From Dr. Adelheid Schneider-Gilg
Swiss Medical Women/s Organisation
At the end of May 2025, we held a three-country congress (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) in Zurich with the theme “New Worlds.”
We began with the topic of reproductive medicine, which was presented in excellent gynecological and technical depth by Rebecca Moffat and then critically examined by geneticist Gabriele du Bois with regard to statistics, legal issues, laws, and future prospects. In a subsequent workshop, questions of oocyte donation and surrogacy were hotly debated.
Three colleagues from Vienna (L. Hütter, H. Wolf, M. Hufgard-Leitner) reported further on the following topics – an interdisciplinary gynecological-rheumatological consultation hour for pregnant women with inflammatory rheumatic diseases; a low-threshold consultation service, specifically a contact point for women’s health outside Vienna city center; and scientific advances in gender medicine (in Carinthia, it has been included in the curriculum as a continuing education subject).
On the second day, the focus shifted to gender incongruence in adolescents, gender variance, and gender-affirming treatments. Pediatric endocrinologist Stefan Riedl described the challenges faced by adolescents and the necessary hormonal and surgical interventions, while psychiatrist Annette Güldenring provided an insightful and empathetic explanation of the situation faced by adults, drawing on her own experiences.
The final block of topics covered artificial intelligence and digitization, including the “digitized twin.” Claudia Witt (specialist in integrative/complementary medicine and digitization) and Brigitte Strahwald (specialist in epidemiology and public health) were the speakers. They argued that AI must be gender-neutral and that its use must always be critically questioned.
As well as this congress we held some net-working-events in 2025: an interesting lecture on sports medicine in relation to gender medicine; a practical afternoon for students to learn surgical stitching (suturing); for students and young physicians lectures on “How is it possible to become a medical superintendent or a family doctor?” Last but not least we held a social event visiting and observing the activities of bats near downtown Zurich.
Brief report from the annual conference of the Organisation of Women Physicians of Austria
Written by Edith Schratzberger-Vécsei and Nilufar Mossaheb
Our annual conference on March 14, 2026, in Vienna was marked by intensive discussions, inspiring contributions, and a palpable shared commitment to change.
A powerful opening was delivered by the State Secretary for Health Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig. Our President, Miriam Hufgard-Leitner set important thematic accents in her introductory remarks, presenting data, figures, and facts on the state of gender equality in medicine. This was followed by Nina Böck and Carmen Hagen, who introduced the dedicated work of Ärztinnen Connect at the Vienna Medical Chamber. Once again, the persistent “leaky pipeline” in medical leadership positions became evident, as did the central importance of representation, networks, and structural conditions. Studies also reinforced well-known but still pressing inequalities—such as the devaluation of professions as the proportion of women increases.
Birgit Kofler offered both a historical and encouraging perspective, tracing the development of women in medicine as a success story—shaped by perseverance and the overcoming of structural barriers—in her book Women Doctors Who Made History.
Particularly striking was the presentation by Claudia Zimmermann, which highlighted the increased suicide rate among female physicians compared to male physicians, the general population, and socioeconomically comparable professional groups. These findings underscore the urgent need for structural change.
After lunch, Barbara Blaha’s feminist cabaret created space for humor while powerfully conveying the urgency of dismantling sexist myths.
In the round tables, key topics were explored in greater depth: work-life balance in medical settings based on best-practice models, the importance of women in leadership positions, and the establishment of interdisciplinary women’s health centers. The subsequent panel discussion with representatives from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland once again emphasized the demand for parity in committees. At the same time, it became clear how important engagement is—and that change is possible when we drive it forward together.
The breaks offered valuable opportunities for networking—a central aspect that ran throughout the conference: female solidarity, exchange, and mutual support are crucial levers for progress. Particularly encouraging was the large number of concrete proposals for a more physician-friendly working environment—for women—at the individual, organizational, and structural levels. We intend to take up these issues in the coming months and continue to develop them together.
The festive conclusion, with a shared dinner and the presentation of the Lore Antoine Awards to Dr. Nora Rosenberg and Dr. Antonia Mazzucato-Puchner rounded off the conference.
Once again, the conference demonstrated that there are not only challenges, but also many committed colleagues who are ready to tackle them. We look forward to continuing this journey together!