The American Medical Women’s Association board members and leaders spent September 13 at the White House and with congressional healthcare legislators advocating on various issues that impact the health, specifically of women. As timing would have it, our first meeting was with the Gender Policy Council just following the 30th anniversary celebration of the Violence Against Women’s Act, an event which AMWA was honored to attend. AMWA was able to share information highlighting the Reproductive Health Coalition (co-founded by AMWA and Doctors for America) and our advocacy efforts to improve the health of women. We mentioned our desire to work with the administration to advance gender equity for women physicians, and to gain support for the integration of sex differences into medical education so our future physicians are better prepared to provide more tailored patient-centered care. Other areas of discussion included: human trafficking, gun violence, cervical cancer and HPV prevention (HPV Prevention Week), artificial intelligence,  and maternal mortality (Maternal Health Awareness Day, January 23). We also discussed the need for common sense measures to mitigate the continuing loss of children’s lives from gun violence, which could be abated with lock box requirements, and an assault weapons ban. We discussed the risks associated with technology, AI, and data tracking.

AMWA Leaders with the White House Gender Policy Council

Dr. Katrina Green at the Office of Gun Violence Prevention

“It was exciting to be invited to talk with the White House’s Gender Policy Council and Domestic Policy Council and work to impact change related to gender equity and the health of women,” said Dr. Susan Hingle. “It’s great to see AMWA’s impact and influence continue to grow.”ion to prohibit law enforcement agencies from abusing databases that track women’s pregnancies and periods.

AMWA leaders expressed thanks for the administration’s focus and attention on so many issues relevant to AMWA’s work, most importantly women’s health research, healthcare disparities for women, and of course violence against women – and for including AMWA in these efforts.

Dr. Gloria Wu and the AMWA executive board (Dr. Susan Hingle, Dr. Eileen Barrett, Dr. Eliza Chin, Khawaja Shams) also met with Neera Tanden, Domestic Policy Advisor to President Biden, to speak about the administration’s efforts related to reproductive healthcare, women’s health, pay equity, and AI in healthcare.

In the afternoon, AMWA board members met with the health legislative aides for several senators, including Senators Alex Padilla, Cory Booker, Martin Heinrich, Bill Hagerty, and Marco Rubio. We appreciated the opportunity to speak with both sides of the political spectrum and to find common ground on a variety of issues, many of which are represented by bills that have been introduced in Congress:

  • Advancing obesity care as a chronic disease (S.2407)
  • Improving maternal mortality in the U.S. through Maternal Health Awareness Day (Senate Resolution 12, H.3838)
  • Preventing gun violence (S25, S. 1026, S.173)
  • Restoring reproductive healthcare access (S.701) and repealing old pre-19th century laws (S.4619)
  • Advocating for pay equity (S.728) and the Equal Rights Amendment (S.J. Res. 39)
  • Funding for women’s health research nand sex and gender specific healthcare                                                                                                                                                    
  • Appreciating both opportunities and challenges posed by technological advances, including artificial intelligence.

AMWA Advocacy Chair, Dr. Katrina Green reflected on the day, “I am thankful to be a part of the American Medical Women’s Association who is advocating for gun violence prevention on a national level through multiple avenues including patient education and legislative advocacy. I’m grateful to AMWA for setting up meetings with members of Congress during our recent advocacy day in DC. As a Tennessee constituent, I was able to have a productive meeting with the staff of Senator Bill Haggerty, advocating for a variety of issues and finding common ground in several areas.”

AMWA Leaders at Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office

AMWA Leaders at Senator Rubio’s Office

AMWA Leaders at Senator Heinrich’s Office

AMWA Leaders at Senator Cory Booker’s Office

R – Jodi Godfrey, L- Emily Forrester

AMWA leaders also stopped in at the Sewell Belmont House Museum, a women’s history museum housed in the historic headquarters of the National Woman’s Party, who fought for suffrage in the 20th century.

 

 

More photos coming soon!