Advocating for Equity and Women’s Health with AMWA

Dr. Katrina Green and Nashtivists

September is Women in Medicine Month, so it was totally appropriate that I found myself in Washington DC last weekend for the American Medical Women’s Association advocacy day on the hill and board meeting.

The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) is an organization that I’ve been a member of for quite some time without even realizing it. I’m an emergency physician and was a member of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM), having joined during my residency training in 2008. I also joined the Women in Emergency Medicine (WiEM) section of AAEM years ago. I wanted to belong to the sisterhood of female EM doctors who were working to make our field more equitable.

AMWA has what are called “affiliate memberships” through different partner medical organizations who help share the cost of memberships, which can add up quickly for young physicians just starting out their careers and paying down their student loans. Fortunately through my WiEM membership, I also had the benefit of an affiliate membership in AMWA.

This affiliate membership came in handy when my I began advocating for public health safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was looking for help reaching out to physicians in Tennessee, asking them to sign on to petitions for mask mandates and help with vaccine outreach. AMWA leaders were more than willing to help me make connections and circulate my petitions to members. I felt heard and my advocacy efforts were appreciated and encouraged.

My first AMWA conference in Philadelphia, March 2023

I was enough of a fly in the ointment that it didn’t take long for the advocacy committee chair at the time, Dr. Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, to ask if I’d like to get more involved in AMWA. Before I knew it, I was asked to co-chair the advocacy committee with Dr. Amna Anees, being handed the reins from Dr. Eileen Barrett who is now the AMWA president-elect. Dr. Anees and I found incredible value and meaning in the year we worked together, advocating for women’s health the year of the Dobbs decision and the overturning of Roe v Wade.

Not long after, I was encouraged by my AMWA mentor, Dr. Rohr-Kirchgraber, to run for a position on the board of directors. Being asked by one of the past presidents of AMWA was an incredible honor, to say the least. Going through the process of becoming a board member, learning more about the organization and the women (and men) who keep it going, reassured me that AMWA was the place to be for a physician advocate like me. Serving on the AMWA BOD, I hope to ensure the legacy of advocacy, mentorship and leadership that makes this organization unique.

This past weekend, AMWA board members and executives met in DC to discuss the future, mission and vision of our organization. Many of us arrived early for the meeting to participate in advocacy day, meeting with the White House Gender Policy Council to discuss reproductive rights, equity for women physicians, the gender pay gap, the women physician workforce and the equal rights amendment. I was asked to speak for our group about gun violence as this is an issue affecting many women physicians in both our practices and our communities.

Outside the Eisenhower Building, the morning of AMWA Advocacy Day on the Hill, 9/13

AMWA members meeting with the White House Gender Policy Council staff

Outside the Office of Gun Violence Prevention during AMWA advocacy day

I am proud of my AMWA colleagues for not shying away from difficult topics when meeting with legislators on both sides of the aisle, advocating for gun safety, maternal health, investment in women’s health research, obesity and the equal rights amendment. We made sure our concerns were heard and we educated legislators on the data and science backing up our positions.

AMWA members outside the office of US Senator Bill Hagerty on 9/13

AMWA has members from around the US, representing diverse specialties. The board members include Obstetrics/gynecology, ophthalmology, family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, as well as pre medical and medical students. Our mission is to advocate for women physicians with a goal of creating a healthier, more equitable world.

During our weekend in DC, the AMWA president Dr. Sue Hingle and president elect Dr. Eileen Barrett showed they are the right women to represent women physicians at this critical time for women, not just in the medical profession but for our patients as well.

Photo booth in the Hotel Zena in Washington DC

Dr. Katrina Green, MD FAAEM is a board certified emergency physician, and public safety and health advocate. She chairs the advocacy committee of AMWA and was elected to serve on the board of directors for 2024-26.

If you’re a physician who identifies as a woman or want to support women in medicine, consider joining or donating to support AMWA during September which is Women in Medicine month!

This is an important election year. Make sure your voter registration is up to date! Check your status at vote.org.

Originally published on ladydocgreen.substack.com; reposted with permission.