Time flies! We’re at the end of the year, and what an eventful year it has been.
There was significant movement in the gender equity space, both within our state with the enactment of the Gender Equality Act, and nationally with the March 4 Justice rallies. In line with this, we participated in the United Nations Generational Equality Forum, held in Paris in June, as well as in the Gender Equity Practice and Exchange Conference held by Gender Equity Victoria in August, learning more about what organisations such as ours can do to enact change.
There were also crucial moments this year that brought further attention to the climate crisis, such as the inaugural Better Futures Forum held in August that VMWS participated in. We are also proud to be a part of AFMW’s Climate Health Action Group and support its endeavours, and continue to work together with other healthcare groups to amplify the health sector’s voice in the call to action.
In addition to our ongoing advocacy efforts, we held two extremely well-received events this year (both were held virtually and open to not just state members but to members of AFMW). These were the CV Writing Workshop, held in May, a hugely popular event with a robust Q&A session to address specific questions in a supportive environment, and All About Intersectionality, Feminism & Health Equity, held in September, where we had a star-studded cast of speakers from various intersections, from LGBTQIA+ to disability, in a highly interactive session exploring how and why every patient’s identity influences their experience of healthcare, and how we as medical professionals can address these factors to achieve the best outcomes for our patients.
Within VMWS, we overhauled our membership fee structure by streamlining fee levels and reducing our fees across the board, including introducing free membership for students. We also obtained charity status with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission!
Read more about what we have done this year in the AFMW Annual Report! This is the first Annual Report produced by AFMW that summarises its activities, as well as the activities of the individual states, and it’s a wonderful way to stay up to date with what has been happening.
We recently held our AGM on 30 October, where we had a beautiful and inspiring talk by our Constance Stone Oration recipient A/Prof Deborah Colville. If you missed out on attending the AGM, A/Prof Colville’s slides will be up on our website soon for you to have a browse through. Our 2022 Committee is also newly formed and I am excited for you to learn more about them; keep a lookout for an updated committee bio section on our website.
What’s in store for VMWS in 2022? We are hoping for more engagement from YOU, whether or not you are a member of our organisation. Because we represent all medical women in Victoria, we are hoping to speak louder and work harder to ensure your needs, both professional and personal, are heard. Stay tuned to this space for more exciting events and initiatives coming your way!
To end off, I want to thank you for your support this year. It is always hugely appreciated by all of us here on the committee working hard behind the scenes. Have a wonderful holiday season and we’ll see you next year. And of course, if you are interested in being involved, you can contact us via our website or social media – we are always keen to have more of you involved in our activities!
Warmest regards,
