Our current president, Professor Scarlett McNally is a truly innovative leader. She writes regular editorials for the British Medical Journal, statements on multiple topics including women doctors’ careers and sexual harassment, and letters to influential medical bodies such as the GMC highlighting problems specific to women as well as problems for all doctors. She has set up a ‘President’s Project Committee’ so that MWF can respond quickly to queries, and work on projects. One project is about doctors who have been excluded from work or have had career-threatening complaints/criticisms/challenges, and how to prevent these, or provide assistance by raising awareness and providing information for medical students, doctors, managers and leaders.
Exercise and health is one of Scarlett’s particular interests and this was the subject of a recent BBC 4 Radio series. She was interviewed by Chris and Xand van Tulleken in the first episode. Scarlett was the lead author for ‘Exercise: the Miracle Cure in 2015 https://www.aomrc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Exercise_the_Miracle_Cure_0215.pdf
There are now 64 episodes of the Medical Women Podcast hosted by our Vice President Dr Nuthana Bhaynkaram still available through the links here ( anchor.fm/medicalwomen ). I highly recommend you listen to some of them.
In the Footsteps of Elsie Inglis, surgeon, teacher, suffragist and founder of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals.
In September last year a group of women doctors including MWF members visited former WW1 hospital sites and memorials in Serbia, commemorating Dr Elsie Inglis and her Scottish Women’s Hospital doctors, nurses, volunteer auxiliaries, drivers, cooks and administrators. Serbia still remembers and commemorates these pioneering women, who answered the call to help the war-torn country, beset by a typhus epidemic and few medical facilities to cope with the population and wounded soldiers. They coped admirably with the enormous challenges.
MWF has its Spring meeting in Cambridge on 10th May, with a dinner in Downing College on the 9th. See https://www.medicalwomensfederation.org.uk/ for details.
Dr Clarissa Fabre, NC