA
Read the full MWIA August Newsletter here
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.
