Women in Medicine Summit: An Evolution of Empowerment

A CME conference to amplify women physicians and work towards gender equity.

Skill building, Action Plans, Advocacy, Professional Growth, Education, Inspiration.

Barriers have existed for female physicians since the first woman was accepted into medical school. In 2016, nearly 46% of medical school graduates were women, yet women physicians remain underrepresented in leadership roles, both in and out of academia. The focus of this summit is to identify barriers women physicians face in the medical field and create action plans that can be executed at both the local and national level. During the two-day summit, we will facilitate a consensus-driven agenda with breakout sessions and presentations by diverse women from various specialties and institutions to deliver evidence-based talks and present tools and solutions to be utilized in working towards fixing the system and closing the gender gap across all specialties in medicine. The summit will empower female faculty at various stages of their careers to develop skills and networks to facilitate success within their own specialties, as well as make positive changes within the healthcare system.

This summit will be planned and executed by a steering committee comprised of physicians from each of the major academic institutions in Chicago, with potential co-sponsorship from local and national organizations, such as the Illinois State Medical Society, Chicago Medical Society, American Medical Women’s Association, and the American College of Physicians. The Summit is a unification of women physicians, with the common goal of finding and implementing solutions to gender inequity.