By Sheri Bortz, MD (Urgent Care Medicine), newsletter editor, AMWA South Bay Branch

 

The South Bay AMWA branch located in Silicon Valley California has had a busy year. Under the leadership of doctors Anlin Xu, MD (Allergy) and Maureen Khoo, MD (Ob-gyn) we have had monthly events of an educational nature sponsored by pharma or medical product companies. We’ve had talks on diabetes, thyroid disease, asthma, and advances in breast reconstruction. Kamakshi Ziegler, MD gave the program on breast reconstruction. She is on the South Bay AMWA board, as well as being an accomplished plastic surgeon specializing in the breast. She arranged for her own sponsor and brought two of her current patients who gave their personal accounts of the experience of breast reconstruction using a new patient controlled tissue inflation device.

In August and December we are planning more purely social functions, a potluck picnic in a local park in August and our second annual holiday party in December. Our first holiday party was sponsored by a series of non-pharma sponsors so family members and guests could come. At a local restaurant with a big banquet room we had a DJ and dancing, a raffle, a short talk on Medicare by one of our members, and lots of good food and socializing. We want to make this an annual event! Our summer picnic will be family centered and casual with activities for the younger children provided by the branch. Potluck and “bring your own barbeque” will bring us together in community sharing.

We are working on a web site that will house “members only” information for networking and possibly a “Find a woman doctor” page for the public. We plan a page of information on National AMWA with a link to the National web site. The web site will have a home for copies of our newsletters which are published quarterly.

We are also participating on a political level with contact to a lobbyist who is providing us with information on bills that impact the practice of medicine. Dr. Laurel Waters (Pathology and Occupational health) participated in the April 17 legislative conference in Sacramento CA sponsored by the California AMA.

We are working on our bylaws that will give the group a structure that we’ve lacked in the past. Two of our board members are active on a national level. Dr. Laurel Waters is the national treasurer, and Dr. Maureen Khoo has joined the Membership and Marketing committee.

The key to our success is an active board where all the members are participating. We are working to recruit other board members who share our enthusiasm for AMWA.