By Katie Reddick and Eliza Chin, MD, MPH
The American Medical Women’s Association has obtained a limited license to screen Ms. Diagnosed: The Movie through AMWA medical and premedical branches until January 2023.
This documentary explores the inequities in medicine that are the result of a healthcare system made by and for men and sheds light on the importance of accounting for sex and gender differences when providing care.
“This is a must-see film for every medical student in the country,” said Dr. Eliza Chin, AMWA Executive Director. “AMWA is committed to ensuring that all of our student branches have the opportunity to screen this film.”
The film follows the journeys of several patients, includes provider perspectives, and discusses the importance of increasing education of sex and gender specific medicine to help improve health outcomes.
AMWA leader, Dr. Alyson McGregor, who is prominently featured in the film stated, “I was thrilled to be in this film as a women’s health researcher and emergency physician showcasing the very real need of our medical system to understand and personalize health care for women. The health of our society depends upon it.”
Dr. McGregor is Associate Dean of Clinical Faculty Affairs and Development and Professor Department of Emergency Medicine at University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville. She is also co-founder of AMWA’s Sex and Gender Health Collaborative. The Collaborative was established to bring a sex and gender perspective into health professionals’ education and clinical practice to improve patient care.
“Although women and men are completely different genetically, almost all the healthcare we receive is based solely on research done on men. Because of this inequity, women die every single day, worldwide. Ms. Diagnosed will explore why the inequality exists, why it persists, and how it can change.”
– Tricia Regan, Director, Ms. Diagnosed
Students at the Western University of Health Sciences AMWA branch shared their thoughts after a recent screening. “We learned a lot about heart disease in women and will carry what we learned into our future medical practice. We plan to encourage our classmates, friends and family to watch this film as the information presented is extremely valuable to all, not only to medical students. We highly recommend this screening to other chapters.”
View the trailer and sign your branch up for a screening.
These documentary screenings are part of AMWA’s commitment to promote awareness of sex and gender specific healthcare as well as our interest in promoting the medical humanities as a way of enhancing education, both for medical professionals and the general public. View our Media AMWA Exhibition to learn about other films that can be used for education and advocacy. Learn more about the AMWA Sex and Gender Health Collaborative.
AMWA student members also have the opportunity to gift their medical education dean a copy of the new textbook, How Sex and Gender Impact Clinical Practice: An Evidence-Based Guide to Patient Care.