American Medical Women's Association

American Medical Women's Association

Formation	1915
Type	Professional association
Location	United States
Membership	3,000 physicians and medical students
Official language	English
President	Connie Baum Newman
Executive Director	Eliza Lo Chin
Website	www.amwa-doc.org

The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) is a professional advocacy and educational organization of women physicians and medical students.

History

The Woman's Medical Journal began publication in the 1893. ^[1]

As World War I broke out, medical women, though already 6% of the medical profession, faced severe discrimination, as they were barred from the American Medical Association and from the Army Medical Reserve Corps, effectively barring them from military participation as equals to medical men. ^[2]

In response, ^[2] the Medical Women’s National Association was founded in 1915 by Bertha Van Hoosen, MD, with the established journal as its official organ. In 1917, the association formed the War Service Committee, later renamed the American Women’s Hospitals Service (AWHS). It was later renamed the American Medical Women's Association. The AMWA works to advance women in medicine and to serve as a voice for women's health.

The association used to publish the Journal of the American Medical Women's Association; the Journal of Women's Health is now the official journal of the AMWA. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

Honors

The AMWA honors women physicians each year with four awards. ^[7]

• The Elizabeth Blackwell Medal, named for Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman awarded an M.D. from an American medical school, is granted to "a woman physician who has made the most outstanding contributions to the cause of women in the field of medicine."
• The Bertha Van Hoosen Award, named in honor of the Founder and first President of AMWA, honors "a woman physician who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and service to AMWA."
• The Lila A. Wallis Award, named for one of AMWA's Past Presidents, is given to an individual whose lifetime achievements and values reflect those of Wallis.
• The Woman in Science Award is given to a woman physician who "has made exceptional contributions to medical science, especially in women’s health."

The AMWA also established the International Women in Medicine Hall of Fame to recognize contributions made by women in the medical profession. The more than two dozen inductees include the first woman physician, Elizabeth Blackwell; and two former Surgeons General of the United States Antonia Novello and Joycelyn Elders. In 2010, the inductees were Linda A. Randolph, president and CEO of the Developing Families Center, an innovative model for healthcare delivery to poor families; and Diana Zuckerman, a health policy expert who is president of the National Research Center for Women & Families. The latter is the first non-physician inducted. ^[8]

Publications

The AMWA has published a number of books, primarily in the field of women's health.

• Dell, Diana L.; Judelson, Debra R. (1998). The Women's Complete wellness Book. New York: Golden Books. ISBN   0-307-44062-1.
• American Medical Women's Association (1996). AMWA Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth. New York: Dell. ISBN   0-440-22246-X.
• American Medical Women's Association (1995). Women's Complete Health Reference. MJF Books. ISBN   1-56731-240-3.
• Stewart, Susan; Epps, Roselyn Payne (1997). Guide to Cardiovascular Health. New York: Dell. ISBN   0-440-22314-8.
• American Medical Women's Association (1995). The AMWA Guide to Emotional Health. New York: Dell. ISBN   0-440-22248-6.
• Stewart, Susan; Epps, Roselyn Payne (1997). Guide to Internal Disorders. New York: Dell. ISBN   0-440-22317-2.
• American Medical Women's Association (1995). The AMWA Guide to Nutrition and Wellness. New York: Dell. ISBN   0-440-22244-3.
• American Medical Women's Association (1996). AMWA Guide to Cancer & Pain Management. New York: Dell. ISBN   0-440-22250-8.
• Donna Shelley; American Red Cross Staff; Lenhart, Sharyn A.; Epps, Roselyn Payne (2001). The Complete Family Health Book. Golden Books. ISBN   0-312-25308-7.
• Epps, Roselyn Payne; Stewart, Susan (1995). The Women's Complete Healthbook . New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN   0-440-50723-5.

References

1. Medical Women's National Association (U.S.) (1893–1919). "The Woman's medical journal": v.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
2. More, Ellen S. (1989). ""A Certain Restless Ambition": Women Physicians and World War I" . American Quarterly. 41 (4): 636–660. doi:10.2307/2713096. ISSN   0003-0678. JSTOR   2713096. The War Department's refusal to accept women physicians gave the MWNA its raison d'être.
3. "American Medical Women's Association". amwa-doc.org. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
4. "American Medical Women's Association". web.duke.edu. Archived from the original on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
5. "American Medical Women's Association". chicago.medicine.uic.edu. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
6. "American Medical Women's Association". amwa.wustl.edu. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
7. "Awards & Grants for Physicians". American Medical Women's Association. Retrieved 10 Sep 2020.
8. "American Medical Women's Association Honors Marianne Legato with 2002 Woman in Science Award". columbia.edu. Retrieved 25 February 2014.

External links

• "The American Medical Women's Association official website" . Retrieved 2007-12-27.
• "Journal of Women's Health". ISSN   1540-9996. Archived from the original on 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2008-07-24.