All Are Welcome to the Celebration of MMS Women in Medicine

Networking and Awards Dinner is November 9

BY ERIN TALLY, SENIOR MEMBER RELATIONS ADMINISTRATOR

When members and allies of the MMS Committee on Women’s Health and MMS Women Physicians Section gather to honor 2023 awardees in November, they will also be celebrating four years of collaboration, advocacy, and women’s leadership on issues of importance to women physicians and women’s health.

Dr. Pei-Li Huang

Last year’s resumption of the annual networking and awards event, after a two-year pause due to the pandemic, was a reminder of the gathering’s highly valued camaraderie and relationship-building opportunities for women physicians. The lack of an in-person event for two years was “a missed opportunity for women physicians to meet and be inspired by not only outstanding researchers and leaders but also their hard-working colleagues,” says Pei-Li Huang, MD, newly elected chair of the MMS Women Physicians Section. She is also a founder of the Section, which is now entering its fifth year.

Dr. Geunwon Kim-Sun

Looking back on last year’s event, Geunwon Kim-Sun, MD, PhD, now chair of the MMS Committee on Women’s Health, says that for an early career physician like herself, “sharing the space with so many legends in medicine was so awe-inspiring in itself.” But throughout the evening, she says, “Stories of mentorship and friendship that have blossomed from casual get-togethers and organized events reminded me how important it is to provide gatherings that bring physicians together in person — not just meetings of those who are in similar stages of career, but also events like award ceremonies that bring together multiple generations of physicians.”

The Committee on Women’s Health provides a forum to identify and advocate for professional issues of concern to women physicians, educate colleagues about women’s health, and foster the membership, participation, and leadership of women within the MMS.

The Women Physicians Section (WPS) was created in 2019 to influence and contribute to MMS policy and program development on issues of importance to self-identified women physicians and medical students and to provide a forum for advocacy, leadership development, mentoring, and networking. Women members of the MMS automatically belong to the WPS; men are welcome to opt in.

Separately and together, these two groups focus on MMS policy and advocacy relating to women in medicine and to the health of all women. Some recent examples include:

• the 2022 Physician Wellness Survey of MMS members to identify specific drivers of stress across demographic groups and the resulting report, all of which grew out of an MMS policy resolution from the two groups;
• an MMS resolution to advocate for education and awareness of racial and socioeconomic disparities in breast reconstruction after mastectomy;
• an MMS resolution titled Supporting Improved Access to Early Education and Child Care Systems in Massachusetts;
• an MMS resolution condemning any judicial action that undermines the authority of the US Food and Drug Administration to review and approve drugs based on scientific evidence of efficacy and safety in the wake of a judicial ruling relating to mifepristone; and
• an MMS resolution to improve access to evidence-based screening, diagnosis, and treatment of postpartum mood disorders. (See related article.)

In addition to celebrating these actions, this year’s Women in Medicine Networking and Awards Dinner will honor two recipients of women’s health and leadership awards:

Khama D. Ennis, MD, MPH, FACEP, immediate past president of the medical staff and former chief of emergency medicine at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, is the 2023 recipient of the Woman Physician Leadership Award. This honor recognizes outstanding leadership and contributions to patients and the medical profession by a woman physician. See more about Dr. Ennis and the award.

Megan R. Miller, MD, is an obstetrician and gynecologist at Baystate Medical Center. She is the 2023 recipient of the Women’s Health Award, which recognizes a physician for outstanding contributions advancing women’s health in Massachusetts. See more about Dr. Miller and the award.

Says Dr. Kim: “I thank the MMS for giving us the platform to recognize these exceptional women and the opportunity to bring many of us together to celebrate.”