Happy International Women’s day 2021 to all women around the world .
We commemorate the day under the theme “Women in leadership :achieving an equal future in the COVID-19 world “ and the campaign theme #choosetochallenge .
I raise my hand boldly to challenge the obnoxious and obscene acts of criminality and cruelty in the form of feminide, violence against women and girls including sexual violence, harmful traditional practices and kidnappings
I choose to celebrate the increasing number of women in leadership across the world as Presidents, Prime Ministers , Executive directors, Heads of corporations etc who have broken the glass ceiling and our role models for young girls.
I choose to challenge the status quo in areas where there are barriers and hindrances to women rising to positions of leadership.
In order to achieve an equal future in a COVID-19 world, the resilience, ingenuity and creativity of women must be recognized as a blueprint for building back better.
In a post COVID-19 world. let us borrow this tried and tested template from women as we plan for a world of equality and human flourishing for women alongside men.
I salute and celebrate my medical women colleagues and the army of healthcare professionals around the world who continue to fight in the frontlines of the Covid-19 battles.
Excelsior!
Dr Eleanor Nwadinobi
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.
