Eileen Barrett, MD, MPH, is an internal medicine and addiction physician based in Albuquerque.  She is Senior Medical Director and VP, Quality, at Workit Health. She received her MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MD at Georgetown University, and completed internal medicine residency at Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital. She completed a Medical Justice and Advocacy Fellowship through Morehouse School of Medicine and the American Medical Association in 2022. She is 2025-2026 President of the American Medical Women’s Association, Chair Emerita of the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians, and a former Multi-state District Chair of the Society of Hospital Medicine.  Her writing has been published in JAMA, Journal of Addiction Medicine, the Journal of Hospital Medicine, the Annals of Internal Medicine, Modern Healthcare, the New York Times, and more.

A native of New Jersey, Dr. Cazares attended Boston College for her undergraduate studies and then Drexel University for the first half of a Masters in Public Health (MPH). She was then commissioned in the US Navy and attended Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) where she graduated with her medical degree in 2004. She completed a Psychiatry Internship at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) in 2005 and then went on to be the General Medical Officer onboard the USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52) from 2005-2007, deploying twice in two years.

Following this operational tour, she completed training in Psychiatry at the National Naval Medical Center via the National Capital Consortium Psychiatry Residency Program. During that time, she served as the Navy Chief Resident and completed her MPH at Drexel University.

She was meritoriously selected for Captain in April 2019. She is on USU faculty, has lectured nationally, is engaged in research, and has published. She is the NMCSD Liaison to the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) where she serves on the Executive Board of Directors, as the Secretary. During her previous 2 terms on the Board, she led creation of the newly established Active Duty and Veterans Chapter of AMWA.

Dr. Cazares’ personal awards include the MHS Navy Senior Female Physician Leadership Award, Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3 awards), a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, recognition as a NMCSD Associate Master Clinician and numerous other unit awards. She is board certified in General Psychiatry and an Assistant Professor at USUHS.

Dr. Vidhya Prakash is the Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Population Health and Chief Medical Officer at SIU Medicine in Springfield, Illinois. She is a Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases faculty. Dr. Prakash graduated from The Ohio State University with a BA in English. She received her MD degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine residency followed by Infectious Diseases fellowship at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium. After serving as an Infectious Diseases physician in the United States Air Force for ten years on active duty status, she retired from the military in 2014 and joined SIU School of Medicine. Dr. Prakash is founder and director of SIU Medicine’s Alliance for Women in Medicine and Science (AWIMS). She is a proud member and fellow of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) and has served on the AMWA Board of Directors since 2023, having recently been elected as Secretary beginning in 2025.

She lives in Springfield, Illinois with her husband, Dr. Eric Black, and their children, Eric Shiva and Ethan Prakash.

A leader in the high-tech industry for the last 25 years, Khawaja has moved industries forward by creating innovative products with his distinct management and leadership style. He holds multiple patents in mobile wireless technologies at Apple, where he founded the Applied Machine Learning team. Khawaja has created multiple organizations from scratch focused on applying Machine Learning and behavioral analytics in fraud detection, Apple hardware diagnostics, risk management, mobile payments, cyber security & threat intelligence, healthcare, digital health, privacy, search and recommendations. He has developed teams of hundreds of people, serving billions of users and creating multi-billion dollars per year in value. He has broad industry experience ranging from Manufacturing, Media, Retail, Banking, HealthCare, and Technology. He is currently a Senior Director of Engineering at Google where he leads multiple teams applying ML to benefit billions of users. Khawaja has brought his ML and engineering expertise and vision to be a key driver for the advancement of consumer health ML, security, and privacy. He is married with two children whom he encourages to pursue their own creative ventures, in addition to a network of mentees and partners he sponsors to fulfill their own potential.

Dr. Eliza Lo Chin is AMWA’s Executive Director, Assistant Professor (Voluntary) at the University of California, San Francisco, and Medical Director of Watermark by the Bay. A graduate of UC Berkeley, she received her MD from Harvard Medical School and her MPH from Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health. She is the editor of This Side of Doctoring: Reflections from Women in Medicine and was featured in the National Library of Medicine Exhibition, Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians. Dr. Chin has served as co-chair/co-director of national/international meetings, executive producer of the short film At Home and Over There: American Women Physicians in WWI, and member of several advisory/editorial boards. She has been a visiting scholar with the Women’s Leadership Institute of Mills College, and California delegate to Vision 2020. A recipient of several awards, she is also a fellow of the American College of Physicians and of AMWA. She is a leader within the Medical Women’s International Association and an AMWA Representative to the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Her interests include women’s leadership and mentoring, women’s health, geriatrics, medical humanities, and history of women in medicine.

Dr. Bisi Alli is a two-term board member of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) and a dual board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine, dedicated to advancing healthcare. With over a decade of clinical experience, she is committed to improving patient care and enhancing organizational practices. As a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, she focuses on streamlining processes that elevate care quality and efficiency across healthcare systems. In her role as an Associate Clinical Professor at Creighton University School of Medicine and an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, she enjoys mentoring physicians and developing innovative approaches that prioritize patient safety and wellness.

Her contributions have been recognized through several awards, including the AMWA Inspire Award (2024) and the Early Career Physician of the Year (2017) from the American College of Physicians.

In her desire to promote well-being at every age, Dr. Alli authored Tayo and the Super Produce Pals at the Grocery Store!, an illustrated children’s book that shows the joy of healthy eating and supports caregivers on this journey. Through her presentations and publications, she is dedicated to promoting a culture of safety and enhancing the health and wellness of everyone prioritizing well-being, from individuals receiving care to those providing it.

Nicole Bentze DO, FAAFP, FAMWA is a board-certified Family Physician and Dean of the Sarasota Regional Medical Campus of the Florida State University College of Medicine (FSU COM). After graduating from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2000, she completed her training at the Harrisburg Family Medicine Residency Program in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She completed a primary-care Faculty Development Fellowship at Michigan State University and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Medical Student Educators Development Institute Fellowship. She was inducted as Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians in 2014 and Fellow of the American Medical Women’s Association in 2022. Dr. Bentze served as the Family Medicine Clerkship Director for FSU COM for 10 years while maintaining her primary care practice. In 2016, she left private practice for academic medicine. As Regional Campus Dean, Dr. Bentze oversees the clinical education of medical (MD) and physician assistant (PA) students at the FSU COM Regional Medical Campus in Sarasota, Florida. She is passionate about promoting scholarship, leadership, mentorship and well-being among the students, clerkship directors and clinical faculty. Dr. Bentze completed the AAFP Leading Physician Well-Being Certificate Program in 2022 and the Florida Medical Association Physician Leadership Academy in 2024. Recent honors include the AMWA INSPIRE Award (2023), FSU COM 2023 – 2024 Regional Outstanding Faculty Educator Award, and the AMWA Exceptional Mentor Award (2025).  She proudly serves on the AMWA Board of Directors and as the AMWA Regional Governor Lead.

Dr. Octavia Cannon, a Board-Certified physician, is a provider at Alliance Obstetrics and Gynecology in East Lansing, Michigan. She was previously the co-owner of Arboretum Obstetrics and Gynecology, LLC (2005-2021) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Arboretum OB/Gyn was the lone private practice in Charlotte which had only female physicians.

She is an Honors graduate and active Alumnus of Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, NC); where she was a Duke Endowment and UNCF scholar. She was honored as the University’s Alumnae of the Year at the Arch of Triumph Gala in April 2018. In 2021, she established a $25,000 scholarship endowment for STEM students at the University. Dr. Cannon earned her medical degree at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine (Miami, FL); where she honed her Spanish-speaking skills. A native of East Lansing, Michigan; she pursued her residency training at St. John/Detroit Riverview and Hutzel Hospitals closer to home.

Dr. Cannon continues her personal mission of public service and health education via numerous leadership roles on local and national levels. She was the 2018 National President of the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOOG) and is the first African-American president of the organization (established in 1934). She currently serves as the Chair of the Medical Education Foundation of ACOOG. Dr. Cannon is also a member of the American Osteopathic Association Media Relations Panel and enjoys contributing to health-related articles in many national media publications and television appearances. She was featured in a 2017 Sun Coast Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary on the history of women in osteopathic medicine entitled, “The Feminine Touch”.

Dr. Cannon is a 2023 member of the Board of Directors of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA). She also served on the Board of Directors for Florence Crittenton Services for 6 years; which is a national organization committed to assisting pregnant/at-risk young women take charge of their lives and support their families. She was a charter member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Women’s Preventive Services Initiative Task Force. Recently, she was appointed to the ACOG Task Force on Pregnancy and Heart Disease. She also enjoys her memberships in the Chi Epsilon Omega graduate chapter of The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, The Lansing/East Lansing Chapter of The Links, Incorporated and The Junior League of Lansing; which enable her to actively serve her community on the local and national levels.

Katrina Green, MD FAAEM is an emergency physician in Nashville, TN. She graduated from Michigan State University with a BS in Chemical Engineering in 2003, received her MD from Wayne State University in 2008, and completed her emergency medicine residency at Indiana University in 2011. She has been a member of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine since residency and served as an at-large board member of the Tennessee Chapter of AAEM from 2021-23. She is an active member of the Tennessee Medical Association and the Nashville chapter, the Nashville Academy of Medicine. Through the TMA, Dr Green advocates for healthcare related legislation at the Tennessee state legislature, participating in Doctor of the Day and Doctor’s Day on the Hill. She serves as a board member of Gideon’s Army, a nonprofit organization working to reduce gun violence in Nashville. Dr. Green is the current chair of the AMWA advocacy committee. She is also active with the gun violence solutions committee. Locally, she is on the leadership team of the East Nashtivists, a grassroots organization and action council through Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood, advocating for reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights and bodily autonomy through voter registration, engagement and turnout efforts in her community. She lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and two cats, Jude and Prudence.

Marion M. McCrary MD FACP FAMWA is a primary care internal medicine physician and Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine in North Carolina. She is also a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach and serves as the Associate Director of the Duke Graduate Medical Education Professional Development Coaching Program.  She is passionate about encouraging physician well-being and leadership development for women physicians. She is the Governor for the North Carolina chapter of the American College of Physicians.  She is Co-director for AMWA EVOLVE and Lead Coach Faculty for AMWA ELEVATE.  She serves as an ACP Well-being champion and is President-elect of the North Carolina Clinician and Physician Retention and Well-being Consortium Board of Directors. She shares her home with her husband of 26 years and their labradoodle.

Dr. Abby Spencer serves as Professor and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Medicine and as Director of the Academy of Educators at Washington University School of Medicine. She previously served as Director of the Medicine Residency Program and Vice Chair for Education at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Spencer graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a BS in Behavioral Neuroscience from Tulane University, and received her MD from the University of Pittsburgh. She completed her Primary Care Internal Medicine residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill-Cornell Medical Center and subsequently completed a fellowship in General Medicine with a concentration in Women’s Health and earned a Masters in Medical Education from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Spencer is an innovative and enthusiastic educator with an exceptional knack for cultivating the strengths and potential in others. She has dedicated her career to innovating, developing curriculum, building teams, and developing others in medical education. She has delivered over 150 invited faculty development/educational courses and workshops locally and nationally. She has won numerous national awards for her teaching, educational scholarship, mentorship, and leadership the 2020 ACGME ParkerPalmer Courage to Teach Award, 2020 Cleveland Clinic Women’s Champion Award which recognizes contribution to the advancement, development and wellbeing of women, and the 2023 inaugural Advancing Women in Academic Medicine award from Wash U. She completed ELAM in 2022 and has held leadership positions in many national organizations across academic internal medicine. Her greatest professional joys are mentoring, teaching, sponsoring, and developing others.

Chung Sang Tse, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated as a Farr Scholar from the Yale School of Medicine, where her educational research on hospice and palliative care was recognized by the John P. Peters Commencement Award. At Yale, she served as the Co-President of the Internal Medicine Interest Group, Women in Medicine group, American Medical Association (AMA) Yale Chapter, and as a Medical Student Council Member at the Connecticut State Medical Society.

Dr. Tse completed her Internal Medicine residency training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, Gastroenterology fellowship at Brown University, and an Advanced Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Preceptorship at the University of California, San Diego. Dr.

Tse has stayed active in AMWA throughout her medical training in medical school, residency, and fellowship. She served as the AMWA National President of the Residents’ and Fellows’ Division from 2020-2021 and the MWIA Centennial Congress Residents’ Co-Chair in 2019-2020. She is honored as a recipient of the AMWA Charlotte Edwards Maguire, MD Outstanding Resident Mentor Award (2017), AMWA Susan Love Resident Writing Competition (2017, 2nd place), and the AMWA Young Women in Science Award (2016). She continues to serve as a mentor for undergraduate students, medical students, and residents. She hopes to advance women in medicine through mentorship, networking, leadership, and academic scholarship.

Gloria Wu, MD, MBA, FAMWA is serving in her second term at the Board, 2025 -2027, became Fellow of AMWA in March 2025. She is now the immediate past president of Santa Clara County Medical Association, CoChair of its AI Health Committee. She was elected to the California Board of Trustees (2024 to 2027). She is a graduate of Harvard University AB, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons MD. Trained in General Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Ophthalmology at Cornell-Presbyterian Medical Center, Retina-Vitreous at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dr Wu is a board certified Ophthalmologist, specializinig in Retina-Vitreous Diseases and Surgery. In private practice in San Jose, she enjoys seeing her patients in the post-COVID era.

She is the author of 3 ophthalmology textbooks, 10 ehealth apps, most recently, EyeQuix, Telehealth Eye Test. In 2024, she published 6 papers on AI and Ophthalmology and Medicine. In 2025, she will present on VR games to fight dementia at IEEE-SEGAH. She consults for Data/Health technology companies. For fun, she paints, does caricatures of friends and does creative writing. She plays tennis 4-5 times a week.

Subhjit Sekhon MD MS first year Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellow at NYU Langone in New York City. Previously she was an Obstetrics and Gynecology resident at University of Missouri-Kansas City. She went to the University of Missouri-Kansas City 6 year BS/MD program after high school, taking a research year between her 5th and 6th years to pursue a MSCI at Washington University in St. Louis. Subhjit has been involved with AMWA since medical school, serving at both the chapter and national level. In her free time, you can find her taking a yoga or spin class or traveling.

Jamie Green, DO is a resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health – South Shore University and Huntington Hospital with a desire to pursue fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine. She graduated from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine where she was first introduced to AMWA and served as a proud member. In AMWA, she would like to focus on mental and reproductive health as well as mentorship and advocacy opportunities. In her free time, Jamie enjoys spending time outdoors, reading and practicing yoga.

Jennifer Uyere is a MS4 student at UAG. She is proudly of Nigerian and Mexican descent and was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science, both in Biology, from California State University, Los Angeles. During her undergraduate and graduate years, she was an NIH scholar, which allowed her to partake in research that focused on elucidating the virulence and pathogenicity of Candida albicans. Prior to medical school, she worked at two, large hospitals in Los Angeles, California as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist. During her first year of medical school, she had the opportunity to participate in UAG AMWA events and quickly found that she identified with its mission, inspiring her to become a national AMWA member. During her second year, she was elected UAG AMWA President and proudly led the organization to receive recognition on campus, in the community, and at international conferences for its achievements. In addition, during her leadership, the UAG chapter increased from 15 members to over 200 members. Moreover, Jennifer is interested in pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine or Surgery. In her free time, she loves to spend quality time with family and friends, volunteer with Guimedic Medical Humanitarian Organization and Soroptimist International, travel, and try new places to eat. She is very excited at the opportunity to serve as the President of the AMWA Student Division and she greatly looks forward to a positive and fruitful term.

Taylor Goss, MPH, MBE, is a third-year medical student at Penn State College of Medicine. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Biomedical and Health Sciences from the University of Central Florida, received her Master of Public Health in Health Policy & Management with a certificate in Comparative Effectiveness Outcomes Research from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and completed a Master of Bioethics from Harvard Medical School. Before medical school, Taylor worked as a Senior Associate for a patient engagement and advocacy consulting firm advising biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies on incorporating the patient voice into drug development. She has been involved with AMWA since 2016, founding a premedical branch at her undergraduate institution, serving on Premedical National AMWA leadership as Regional Director and President, and more recently serving as President of her medical school branch and National Advocacy Chair. Throughout graduate school, Taylor has remained involved in AMWA through research with the Opioid Addiction in Women task force. Overall, her research has included menstrual health equity, opioid addiction in women, patient perspectives on cell and gene therapy, and adolescent health behavior indicators. Taylor is passionate about mentorship and is interested in pursuing clinical ethics consultation in her future practice.

Dana Shuaibi (she/her) is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she earned a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences with a concentration in Health Diversity. She is currently working as a Research Coordinator at Northwestern University.

Dana was previously AMWA’s Premedical Division Region 7 Director, the Premedical Division Awards Chair, a Global Health Subcommittee Chair, a Premedical Division intern, and an intern for the Physicians Against the Trafficking of Humans Initiative. She currently serves as a member of AMWA’s Awards & Fellowships Committee and as a Co-Board of Directors Liaison for the Sex & Gender Health Collaborative. Dana is very thankful to be a part of the AMWA community and to have met so many amazing women and mentors along the way!

Alivia Hardman (she/her) is a junior at Southwestern University (SU). She is majoring in pre-medial biochemistry with a minor in music. She started the first high school-division AMWA chapter during her junior year of high school and has been involved ever since. She previously served as the Region 8 Director and Program Chair, where she began eight new pre-medical branches and started a podcast, Prelude to Practitioner.

She has interned at Baylor Scott and White, Medical City Alliance, Texas Health Resources, and Wise Surgical Hospital. She also serves as the SU AMWA president, where she pairs with Walgreens to fundraise feminine hygiene products for Austin, TX women’s shelters. She has lead volunteer initiatives, such as Relay for Life, Be the Match, and San Gabriel River Trail environmental clean-ups. Alivia also find joy in volunteering as an exercise coordinator for Power for Parkinson’s and as a baby cuddler at Texas Women’s Hospital in Georgetown. She is now shadowing at an surgical otolaryngology clinic and is a Cook’s Children’s Hospital-Fort Worth pediatric camp counselor during the summer.

In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, and composing music on the piano as well. She is the vocalist and keyboardist for the SU Jazz Ensemble, and loves to perform jazz standards!

Alivia plans to attend medical school and eventually specialize in urogynecology or pediatric neurology. She hopes to advocate for women and other minorities by giving them a voice in the medical field. She is grateful for the experiences AMWA has provided her and is looking forward to building a more inclusive and positive environment with other pre-medical members!

Dr. Eliza Lo Chin is AMWA’s Executive Director, Assistant Professor (Voluntary) at the University of California, San Francisco, and Medical Director of Watermark by the Bay. A graduate of UC Berkeley, she received her MD from Harvard Medical School and her MPH from Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health. She is the editor of This Side of Doctoring: Reflections from Women in Medicine and was featured in the National Library of Medicine Exhibition, Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians. Dr. Chin has served as co-chair/co-director of national/international meetings, executive producer of the short film At Home and Over There: American Women Physicians in WWI, and member of several advisory/editorial boards. She has been a visiting scholar with the Women’s Leadership Institute of Mills College, and California delegate to Vision 2020. A recipient of several awards, she is also a fellow of the American College of Physicians and of AMWA. She is a leader within the Medical Women’s International Association and an AMWA Representative to the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Her interests include women’s leadership and mentoring, women’s health, geriatrics, medical humanities, and history of women in medicine.

Jodi Godfrey brings decades of medical and health strategy and communications experience as a journalist and program director. Prior to joining AMWA, she was executive editor/director of digital content for EndocrineWeb and medical editor for Practical Pain Management. She was the inaugural program and website director for the Sex & Gender Health Collaborative, after a 14-year stint as contributing editor at the Journal of Women’s Health and associate director of the Congress on Women’s Health.

Jodi began her career at the top NYC public relations agencies where she coordinated food and pharma product launches and educational campaigns. She holds a master’s degree in health communications from Boston University and completed her dietetic internship at the Lahey Clinical Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts.

Stephanie Jensen is a seasoned association management professional, with more than 11 years of experience working with medical and scientific societies. She holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation, which is the highest credential for association management professionals. Stephanie graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a bachelor’s degree in international economics and lives in the Seattle, Washington.

Linda has a very diverse background in healthcare, specifically the global pharmaceutical industry, including Pfizer, Takeda/Shire, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Wyeth. Her roles have included marketing, relationship management, patient advocacy, public affairs, and communications, both in established and emerging markets. Her therapeutic experience ranging from rare diseases and cardiovascular/metabolic conditions to neuroscience and urology/sexual health. Linda has led successful partnerships with a variety of organizations, while navigating competing priorities, complex ways of working, and many more challenges to help better serve patients with unmet needs and other stakeholders. She has led cross-functional and multi-company collaboration by identifying common goals to support innovation, strategic business objectives, and optimize opportunities for success. Originally from Chicago, she now resides in New York City. Linda’s focus is corporate development.

Lisa Tate is a patient advocate, fund developer and thought partner, with a focus on advancing women’s health and health equity. In her eight years with the American Medical Women’s Association, she has helped the organization in multiple areas including, fund development, corporate partnerships, and strategic planning.

Lisa’s entire career has been in health advocacy for women and children. Prior to joining AMWA she served as CEO of several patient organizations including Heart Valve Voice and WomenHeart, the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. Prior to that she held public affairs roles at the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of Children’s Hospital. She currently serves as a board member for the Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention; Alliance of Sleep Apnea Partners (ASAP); and The Cape School of Art. She holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lives with her family on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Kayla Haydon is a MD/MBA in Healthcare Management student at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and Pediatric Plastic Surgery Research Fellow at Lurie Children’s Hospital. Kayla holds an MSc in Clinical Embryology from the University of Oxford and BS from the University of South Florida. Prior to medical school, Kayla served as the AMWA Assistant Director, coordinating committee proceedings and events. She is passionate about advancing women in medicine and promoting health equity.

Professor of Medicine, AU/UGA Medical Partnership

Specialty:

Internal Medicine

Speaking Topics:

Gun Control

Sex and Gender Specific Health

Women’s Health- Cervical Cancer

Women’s Health- HPV

Women’s Health- Menopause

Career Advancement

Gender/Career Equity

Leadership

Mentorship

Work-Life Balance

Biosketch:

Born one of 8 children, I never planned on going into medicine. Just getting into college and paying my way was enough to worry about! But, I found I loved science and found medicine and am grateful for the support I had along the way. Though I put myself through school, I can never say that I did this on my own. I had a family that supported me, women’s groups and others that provided scholarship funding, and colleagues that helped push me along when the going got tough. The summer programs during college were essential to learning more about the path to medicine, and the student clubs and organizations gave me leadership skills and foraged the path to medical school. Luckily, I never gave much thought to the naysayers who said “your kind don’t do that” or, “You can’t be a mother and a doctor.” I graduated from Cal State Long Beach and then went on to medical school at Weill College of Medicine at Cornell in New York City.

Met my now husband in medical school, matched together and completed residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland in Internal Medicine. Found that primary care general medicine was a great fit and for many years did both inpatient and outpatient medicine. We are both successful in our careers, have three fabulous adult children, and two grandchildren. We have been told we are a “Power Couple” and we agree. Our power lies in our passion to improve the lives of others and our sincere desire to empower women and all to reach their potential. I have been on an academic teaching faculty since completing residency and teaching the physicians of tomorrow is challenging and rewarding. To get up every day, excited about the possibilities that lay ahead and be happy to come home at the end of the day…what is better than that?

Medical School: Medical College of Pennsylvania

Specialty: Emergency Medicine with interest in Pediatrics; Wilderness Medicine

Career Highlights:

• Clinical appointment at Children’s Hospital at Erlanger, Chattanooga TN
• Lead Instructor for Wilderness Medical Associates
• International work in La Paz, Bolivia
• Advocate for women’s health

Service with AMWA: Co-chair of American Women’s Hospitals Service; Co-chair Resolutions Committee; National Student Co-chair; Membership Committee

Quote: Create Positivity!

Biography:

I was born in New York City and stayed in the metro area while attending Barnard College. I continued my association with “women’s institutions” while attending Medical College of PA (formerly Women’s Medical College) and by joining AMWA as a student.

I then traveled the country and landed in rural Tennessee where I live with my husband. I enjoy mentoring and advocating for women’s health and the environment. I am also a lead instructor with Wilderness Medical Associates which teaches Wilderness First Responder courses to outdoor professionals. I have also joined the Disaster Management Assistance Team which the government deploys to national and international disasters.  When not working in medicine, I work as a White Water Raft guide in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Colorado. This smorgasbord of careers gives me a lot of flexibility, which allows my husband and I to travel during his vacations. Future plans include more travel and international medicine.

I have been an AMWA member since 1981 which was my 1st year of medical school. I became a National Student Coordinator during my 3rd year and stayed active on several committees. I am currently Co-chair of the Americen Women’s Hospitals Service (AWHS). AMWA has provided an incredible support system, a place both to mentor and be mentored as well as a place to advocate for change.

Professor of Medicine, Associate Dean for Human and Organizational Potential, SIU School of Medicine

Specialty:

Internal Medicine

Speaking Topics:

Physician Mental Wellness

Burnout

Career Advancement

Diversity

Gender/Career Equity

Imposter Syndrome

Leadership

Mentorship

Sponsorship

Physician Wellbeing

Work-Life Balance

Biosketch:

Susan Thompson Hingle, MD, is president of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), and has served on the Board of Directors for the past four years. Dr. Hingle is committed to advancing women in medicine, changing the culture of medicine, and assuring that women physicians thrive.

As contributor to the AMWA/ Korn Ferry Women in Medicine report, Women in Medicine: Setting the Agenda for Change, Co-chair for AMWA’s 2022 Annual Meeting, and senior author on the ACP policy paper on gender equity in physician compensation and career advancement, Dr. Hingle strongly believes that we must focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion, as well as physician well-being and fulfillment, if we are going to be able to reach our full potential as individuals, organizations, and as a profession.

Dr. Hingle is an Internal Medicine specialist and a Professor of Medicine, who serves as Associate Dean for Human and Organizational Potential, Chair of the Department of Medical Humanities, and Director of Faculty Development at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Miami University and a medical degree from Rush University Medical College. She completed an Internal Medicine residency at Georgetown University and completed the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program. Dr. Hingle was awarded the AMWA Elizabeth Blackwell Career Award in 2021 and was recognized as an AMWA Inspire Awardee this past September.

Other awards received include the Golden Apple Award, the Excellence in Teaching Outstanding Teacher Award, the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, the Most Influential Faculty Award, and the Chair’s Resilience Award. Dr. Hingle was honored with ACP’s McDonald Award for Young Physicians and was recognized with the John Tooker Evergreen Award for Chapter Innovation. In addition to her commitment to AMWA, she has been active nationally in numerous organizations, including the American College of Physicians, the Alliance of Academic Internal Medicine, and the American Medical Association. She served as Chair of the ACP Board of Regents and Chair of the Board of Governors.

Director 2024 – 2027

Gloria Wu, MD, MBA, FAMWA is serving in her second term at the Board, 2025 -2027, became Fellow of AMWA in March 2025. She is now the immediate past president of Santa Clara County Medical Association, CoChair of its AI Health Committee. She was elected to the California Board of Trustees (2024 to 2027). She is a graduate of Harvard University AB, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons MD. Trained in General Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Ophthalmology at Cornell-Presbyterian Medical Center, Retina-Vitreous at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dr Wu is a board certified Ophthalmologist, specializinig in Retina-Vitreous Diseases and Surgery. In private practice in San Jose, she enjoys seeing her patients in the post-COVID era.

She is the author of 3 ophthalmology textbooks, 10 ehealth apps, most recently, EyeQuix, Telehealth Eye Test. In 2024, she published 6 papers on AI and Ophthalmology and Medicine. In 2025, she will present on VR games to fight dementia at IEEE-SEGAH. She consults for Data/Health technology companies. For fun, she paints, does caricatures of friends and does creative writing. She plays tennis 4-5 times a week.

Professor and Vice Chair for Education, DOM, Academy of Educators, Wash U School of Medicine

Specialty:

Internal Medicine

Speaking Topics:

Women’s Health Contraception

Biosketch:

Dr. Abby Spencer currently serves as Professor and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Medicine and as Director of the Academy of Educators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.  She previously served as Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program and Vice Chair for Education for the Medicine Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Spencer graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a BS in Behavioral Neuroscience from Tulane University, and received her MD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She completed her Primary Care Internal Medicine residency at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill-Cornell Medical Center and subsequently completed a fellowship in General Internal Medicine with a concentration in Women’s Health and earned a Master’s Degree in Medical Education from the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Spencer is an innovative and enthusiastic educator. She is exceptional at finding the strengths and potential in others and cultivating their strengths to help them achieve their highest potential. She has dedicated her career to innovating, developing curriculum, building teams, and developing others in medical education. In her role as Director of the Internal Medicine residency program at Cleveland Clinic from 2014-2020, Dr. Spencer led curriculum development, program innovation, teaching, mentoring, leadership development and faculty development. She has delivered over 150 invited faculty development/educational courses and workshops locally, regionally and nationally. She has won numerous national awards for her teaching, educational scholarship, mentorship, and leadership including the 2016 Society of General Internal Medicine and Association of Chiefs and Leaders in GIM National Brancati Leadership and Mentorship Award, the 2017 SGIM National Scholarship in Education Award, and the 2020 ACGME Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award. She was awarded the Cleveland Clinic Women’s Professional Staff Women’s Champion Award in 2020, which recognizes contribution to the advancement, development and wellbeing of the women professional staff at Cleveland Clinic. She completed the ELAM fellowship in 2022 and serves on the editorial board for the Journal of General Internal Medicine.  Dr. Spencer has held leadership positions in many national organizations across academic internal medicine, most recently as a councilor for the Association for Program Directors in Internal Medicine (APDIM) and now serves on the ACGME Internal Medicine Review Committee.  Her greatest professional joy is mentoring, teaching, sponsoring, and developing others.

Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of Continuing Medical Education, Director of GME Wellness Initiatives, University of New Mexico

Specialty:

Internal Medicine

Speaking Topics:

Physician Mental Wellness

Burnout

Diversity

Leadership

Mentorship

Physician Wellbeing

Biosketch:

Eileen Barrett, MD, MPH, FAMWA, SFHM, MACP, is a New Mexican internal medicine physician, an American Medical Association-Satcher Health Leadership Institute Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellow, Chair of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) Committee Advocacy Committee, a member of AMWA’s Governance Committee, and a member of AMWA’s Board of Directors. She is also a Regent Emeritus of the American College of Physicians (ACP) and multi-state District Chair of the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM).

A former Graduate Medical Education Wellness Initiatives Director and Director for Continuing Medical Education at the University of New Mexico, Dr Barrett’s research and scholarly work are in areas of clinician wellbeing, gender equity, health equity, and substance use disorders. She has received awards from the NM ACP Chapter in advocacy and for early career leadership, and was recognized by the NM SHM Chapter as the 2020 Physician of the Year. Dr Barrett received a 2019 Exceptional Mentor Award from the AMWA, is an elected member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, and received a 2021 Award of Excellence in Humanitarian Services from SHM.

Dr Barrett earned her MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MD at Georgetown University, completed internal medicine residency at Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital, and completed a Rural Faculty Development Fellowship at the University of Arizona. She currently works in Albuquerque.

President Elect, 2025 – 2026

A native of New Jersey, Dr. Cazares attended Boston College for her undergraduate studies and then Drexel University for the first half of a Masters in Public Health (MPH). She was then commissioned in the US Navy and attended Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) where she graduated with her medical degree in 2004. She completed a Psychiatry Internship at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) in 2005 and then went on to be the General Medical Officer onboard the USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52) from 2005-2007, deploying twice in two years.

Following this operational tour, she completed training in Psychiatry at the National Naval Medical Center via the National Capital Consortium Psychiatry Residency Program. During that time, she served as the Navy Chief Resident and completed her MPH at Drexel University.
Dr. Cazares since served in numerous roles across the DoD, including Chair of the Provider Wellness Committee at NMCSD, and Department Head for the DoD’s largest residential Substance Use disorder and only residential PTSD Treatment program
(SARP/OASIS). She was named the Associate Director of Women’s Mental Health & piloted the Department of Defense’s 1st Women’s Mental Health program, including addition of a treatment track at OASIS for Sexual Trauma. This work led to the formal creation of a Women’s Mental Health sub-community, under the Clinical Community umbrella at BUMED.
She served as the inaugural Chair of the Women’s Health Clinical Community for Navy Medicine, which evolved under her leadership into the Female Force Readiness Clinical Community. During that time, she was the Associate Director for Mental Health at NMCSD, and from 2020-23, served as the Director for Mental Health at US Naval Hospital Okinawa in Okinawa, Japan.

She retired from the Navy in 2024 and transitioned to PI at the Sharp Mesa Vista Nerocognitive Research Center, and also serves as the medical director for Geriatric Psychiatry programming. She was selected as Clinical Associate Professor at USU, serves as volunteer faculty at Family Health Centers of San Diego and is a Red Cross Volunteer at NMCSD where she is engaged in research, teaches and supervises medical students.

She was meritoriously selected for Captain in April 2019. She is on USU faculty, has lectured nationally, is engaged in research, and has published. She is the NMCSD Liaison to the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) where she serves on the Executive Board of Directors, as the Secretary. During her previous 2 terms on the Board, she led creation of the newly established Active Duty and Veterans Chapter of AMWA.

Dr. Cazares’ personal awards include the MHS Navy Senior Female Physician Leadership Award, Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3 awards), a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, recognition as a NMCSD Associate Master Clinician and numerous other unit awards. She is board certified in General Psychiatry and an Assistant Professor at USUHS.

Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin

Specialty: Obstetrics-Gynecology

Career Highlights:

• Associate Clinical Professor Emerita, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine
• Founding President, American College of Women’s Health Physicians
• Medical Director, Borgess Women’s Health, Kalamazoo, Michigan
• Recognition in 2012 Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare

Service with AMWA: Secretary Board of Directors Chair, Women’s Health Working Group

Quote: Follow your passion. Strive to work in an area about which you are passionate, can have fun, and create a feeling of accomplishment. Find time in each day for yourself.

Biography:

Dr. Janice Werbinski has been board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology since 1985. She is the former Medical Director of Borgess Women’s Health, a clinical practice of 25 providers in Kalamazoo, MI, delivering healthcare to thousands of women across their lifespan, from adolescent care, through reproductive care, to menopausal and mature woman care.  She is Associate Clinical Professor Emerita in OBGyn at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD College of Human Medicine, and  teaches a course there in Sex and Gender Specific Medicine.  In 1995, she authored the curriculum for the Women’s Health Track in the MSU Internal Medicine Residency Program, and she has taught the Advanced Women’s Health month to senior residents in that program since 1996.  A copy of the description of the curriculum is buried in a time capsule at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, signifying its uniqueness and importance as an early effort to introduce gender specific research into the clinical practice of Women’s Health. She has published several peer-reviewed articles, an iBook, and a book chapter in sex and gender specific health.

In 2008, Dr. Werbinski has served as the Chair of the Women’s Health Working Group of  the American Medical Women’s Association, and through that appointment she has been instrumental in the establishment of the Sex and Gender Health Collaborative, a project with the goal of increasing the knowledge base of students, residents, faculty, and all providers who take care of women, translating our wealth of sex- and gender- specific research into the clinical practice of providers who care for women, and ultimately improving the health and well-being of all women.

She lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan and enjoys living near her two daughters, their families, and her two granddaughters, Olivia and Audrey. “Strong women: May we know them; May we be them; May we raise them.”

Tell us about your work.

Lately I’ve been engaged in a lot of gender equity work, both scholarship and policy. At the American Medical Association and the Massachusetts Medical Society, we advanced comprehensive gender equity policies, and are now teaming up with AMWA to bring equivalent policy to all 50 states. I have also written and presented on topics related to gender equity, including men as allies, facets of employment and discrimination law as applied to women in healthcare, and leadership and advocacy skills for women in health care.

What helped get you there?

In part, I was inspired by my parents. My father comes from one of the least equitable regions in the world for women (in rural northeast India), and my mother comes from the country that leads the way in gender equity (Iceland). Lately, I’ve been inspired by my female colleagues in law and medicine. Too many to name, but Dr. Julie Silver is certainly number one on that list. I first met her through Twitter three years ago; we eventually began collaborating on projects and I began participating as faculty in two Harvard Medical School CME courses she directs (#HarvardWriters, #SheLeadsHealthcare). We now share articles of mutual interest and bounce ideas off one another nearly every day.

Have there been any interests that you have continued to pursue outside of medicine? Have you been able to combine these with your medical career?

Continued involvement in professional advocacy through the American Medical Association and the Massachusetts Medical Society has been critical in balancing my desire to research and write and my desire for my work to have a greater societal impact. If I can pass resolutions related to issues of national importance, I know those organizations will advocate for those issues at a state and national level. I am also an amateur DJ, though my records have been collecting dust lately.

What advice do you have for students?

Study hard, but don’t lose your passion for medicine! Find the issues you believe strongly in, and look for outlets to advance those issues. AMWA is a great place to start! You don’t have to start by lobbying for those issues at the state capitol or in Washington, D.C.; find ways to get involved in your community, and build on that experience.

Associate Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic

Specialty:

Internal Medicine

Speaking Topics:

Other

Biosketch:

Nicole P. Sandhu, MD, PhD, FACP, FAMWA, the 2020-2021 President of AMWA, is a board certified internist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN where she has been in practice for nearly 16 years. She spends the majority of her clinical time seeing patients with breast cancer, high risk patients, and patients with benign breast health concerns in the Breast Diagnostic Clinic, where she works with a team of multidisciplinary physicians and allied health staff. She continues to practice general internal medicine, participating in the evaluation and care of patients with complex medical issues. Her academic interests and research primarily focus on the cardiovascular impact of cancer-related therapy. She previously served as a scientific member of the Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board, serves as co-chair of the Breast Clinic Research Committee and as a member of the General Internal Medicine Research Committee, and has been Principle Investigator or Co-Investigator on numerous research protocols.

She became the Program Director for the Women’s Health Fellowship in 2009 and subsequently developed and served as the Program Director for the General Internal Medicine Fellowship for 10 years. Through her role as Program Director, Dr. Sandhu developed and implemented new curricula. She is involved in the education, supervision, and mentoring of medical students, residents, and fellows, and has mentored undergraduate and graduate students. She has been named as a top educator in the Internal Medicine residency program numerous times. Dr. Sandhu has coauthored 40 peer-reviewed publications and 5 medical textbook chapters, has served as course co-director for the Mayo Clinic Internal Medicine Board Review Course and associate editor of the Mayo Clinic Internal Medicine Board Review textbook, and has presented at numerous regional, national, and international conferences.

After graduating from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 2001, Dr. Sandhu completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education in 2004 and was selected as the 2004 recipient of the LeAnne McCaffrey Women in Medicine Award. Prior to medical school, Dr. Sandhu completed her PhD in molecular biology at the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science under the mentorship of Thomas Spelsberg, PhD, during which she cloned and characterized the gene for chicken oviduct receptor binding factor, a nuclear matrix protein important for specificity of hormone receptor binding to DNA targets.

Dr. Sandhu has been an active member of AMWA since 2009. She has served as Co-Chair and Chair of the Membership Committee, and Co-Chair of the Breast Cancer Task Force, and has served as a member of the Governance Committee. Prior to becoming President-Elect in 2019, she served on the Board of Directors.

In addition to AMWA, Dr. Sandhu is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (ACP), and is a member of the Society of General Internal Medicine, and the National Consortium of Breast Centers (formerly the American Society of Breast Diseases).

Dr. Sandhu currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Rochester, MN Diversity Council, to which she was elected in 2017. She is engaged in local community efforts related to diversity and inclusion, as well as efforts at Mayo Clinic, where she is a member of the General Internal Medicine Diversity and Inclusion Planning Team. She has previously been named a Diversity Champion at Mayo Clinic. During her year as president, Dr. Sandhu plans to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion with an emphasis on health equity.

On a personal level, Dr. Sandhu is the very proud mother of two wonderful daughters, Amrit (currently completing her sophomore year at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities where she is majoring in Global Studies, minoring in Public Health and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and is considering medical school) and Simran (an avid artist and animal lover who is completing her freshman year in high school in Rochester). Both are members of the AMWA premedical student division. While Dr. Sandhu derives joy from her clinical practice where she feels privileged and humbled to be trusted by her patients to care for them at their most vulnerable, she considers her greatest accomplishment to be raising two strong, independent young women who speak out against injustice and intolerance wherever they see it and want to do their part to change the world for the better.

Dr. Sandhu is very grateful and humbled to have been selected by her fellow members to lead AMWA, and she continues to be delighted and fulfilled to build relationships with women physicians across the US and to participate in mentoring the next generation of women physicians through AMWA, the oldest organization for women in medicine in the US.

Specialty:

Obstetrics & Gynecology

Speaking Topics:

Physician Mental Wellness
Burnout
Physician Wellbeing
Work-Life Balance

Biosketch:

My own challenge with burnout early in my career led me to transition out of clinical practice in my first decade after residency. The process of figuring out what to do next brought me to being coach for early career physicians seeking to enjoy life inside and outside of work, whether at the bedside, elsewhere or both.

Mindy Gillis McManus Executive Coaching is about developing a creative partnership with clients capitalizing on their potential igniting creativity, leadership, passion, and drive. Mindy Gillis McManus has worked in Human Resources (HR) in Leadership and Organization Development for 13+ years in at an Academic Healthcare Organization and has a Master’s in Education with a focus on Leadership and Organization Development. Currently, she is focusing on executive coaching, strategy development, succession management, and 360-Degree/other Assessments. Through executive coaching, she has coached within many different levels of executive leadership roles for the past 8+ years. Coach and consult physician clients to improve their leadership capabilities to achieve professional and organizational goals. Excellent speaking and facilitation skills and has delivered hundreds of courses/workshops with individuals, teams, and organizations with topics around emotional intelligence, leadership effectiveness, and effective communication.

Mindy is certified in Crucial Conversations, Everything DiSC, EQI 2.0, EQI2.0 360, Change Management, and Real Colors. She has a vast array of educational leadership capabilities that include coaching, mentoring, consulting, facilitation, speaking, program design, program implementation, and organization development (OD).

Helping people harness their greatness through various coaching topics:

• Leadership effectiveness
• Emotional Intelligence and interpersonal intelligence
• Communication, including holding difficult conversations
• Resiliency/Burnout
• Transitions in leadership roles
• Time and prioritization management
• Career development
• Agile/Adaptability quotient

Director, Women’s Thrombosis and Hemostasis, University of Pennsylvania

Specialty:

Hematology
Oncology

Speaking Topics:

Infertility
Sex and Gender Specific Health
Women’s Health- Infertility

Biosketch:

Dr. Marshall is a benign (non-malignant) hematologist specializing in thrombosis and hemostasis, particularly disorders of thrombosis and hemostasis in women.  She was an Associate Professor of Medicine in Hematology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and will shortly be transitioning to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she will build a Women’s Thrombosis and Hemostasis program.  Dr. Marshall is also a medical educator with a focus on career development, leadership, and mentorship.  She previously served as the Associate Program Director of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program at Mayo Clinic and will be transitioning to Associate Program Director for the Benign Hematology Fellowship at University of Pennsylvania.  Dr. Marshall has a particular interest in gender equity in medicine and leads several research projects and advocacy initiatives to advance career development opportunities for women in medicine and science.  She is the Curriculum Chair for the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) IGNITE Program and a member of the AMWA Infertility Task Force.  Her advocacy efforts led to the formation of the ASH Women in Hematology working group – which she Co-Chairs – and she is leading research and advocacy efforts in fertility/infertility awareness, parental health, and gender equity for women in medicine nationwide.

Professor and Vice Chair and Associate Dean

University of Kansas Medical Center

Specialty:

Surgery, Orthopedic

Speaking Topics:

Sex and Gender Specific Health
Physician Mental Wellness
Osteoporosis/Bone Health
Transgender Health
Burnout
Career Advancement
Diversity
Gender/Career Equity
Imposter Syndrome
Leadership
Mentorship
Sponsorship
Physician Wellbeing
Work-Life Balance

Physician, AMWA Board Member

Specialty:

Internal Medicine

Speaking Topics:

Women’s Health- Fibroids
Technology/Telehealth
Caregiving
Career Advancement
Diversity
Gender/Career Equity
Leadership
Mentorship
Sponsorship
Physician Wellbeing

Biosketch:

Dr. Adebisi (Bisi) Alli is a dual board-certified Internal Medicine & Lifestyle Medicine physician and quality improvement and patient safety expert as a LEAN Six Sigma Black Belt.

As Principal of WellNEST Medicine, she is passionate about empowering people and organizations to prioritize lifestyle medicine through quality improvement and culture changes.

Formerly, she was an Assistant Professor for the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and Consultant for the Division of Women’s Health Internal Medicine.

As a Michigan native, she moved to Arizona for residency training. In continuation of her chief resident year, she served as inaugural medical director for the residency clinic she launched through the Phoenix VA Healthcare System & as an Associate Program Director for the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Alli earned her LEAN Six Sigma Black Belt for formalizing and spreading multi-hospital quality improvement and patient safety innovations, including a resident-directed curriculum with system-level interventions with promotion of just and fair culture. This program was recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Association of American Medical Colleges, Joint Commission, Veterans Integrated Services Network, and American College of Physicians. Similarly, she has developed advance care planning initiatives with clinicians across the state of Arizona to prioritize outpatient discussions about goals of care & I-DARE curriculum integration at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine with related peer-reviewed publications, talks, and workshops. Dr. Alli serves as a coach and mentor for underrepresented medical students, residents, and attendings to promote successful career navigation and wellness. Previous awards include the 2021 Arizona Chapter ACP Women in Medicine Award, 2021 Women in Medicine I Stand with Her Award, 2020 AMWA Exceptional Mentor Award, 2019 AMA Inspiration Award, and 2017 ACP Early Career Physician.

She has been proudly re-elected to the Board of Directors of the American Medical Women’s Association, represents the American College of Physicians for the national Women’s Wellness through Equity and Leadership (WEL) Program, and serves on the Payer Strategy Subcommittee of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

Medical School: Weill Cornell Medical College, class of 1978

Specialty: Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism

Career Highlights:

• Expert author and speaker on statin safety and statin intolerance, lipid management, and large randomized trials of statins; co-author of 2015 European Atherosclerosis Society Consensus Statement on Statin-Associated Muscle Symptoms
• Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, New York University School of Medicine; Academic Visitor, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford (UK)
• Formerly Head, Cardiovascular Regulatory Affairs, at Pfizer; led a global team responsible for regulatory strategy and regulatory interactions for investigational and approved medicines for dyslipidemia, venous thrombosis, and cardiovascular disease, including atorvastatin
• Founder and Leader, “Wellesley Women in Medicine”, a group connecting Wellesley College students and alumnae with an interest in a medical career with each other and with Wellesley educated physicians
• AMWA President 2018-2019

Service with AMWA: AMWA President 2018-2019; Board of Directors 2015-present; Co-Chair, Fellowship Program Task Force, 2014-present; Preventive Medicine Task Force and Lead of Obesity Subgroup 2013-present; Co-Chair, JAMWA Committee, 2014-present; Member, American Women’s Hospitals Service 2012-present; Co-Chair Centennial Gala Subcommittee 2014-present; Founding Sponsor Physicians Against Human Trafficking Website; Member, Physicians Against Human Trafficking 2012-present; AMWA liaison to Planned Parenthood National Medical Committee 2014-present; AMWA liaison to STOP Obesity Alliance, 2015-present

Quote: I am committed to advancing public health through education, research and disease prevention. As a woman physician who entered the medical field when so few women were doctors, I am also committed to helping other women doctors, and aspiring doctors, in their journey to and through medicine.

Biography:

Dr. Connie Newman is a board-certified endocrinologist and expert on statin safety and intolerance, lipid management, and large randomized trials evaluating the effects of statins on cardiovascular disease. She publishes and lectures on these topics. Dr. Newman is a member of the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ Collaboration and co-author of the meta-analysis of cancer in 170,000 participants in 27 statin trials. She is also a co-author of the 2015 European Atherosclerosis Society Statement, “Statin-Associated Muscle Symptoms: Impact on Statin Therapy”.

Her interests also include obesity, and vitamin D. She has been a member of the Steering Committee of BEST-D, a trial evaluating higher doses of vitamin D in the elderly, and CARDS (Collaborative Atorvastatin Diabetes Study), one of the first cardiovascular outcomes trials that showed that statins reduce MI and stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Newman is a graduate of Wellesley College and Weill Cornell Medical College. She has been a faculty member of New York University Medical School since 1984 and was awarded tenure in 1994. In 1998 she joined the pharmaceutical industry and rose to Executive Director, Head of Cardiovascular Regulatory Affairs at Pfizer where she worked until 2007. She is currently Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at New York University School of Medicine and Academic Visitor at University of Oxford (United Kingdom), Nuffield Department of Population Health.

Dr. Newman is the 2018-2019 President of AMWA. She joined the Board of Directors in 2015. She also continues to be active in the Endocrine Society and serves as Chair of the Special Programs Committee, which develops CME programs on obesity and other diseases. She is a member of the Women’s Leadership Committee of the Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB) Council of the American Heart Association.

Dr. Newman was inspired to become a physician by her neighbor, Dr. Laura Morrow, who was President of AMWA in 1968-1969. Throughout her career Dr. Newman has mentored women medical students and young doctors. In 2011 she founded the Wellesley Women in Medicine shared interest group in order to connect Wellesley College students and young alumnae interested in medicine with doctors. The group has more than 500 members.

Dr. Newman is married to Dr. Jonathan Tobert and has three children.

Padmini Murthy, MD, MPH

Padmini (Mini) Murthy, MD, MPH is Professor and Global Health Director at New York Medical College School of Health Sciences and Practice. Dr. Murthy is a physician and an activist who trained in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She has practiced medicine and public health for the past 28 years in various countries. She has been working in various arenas of the health care industry. And worked as consultant for UNFPA. She received a MPH and MS in Management from New York University. Dr. Murthy currently serves as the Secretary General of the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) and its NGO representative to the United Nations (UN). She is global health lead for the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA).

Dr. Murthy is widely published and is the author and editor of Women’s Global Health and Human Rights (Jones and Bartlett, 2010) and Technology and Global Public Health (Springer, 2020), both of which are used as textbooks worldwide. She has made over 150 presentations on women’s and children’s health nationally and internationally in scientific conferences and at the United Nations and as an invited speaker around the world. She serves as a peer reviewer for several publications. Her book of poems Mini’s Musings was published in 2012 and her most recent book Glorious Global Ganesh was published in Dec 2020.

Dr. Murthy’s research interests focus on women’s health and human rights, social determinants of health, global health diplomacy, and promotion of global health with a focus on bridging inequities and promoting gender harmony. She is a sought after motivational speaker and has been invited to speak nationally and internationally on women’s health and emerging public health issues. Dr. Murthy has been working with UN ambassadors and missions to promote women’s health globally with local efforts.

Some of the projects she has worked on include safe motherhood and spearheading the procurement of PPE and medical equipment to serve communities in Grenada, Kenya, India, Malawi, and Nepal. Dr. Murthy has been the recipient of numerous national and international awards. She was the first American woman physician to receive the Jhirad Oration Award (in Seoul, Korea) conferred at an international conference in recognition of her service and work to MWIA. She has also been the recipient of the Sojourner Truth Pin which is given to those women who excel in community service. In June 2015, she was presented Millennium Milestone Maker Award at the 9th Annual Women’s Symposium at Sias University, China. In 2016, She was the first Indian born American in over 70 years to receive the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal from American Medical Women’s Association for her work in promoting women’s health globally. She is the recipient of the Lalita Pawar Memorial Award in 2016 conferred by the Association of Medical Women in India (Nagpur Branch) for her work in promoting women’s health and human rights.

In 2017, Dr. Murthy was conferred the prestigious Dr. Homi Colabawall Oration in Mumbai, India for her work on promoting women’s health. In 2018, she received a mentorship award from the Australian medical students and the Exceptional Woman of Excellence Award at the Women Economic Forum in New Delhi and an award for promoting human rights for women from the Taiwanese Medical Association at the International Health Literacy Conference. In March 2019, Dr. Murthy received for a second consecutive year, a mentorship award for mentoring Australian medical students from the Notre Dame University in Sydney, Australia.

In September 2019, Dr. Murthy received an award for outstanding contribution to women’s health from the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria. In November 2019, Dr. Murthy received an award in recognition of her service to promote women’s health and well being from the Kenyan Medical Women’s Association. In July 2020, Dr. Murthy was the recipient of the Iconic Women Creating a Better World for All from the Women Economic Forum in India. In March 2021, Dr. Murthy will be awarded The Bertha Van Hoosen Award given to AMWA women physicians who have demonstrated excellent leadership and service to the association. Dr. Murthy currently serves as Chair of the International Health Section of the American Public Health Association, which is one of the largest associations of public health professionals in the world. She serves as the first Vice Chair of the Global NGO Executive Committee since August 2019.

Courtney Chau

Courtney Chau is a second-year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned her B.S. in Nutritional Sciences: Toxicology and completed minors in Global Public Health and Data Science. Her previous roles in AMWA have included Premedical Division President + President-Elect (2022-2023, 2021-2022), Premedical Division Conference Co-Chair (2020-2021), Domestic Violence Prevention Committee Co-Chair (2021-Present), and Internship Program Coordinator (2020-2022). She has been a member of AMWA since 2019 and has dedicated much of her time over these years to advancing AMWA as an organization by both being involved in leadership and administrative roles. Courtney appreciates how AMWA creates a space for women in training to advance their leadership skills and connect with other trainees and physicians. Some of Courtney’s favorite memories during her undergraduate education were AMWA events and she remains close friends with many of her AMWA colleagues.

Medical Director Environmental Health Center of Martha’s Vineyard

Specialty:

Environmental Medicine
Emergency Medicine

Speaking Topics:

Migraines
Other
Women’s Health- Sexual Health
Women’s Health- Endometriosis
Women’s Health- Menopause
Women’s Health-Infertility
Sex and Gender Specific Health
Physician Mental Wellness
Osteoporosis/Bone Health
Obesity/Weight Management
Multiple Sclerosis
Transgender Health
Infertility (personal)
Fraudulent Drugs
Diabetes, Type 2
Global Health & Women
Drug Addiction
Covid-19
Burnout
Diversity
Leadership
Physician Wellbeing
Work-Life Balance

Biosketch:

Lisa is well versed in the treatment in the very sensitive patient as well as the average individual who wants to feel better than they do. Board Certified in Environmental Medicine. Dr. Lisa Nagy has recovered from severe Environmental Illness which began in 2000. She now lectures nationwide, has spoken at congressional meetings and government agencies like EPA , CDC, NIEHS.

Cardiologist and Physician Coach

Specialty:

Cardiology

Coaching

Speaking Topics:

Medical Humanities

Burnout

Imposter Syndrome

Physician Wellbeing

Work-Life Balance

Biosketch:

Dr. Sarah Samaan is a retired cardiologist and a Master Certified Physician Development Coach. She practiced cardiology for over 27 years and retired in 2022 with the intention of pursuing her other life passions, including studying the arts and competing in the equestrian sport of dressage. Dr. Samaan is also a registered yoga teacher and a certified mindfulness meditation teacher.

Dr. Samaan served as Chief of Medicine and Chief of Cardiology at busy hospitals in her community, and was a Physician Partner at the Heart Hospital Baylor Plano.

She authored three nationally acclaimed books for the lay public, including most recently the DASH Diet for Dummies, now in its second edition. Her first book, The Smart Woman’s Guide to Heart Health, won Foreword Magazine’s Bronze award for Women’s Issues.

Dr. Samaan is currently enrolled as a full-time Bachelors of Fine Arts student and plans to pursue a masters degree in Fine Arts. She hopes to teach the humanities to medical students and physicians in training. As a woman in the male-dominated specialty of cardiology, Dr. Samaan attributes her success not only to her clinical skills, but to her ability to connect to a wide range of patients from diverse backgrounds. She believes that a strong grounding in the arts and creative process can be transformative, enhancing empathy and allowing physicians to see the world through another person’s eyes.

Mary Rorro is chair of the Music and Medicine Community, one of AMWA’s Medical Humanities. The impact of the pandemic on women in medicine inspired the creation of a video—Physicians Healers and Healthcare Heroes— to recognize the remarkable courage and compassion of physicians, nurses, and the many healthcare providers who are giving their service to others every day, and during the Covid-19 crisis.

How Have You Combined Your Love of Music with Medicine?

I wanted to connect with women physicians, and so I joined AMWA. I was approached to chair the music and medicine committee, which gave me an opportunity to pursue creative projects. Music and the arts have the power to add a unique dimension to our work as physicians and to create a special bond between doctor and patient. Through the Music and Medicine committee, I seek to encourage and mentor physicians and healthcare personnel to find ways to incorporate their music and the arts into their personal and professional lives.

I offered to perform for the gala in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This led to discussions with Eliza Chin, AMWA Executive Director, who invited me to compose a centennial theme song. The lyrics for Physicians Healers speak to the “doctors of the world, united,” as thousands of physicians from AMWA and the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) convened in New York to celebrate the longevity of the American Medical Women’s Association. Honored to compose music for this historic event, I reflected on the history of early women physicians and the achievements of this organization to promote women in medicine as the principle inspiration for the lyrics.

I drew upon the pioneering women leaders who yearned to break down barriers to pursue careers in medicine. By challenging the prevailing system that barred women’s entry, these first women in medicine paved the way for all of us. The lyrics “leaders of our dreams” refers to the impact of our founding female medical leaders, including Elizabeth Blackwell, MD, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, and Ann Preston, MD, the first woman dean of the Woman’s Medical College of Philadelphia, and all the “doctor descendants” who have followed.

Inspired to Create an Original Song: Healthcare Heroes

Since the pandemic, we have been moved by the images of doctors, nurses, and healthcare providers in hard-hit Italy and throughout the world as they struggled to combat the novel SARs-CoV-2. Many essential frontline workers have faced considerable physical, psychological, and traumatic experiences in caring for patients during this time.

Yet, they are exceeding the demands placed on them, often through considerable sacrifice and at times, the ultimate sacrifice. They have inspired so many, placing themselves in harm’s way for the betterment of humanity as that is what heroes do.

So I was compelled to honor their remarkable courage and compassion, and adapted the lyrics to the melody of “Physicians Healers” to honor all healthcare providers through the song, “Healthcare Heroes.” This song is meant as a testament to the ideals of all “healers of the world,” working tirelessly both on frontlines and out of view.

Participation in the production of the “Physicians Healers and Healthcare Heroes” video was enthusiastic. Women physicians, nurses, and healthcare providers contributed photos from the US and abroad of women. Women now represent a significant percentage of the global healthcare workforce and are an integral part of the Covid-19 response.

Our video bridges the centuries by honoring the women in medicine from past generations as well as women physicians of our time. We are empowered to continue the enduring legacy of the leaders who came before us as we carry out the meaningful mission of all physician healers and healthcare heroes—guiding, healing, and transforming the lives of our patients.

Who Are Your Role Models?

I have had many medical role models including my father, three uncles, both of my grandparents, and my Aunt Mary. She was one of four women medical students in her class of 1958 to graduate from Hahnemann Medical School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Through her hard work, she was promoted to chief medical officer for the US postal service of northern and central New Jersey.

I was honored to share the stage with my mother, Gilda Rorro, EdD, who was a beloved teacher. We were both awarded the New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Award for Public Service in 2018.  She has always been my guiding light.

My work with veterans is rewarding. My music and arts program for veterans, “A Few Good Notes,” has been featured on WQXR radio (the former radio station of the New York Times) and WNYC website, the Dr. Oz website, and AOL‘s Homepage for Heroes.”

Through the therapeutic music program, the guitar instruction group provides vets with guitars and lessons for the Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System. I enjoy playing the viola with their group.

I have also written poetry based on themes of posttraumatic stress disorder and war that I share with patients to help them in their journey toward healing.

A Parting thought—

The AMWA Music and Medicine video bridges the centuries by honoring trailblazing women doctors from past generations in AMWA and MWIA, and women physicians of our time. We continue the enduring legacy of leaders who came before us as we carry out the inspiring and meaningful mission of all physician healers and healthcare heroes-transforming the lives of our patients.

I hope that the work of the Music and Medicine Committee will inspire all AMWA members.

AMWA Gender Equity Task Force Founder, AMWA Past President 2019-2020

Specialty:

Family Medicine

Speaking Topics:

Medical Humanities

Burnout

Career Advancement

Gender/Career Equity

Imposter Syndrome

Leadership

Mentorship

Work-Life Balance

Biosketch:

As founder of the AMWA Gender Equity Task Force in 2010, Roberta Gebhard is a long‐time advocate for gender equity in medicine. Dr. Gebhard is a founding member of TIME’S UP Healthcare and part of their Advisory Board. She is heading AMWA’s “Revolution by Resolution” initiative to have all 50 states pass resolutions for gender equity, similar to the one introduced to the AMA by Drs. Julie Silver and Michael Sinha (among others) and passed at the AMA last year. The AMA‐WPS is uniquely positioned to help move gender equity in medicine forward.

Working together with other women physician groups like AMWA, we can improve the workplace for women physicians, making it a safer and more equitable environment for us to reach our full potential. During her term on the AMW‐WPS Governing Council, Dr. Gebhard will work to get the tens of thousands of their women physician members more engaged in advocating for gender equity and causes that women care about, and work with the many allies within AMA to improve the medical environment for all physicians.

Medical School: Harvard Medical School

Specialty: Internal Medicine

Career Highlights:

• Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons
• Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
• Editor, This Side of Doctoring: Reflections from Women in Medicine
• Featured in the National Library of Medicine Exhibition, Changing the Face of Medicine

Service with AMWA: President 2010-2011; American Women’s Hospitals Service Co-Chair; Program Co-Chair; Governance Co-Chair; Archives Chair; Founder AMWA’s Networking Alliance; Branch 30 President

Quote: Never underestimate the power of networking among women and our ability to achieve success through collaboration.

Biography:

Dr. Eliza Lo Chin graduated with highest honors from the University of California, Berkeley, received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and completed an M.P.H. at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health. She trained in primary care internal medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. After her training, she joined the clinical faculty at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons where she maintained two clinical practices and was actively involved in the teaching programs as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine.

As a young wife and mother, Dr. Chin became interested in the unique challenges facing women in medicine. From 1999-2001, she compiled writings from women in medicine, culminating in the publication of This Side of Doctoring: Reflections from Women in Medicine in 2002. During this time, she was a visiting scholar at the Women’s Leadership Institute of Mill’s College and was featured in the National Library of Medicine’s exhibition, Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians.

Dr. Chin became active in AMWA, first as Branch 30 (San Francisco, CA) President and later through national leadership roles. A highlight of her career was the opportunity to become President in 2010 and help rebuild the organization that she had come to know and admire. She led the effort to establish AMWA’s Legacy Exhibit at Drexel University, College of Medicine and AMWA’s Networking Alliance to foster collaborations with other professional medical organizations. She received the AMA Women Physicians Congress (WPC) Physician Mentor Recognition in 2011 and an AMWA Presidential Award in 2012.

Dr. Chin currently resides in Northern California with her husband Dr. Douglas Chin and their three children. She practices medicine part-time with a focus in geriatrics. As an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, she continues to be involved in medical education. She has lectured widely on the topic of women in medicine both locally and nationally.  In her spare time, she is an active school volunteer and a Girl Scout Leader. She enjoys traveling with her family, taking them to AMWA meetings whenever possible.