The Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) MWIA Quarterly Update – Activities of MWIA and its Regions – June 2024 is now available. 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.
MWIA Quarterly Update June 2024 [Extract]
President’s Message
Greetings from the desk of the President.
How time flies! June 2024 marked two years since this Exco has been in office for this Triennium (2022-2025).
To mark my second year in office for this triennium, the President’s prize, with support from yMWIA, entered its second round. The cash prize this year was been made possible by the generous donation of the yMWIA Chair, Dr Ashna Basu and I invite you to read her piece on the winning essays.
We are engaging in more partnerships in line with our triennial theme “One Humanity: Health Solutions through our Partnerships”.
Ahead of the mandatory 18-month period for notice of elections and call for Executive Committee nominees, the First Special Update went out in April. The count-down is on towards Egypt 2025.
As you can see, we are making the June 2024 update a celebration edition with more content and pictures than usual. So happy reading!
MWIA Exco held 3 Executive Committee meetings this quarter. In May we had our in-person meetings in Geneva with the added opportunity of attending the World Health Assembly.
As a result of our partnership and Memorandum of Understanding with Global Sepsis Alliance, MWIA featured in the 2024 World Sepsis Congress on April 23 with more than 12,000 participants from over 180 countries including medical practitioners, public health experts and researchers in attendance. It was a delight to present an opening video message and moderate a session on the unmet need of sepsis diagnosis and treatment.
The 10th MWIA Near East and Africa Regional (NEAR) Congress was held at the Avani Victoria Falls Resort in Livingstone, Zambia, from 8th to 10th May 2024. The sub-theme for the congress was “Health Equity through Partnerships, Innovation and Research”. MWIA was represented by NEA Regional Vice President – Dr Claribel Abam, President Elect -Dr Amany Asfour, Dr Beverly Johnson, MWIA Social Media chair, editor in chief Dr Clarissa Fabre and myself. The high level of organisation and support from the LOC led by Dr Joyce Sakala is greatly appreciated
The Patient Engagement Open Forum (PEOF) in Baveno, Italy from May 21-23 was a great opportunity to publicize Women’s Health Innovation Equity Opportunity Map (IEF) which MWIA participated in. The conference brought together global leaders in patient engagement in medicines R&D to ideate potential solutions in one or more of the prioritized opportunity areas identified in the Women’s Health Innovation Opportunity Map, building on existing initiatives or assets. The partnership with Synergist under the leadership of Helena Harnik is an example of translating our triennial theme into action. https://www.thesynergist.org
On 28 May 2024 at Château des Penthes overlooking Lake Geneva with the stunning and majestic Mont Blanc as a backdrop, I had the opportunity of speaking at a high-level event celebrating 50 Years of Expanded Programs on Immunization (EPI), a WHO Director General Event co-hosted with the Immunisation Agenda Partnership Council 2030 – ‘Progress: Honoring Achievements, Embracing Innovation, and Envisioning the Future’.
I also had an opportunity on the 29th May to present a statement on the floor of WHA ‘Prioritizing Women in Prevention and Control of NCDs’ (Agenda item: 11.2). https://extranet.who.int/nonstateactorsstatements/meetingoutline/6
On Thursday 27 June, I represented MWIA at the commemoration of ICPD@30 (International Conference on Population and Development) Global Dialogue on Technology for Diagnostics, Development, and Treatment: Pioneering Equitable Healthcare R&D, held at the United Nations Headquarters, New York. The partnership between UNFPA and MWIA has been further deepened.
Dr. Eleanor Nwadinobi
MWIA President
Read the full MWIA June 2024 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.
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.
