American Medical Women's Association:

The Vision and Voice of Women in Medicine Since 1915

Dr. Pamela Lipsett to Receive AMWA’s 2012 Woman in Science Award at the 97th Annual Meeting in Miami

March 14, 2012
Dr. Pamela Lipsett



     The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) today announced that Pamela Lipsett, MD, MHPE, Professor of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is the 2012 recipient of the Woman in Science Award. The awards presentation will be held at AMWA’s 97th Annual Meeting, April 13-15, 2012 in Miami, FL.


     The Woman in Science Award is presented to a woman physician who has made exceptional contributions to medical science, especially in women’s health, through her basic and/or clinical research, publications, and leadership in her field. Among the criteria are evidence of top-quality scientific research, extensive publication record, and a high national leadership profile.
     As a child, in spite of physical handicaps, Pamela Lipsett determined to become a surgeon. She received her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine. She was only the third woman to complete the rigorous Halsted Surgery Residency at Johns Hopkins University. Under her leadership in diverse roles at the medical center, more women medical students now enter surgical residency training throughout the country. She became the first female Professor of Surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and now also holds the Warfied M. Firor Chair of Surgery, and appointments in the Departments of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine and in the School of Nursing. Today, she concentrates on studying, preventing and treating infections in intensive care units and has made seminal contributions in fields ranging from biochemistry and clinical pharmacology to the economics of the intensive care unit to resident duty hours. Along with her work in critical care, she is cares deeply about education and has received many teaching awards.

     Dr. Lipsett is the immediate Past-President (as of February 2012) of the 15,000 member of Society of Critical Care Medicine (the largest critical care organization in the world) and the Surgical Infection Society. She is widely published and the author of more than 150 articles and chapters in the medical literature.
     ”Pamela Lipsett exemplifies that a woman in medicine is above all a woman in science, whose primary mission is to understand how the body works in order to repair it. She has overcome many personal challenges herself to achieve her preeminence in surgery. I am delighted she has accepted this award,” said AMWA Awards Committee Chair Nancy R. Church, MD.
     AMWA presents an exciting program for its meeting, Achieving Success as Women in Medicine, on April 13-15, 2012, at the Sofitel Miami, Miami, Florida. Gloria Steinem and Rachel Naomi Remen, MD are keynote speakers. World experts on women’s health and women’s advancement lead workshop sessions. The Woman in Science Award will be presented to Dr. Lipsett during the 97th Anniversary Gala, featuring keynote speaker Gloria Steinem.
     The 2012 AMWA Awards are presented with support from Pfizer Inc. The awards include the Elizabeth Blackwell Award, the Woman in Science Award, the Lila A. Wallis Women’s Health Award, the Bertha Van Hoosen Award, the Anne C. Carter Student Leadership Award and the Camille Mermod Award.

     Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the meeting and is sponsoring the opening night reception with keynote speaker, Dr. Remen.



The American Medical Women’s Association is an organization which functions at the local, national, and international level to advance women in medicine and improve the health of all individuals.  We achieve this by providing and developing leadership, advocacy, education, expertise, mentoring, and through building strategic alliances.  Join us at www.amwa-doc.org! 


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