From the 8th to the 12th of March, the Association of Women Surgeons chapters from the University of Milan, University of Edinburgh, University of Bristol and the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland held the AWS-Europe Conference 2021. The event was overall very inspiring and gave a little bit of insight on how knowledgeable and strong women in medicine are and can be. Every day was concluded with a question and answer session, to increase the interactive element between speakers and viewers, which allowed for multiple interesting topics to be discussed.
This is the first year where as many chapters gathered to organize and host this annual conference. Therefore, we had speakers with experiences from many parts of the world, emphasising the importance of each topic and indicating how far we can go in the medical field and in feminism.
Don't worry if you missed it! We now have the opportunity to share this experience with you, because it was truly a conference worth attending. Below is a list of the topics presented each day.
DAY 1- Innovative Careers
The first day of the conference kicked off with 3 motivating speakers including Dr. Raquel Mercedes who talked about her experience as a woman in surgery in France, Professor Laura Viani who focused her talk on research and innovation, and finally Miss Adeola Olaitan who spoke about a day in her life as an gynaecological oncologist.
Watch the first day of conference here
DAY 2- Innovating as Students and Trainees
On day 2, Ms. Shelly Potter presented "Getting involved in research as a surgeon ...from medical student to consultant and beyond," while Dr. Elisa Cassinotti presented "Reseach and training in becoming a surgeon"
You can check out the video here
DAY 3- Innovating in Surgical Translational Research
On day 3, Dr. Marie Aymami presented "Research in echocardiography and education," Prof. Lorna Marson presented "Research in transplant surgery," Ms. Ailin Rogers presented "Robots: Rise of the machines," and Dr. Lina Carmona presented "Thinking outside the box: when geography met surgery"
Find the recording of day 3 here
DAY 4- Innovating in Surgical Education
The fourth day of the conference consisted of Ms Kirsty Mozolowski speaking about "The hidden curriculum of Women in Surgery,“ Professor Lorna Marson who presented about “Innovations in Surgical Education,“ and Professor Deborah McNamara with her presentation on “Different Innovations in Approaching Surgical Education.“
Watch the video here
DAY 5- Inspirational Journeys
Our last day of the conference ended on a reminder of how it is possible to succeed as a woman in the field of surgery despite all the hardships that came with it. Dr. Luciana Marzella gave her talk on “Hand Surgery - Advice for Aspiring Surgeons and Health Advice on National TV“ and Dr. Barbara Hersant spoke about “Difficulties for Women Physician Promotions in Academic and University Centres: a French Experience“.
You can find the recording here
We hope you enjoyed the conference and learned a lot from these inspiring women who shared their personal experiences. Feel free to leave a comment and give your feedback as we'd love to hear from you!