AMWA National Student Conference
In conjunction with the AMWA’s 98th Annual Meeting
March 15-17, 2013 in New York, NY

The 2013 AMWA National Student Conference was a tremendous event. This year boasted record student attendance, with about 200 students in participation from all corners of the nation. Students truly had a motivating and inspirational experience from a weekend tailored to the theme of “Strategic Success for Women in Medicine.” From personal mentorship sessions to presentation by women physicians at the top of their fields, the 2013 AMWA National Student Conference was a whirlwind force promoting the success of women students in medicine.

An intimate Tour of the United Nations kicked off the Conference on Friday afternoon. The tour commemorated the concurrent 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations. This backdrop of international women’s advocacy set the stage for the Friday evening sessions of AMWA networking and mentoring. Students were able to learn from AMWA physician mentors by listening to exclusive testimonials about career advancement strategies. Physicians also held a panel session illuminating techniques to allow medical students to thrive in their chosen specialties. Long-lasting and personal connections were bridged between physicians and students, enforcing AMWA’s tradition of strong mentorship within medicine.

Saturday began with an early poster session. Students were able to present their work on a variety of women’s health topics to physician judges and their fellow peers at both this morning session and a later afternoon session. The plenary keynote speaker, Nancy Andrews, MD, PhD opened the morning session on Work-Life Balance for Women in Medicine. Dr. Andrews, the Dean and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Duke University School of Medicine, gave a captivating speech on the balance of women’s professional and personal roles as women physicians advance through their careers.

Joan Bathon, MD kept the energy flowing with her presentation on Rheumatoid Arthritis: Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment. She was followed by Amy S. Paller, MD, who presented her most recent research on Inflammatory Disorders in Children. Dr. Paller shared breakthroughs on pediatric skin disorders while instilling her fundamental words of wisdom into every aspect of her talk. Liise-anne Pirofski, MD then presented on A 2013 Update on Pneumococcal Vaccines and Pneumococcal Vaccination before the conference broke out into the lunch sessions.

The AMWA Annual Awards Luncheon welcomed Special Guest Calvin Trillin, a New York Times best selling author and acclaimed writer for the New Yorker, to present the AMWA roast. He swept the room away with his classic and renowned style of commentary that has previously led him to be called “perhaps the finest reporter in America.” His humor left the room elated as presentations began to honor the annual AMWA awards recipients for their leadership and contributions to AMWA.

The afternoon session included presentations from Julie A. Freischlag, MD on Advances in Vascular Surgery, Julia Arnsten, MD, MPH about a shifting perspective on care for HIV-infected women, and Hedvig Hricak, MD, PhD, Drhc on Gynecologic Oncology – Role of Imaging Today and Tomorrow. The afternoon culminated with student elections. As votes were tallied, Dyani Loo, an Anne C. Carter Global Health Fellow, gave her presentation on her work with the Engeye Clinic in Uganda. Jennifer Kwan, a medical student representative from the American Physician Scientists Association, then shared her work on gendered disparities in education and medicine.

Students, residents, and physicians then joined together Saturday evening at the AMWA 98th Anniversary Gala, which this year was aboard a yacht dinner cruise. Keynote speaker Rita Charon, MD, PhD shared her narrative on patient stories as AMWA members enjoyed the spectacular view of the New York City skyline and danced the night away.

Members reconvened on Sunday morning to learn about bleeding disorders from Catherine S. Manno, MD, insights on successfully establishing a clinical practice from Orli R. Etingin, MD, and the Gender-Specific Experiences of Coronary Artery Disease from Marianne J. Legato, MD, FACP. Final sessions of the conference re-established the importance of women’s self-promotion and ­­­­career arbitration with presentations on Negotiation for Career Advancement by Sonia Marciano, PhD and the prevention of malpractice by Sue Jacobs, JD.

This conference overall boasted record numbers of student attendance. Students remarked that this event was inspirational because of both cutting-edge presentations and personal advice from physicians and mentors. The newly-elected AMWA Student Division was thrilled by the enthusiasm kindled by this conference and has already embarked on new projects and planning for next year’s 99thAnnual Conference in Washington, DC.

Check out more photos on Facebook and on our lovely Mary Ellen Morrow’s website courtesy of Mary Ellen Morrow Photography!

Conference Award & Grant Winners

Young Women in Science Research Poster Awards

• First Place:  Neha Deshpande  – “Should a Seprafilm® Adhesion Barrier be used at Cesarean Section?”
• Second Place:  Alice Chen – “B cell-specific Sharpin-deficient mice have defective lymphoid architecture and diminished antibody responses.”

Heller Award of Excellence for Branches

• Nationwide Most Outstanding Branch: Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Anne C. Carter Leadership Award

• Neha Deshpande, Harvard Medical School, MD Candidate, Class of 2015, AMWA Student Treasurer

Travel Grant Awardees

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