AMWA Brings the Voice of Women Physicians to Participate in Side Events at the UN General Assembly
As world leaders gather in New York for the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81), the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) is bringing the perspectives of women physicians and health professionals to important side event conversations about women’s health, sustainable development, health innovation, and stronger health systems.
AMWA will participate in two events during UNGA week.
Advancing Women’s Health and Empowerment to Realize the SDGs
On September 23, AMWA will participate in “Advancing Women’s Health and Empowerment to Realize the SDGs,” an event bringing attention to the essential role of women’s health and empowerment in achieving sustainable development. The program will take place from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the New York University Conference Center, with virtual participation available.
Women’s health and empowerment extend far beyond a single development goal. While SDG 3 addresses health and well-being and SDG 5 focuses on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, progress for women has implications across the broader 2030 Agenda—from education and economic opportunity to resilient communities and sustainable development.
The event provides an opportunity to elevate women’s health as both a goal in itself and a foundation for broader social and economic progress. It also reinforces the importance of ensuring that women are not simply beneficiaries of health and development initiatives, but leaders and decision-makers in shaping them.
For AMWA, the discussion reflects a longstanding commitment to advancing the health of women while supporting women physicians as leaders, advocates, and agents of change in their communities and around the world. AMWA Past President Dr. Connie Newman will be a featured speaker at the event.
Learn more and register for Advancing Women’s Health and Empowerment to Realize the SDGs
Connect, Power, Heal: Turning Innovation into Impact
On September 24, AMWA will continue its UNGA engagement through “Connect, Power, Heal: Bundling Connectivity, Energy, Innovation, & Partnership at the Health Frontline,” a side event to be held at the UN Church Center in New York, with a virtual option available. The broader program is being convened with the Health Innovation Exchange (HIEx) and partners.
The initiative brings together stakeholders who may not routinely be at the same table—including health leaders, innovators, investors, institutions, and decision-makers—to explore how collaboration can move promising solutions beyond discussion and into implementation. Across the three-day program, participants will examine ways to build stronger partnerships, financing models, and implementation pathways that can strengthen health systems and expand equitable access to innovation.
AMWA Global Health Lead Dr. Padmini Murthy and AMWA Women’s Health Lead Dr. Gloria Bachmann will be featured on September 24 during the 1:30–3:00 p.m. session, contributing the perspectives of women physicians to conversations about strengthening healthcare at the community level and ensuring that innovation reaches the people and places that need it most.
The event’s focus on connectivity, reliable energy, technology, financing, and partnership underscores an important reality: medical innovation alone cannot improve health if the infrastructure and systems needed to deliver it are not in place. Meaningful progress requires bringing together clinical expertise, technology, investment, policy, and community leadership.
Learn more and register for Connect, Power, Heal
Through its participation at UNGA 81, AMWA is helping ensure that women physicians have a voice in these global discussions—and that women’s health remains integral to the larger conversation about sustainable development, innovation, and the future of healthcare.
