“As we close out this year, it’s also time for me to say my goodbyes as VMWS President. I have been the President of VMWS for 3 years, and as one of the youngest Presidents in the history of VMWS, and as a woman of colour, it has been a hugely satisfying accomplishment.
I look back on the last 3 years of my Presidency with lots of fondness and pride. The committee members over the last 3 years have been dedicated and enthusiastic, and have been wonderful women to work with. Together, we shook up the membership structure by making it more straightforward and reduced the fees, which increased our membership significantly, making us the largest member organisation in the Australian Federation of Medical Women! We also obtained charity status with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission, which further contributed to the streamlining of our financial processes. We rebranded VMWS with an updated, more inclusive vision and statement of purpose, shifting our focus to ensure that a significant part of our advocacy was for YOU – medical women and non-binary doctors – to ensure that we support you throughout all stages of your personal and professional lives. To that end, I initiated the ‘Women In Leadership’ grant that sponsors members to attend leadership courses, and am very pleased to say we have successfully continued this for the last 2 years.
Over the last 3 years, VMWS has also organised multiple well-attended and highly regarded events, such as a webinar on intersectionality, feminism and health equity, an interactive workshop on financial education, a seminar on family planning, and of course, we have also continued our hugely popular annual CV writing sessions. One of my aims in organising these events was to ensure that participants felt safe to share their experiences and ask and answer questions in a no-holds-barred, intimate environment – and based on the feedback received, I’m very happy that we were successful in achieving this with our events.
As we continue on to 2024, with a new President at the helm, I have no doubt that VMWS will continue to grow from strength to strength. It has been my privilege to serve as President over the last 3 years and I look forward to contributing to the organisation in other capacities in the future. If you are interested in becoming involved in the committee, reach out to us! As always, no matter where you are in your career and your life, VMWS is here to support you.”
