Welcome from the MWIA President
Dear members of the Medical Women´s International Association (MWIA) and medical women and students from all over the world,
As MWIA´s president it is a great honour to invite you all to attend MWIA´s centennial congress in New York (USA) from the 25 – 28th of July 2019.
It all started on October 19, 1919 during the first congress of women physicians in New York when 140 participants from 16 nations stressed their wish to form an International Association. About 200 women from 15 Nations joined MWIA immediately after it was founded. Since then MWIA is growing in numbers and in cloud.
The theme of the centennial congress is “The Centennial Congress of the Medical Women´s International Association: Medical Women: Ambassadors of Change in a Challenging Global World, bridging the past with the present and moving into the future!
The congress theme reflects the theme of my triennium 2016-2019 as MWIA president “Medical women- ambassador of change”. The specific challenges to women´s health are manifold: e.g. deprivation of Women’s Rights in many societies, lack of access to health care, socio – economic, cultural and political factors and lack of health care policies to promote women’s health. Sustainable change is only possible when women will be empowered. Medical women and national medical women´s associations play here an important role by raising awareness for these problems, serve as advocates by informing the public and politicians by social media, use of their networks & teaching materials and last but not least by initiating new preventive health and education programs. This congress will celebrate our achievements as medical women in MWIA since 100 years!
MWIA is greatly indebted to the American Medical Women´s Association (AMWA) for hosting this centennial congress. We are planning currently an exciting scientific programme and social activities for our members. Together we will make this a memorable event for all of us!
I am looking so much forward to seeing you all in New York in 2019!!
Prof. Dr. Dr. Bettina Pfleiderer PhD. MD.
President, Medical Women’s International Association
