A/Prof Colville served three terms as a Federal Councillor on the RACS Committee. She said that while intergenerational gender attitudes were changing, the College remains challenged by the absence of women in sufficient influential positions. A/Prof Colville believes women surgeons practice differently, value different things and set high standards and the profession is impoverished if those strengths and differences are not recognised and included.
“Women surgeons make up 4% of Fellows, 12% of advanced surgical trainees and 16% of basic surgical trainees, yet the percentage of women medical graduates has been 50% over the last 10 years,” A/Prof Colville said.
“Understanding why so few then choose to become surgeons and addressing those issues remains a challenge.”
The Women in Surgery Committee was established in 1990 by 10 wonderful men who recognised that the involvement of women would be of great importance to the future of surgery. The establishment of mentoring in training has been of particular importance and success.
For more information contact Associate Professor Deb Colville through the Victorian Medical Women’s Society.
