Physician Division — Awards

Inspire 2022

The AMWA INSPIRE Award, given by the Leadership Council of  the American Medical Women’s Association, honors women physicians who are inspirational and who demonstrate vision, integrity, collaboration and service. Awardees are announced in September during Women in Medicine month.

“The 2022 Honorees are exceptional women physicians who work in private practice, academia, or as hospitalists,” says Dr Connie Newman, Past President of AMWA and founding member of  the AMWA Leadership Council. “We give this Award during Women in Medicine month to highlight the many contributions of women physicians to medical care, medical education and research

This year AMWA had an outstanding body of nominations for the AMWA INSPIRE Award. After a careful review process our Awards Review Committee selected fifty seven truly inspiring women to be honored. The honorees are MDs or DOs in an array of specialties from neurology to psychology to general practice. They work in a variety of settings from large academic centers and highly specialized centers of excellence to smaller community care centers dedicated to underserved populations. They were lauded for their skills and insights in practice, for impressive research and academic accomplishments, and for impact in supporting and advancing the culture and community of medicine.

One winner was described as thriving and gracefully pushing boundaries in a male-dominated specialty, advancing sometimes unpopular DEI initiatives, while remaining well-liked. One nominator conveyed gratitude for a mentor who lets her trainees into her internal dialogues on approaching challenging patient cases and navigating personal doubts, thereby allowing her students to more easily discuss their own difficult cases, challenges or doubts, and facilitating the process of learning and growth.

Respect and empathy were common themes. Winners are modeling these behaviors for trainees and colleagues alike as they work with families dealing with complex pregnancies and developmentally challenged children, as they care for chronically ill individuals who are socially isolated, survivors of trauma, discrimination, and stigma. One winner was described as leveraging the power of connection, narrative medicine, allyship, and inclusion to create safer and more courageous spaces. Another had inspired a nominator to not only dream bigger, but to take on and to achieve bigger things. Grace, ingenuity and bravery were called out among winners who helped their practices and communities to navigate the endless practical and emotional challenges that have accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic.

AMWA is proud and grateful for the work of each and every 2022 INSPIRE Award Winner. We thank this year’s nominators who shared the compelling stories of these truly inspiring women physicians who are making a difference in the advancement of medicine, in the lives of their colleagues and patients and in the culture of their workplaces.