About AWS
The Association of Women Surgeons is committed to supporting the professional and personal needs of female surgeons at various stages in their career - from residency through retirement. Since our founding in 1981, AWS has set up many programs with the specific objective of promoting the professional growth and advancement of our members. By working together, and with organizations like the American College of Surgeons, AWS hopes to bring down barriers that remain for women in surgery.
With over 1700 women surgeons as members, AWS is one of the largest organizations dedicated to enhancing the interaction and exchange of information between women surgeons.
Use the links in this section to learn more about the AWS Mission and Goals, our organization's History, the Code of Conduct, the AWS Council and Staff, our committees and our chapters. Click here for the AWS photo gallery and show your support for AWS with AWS logo products. If you need additional information, feel free to contact the AWS office.
AWS Accomplishments
- AWS members now serve on every standing committee of the American College of Surgeons,
and have participated in NIH panels on the Status of Women in Scientific careers.
- In 1999, AWS collaborated with the National Institutes of Health to
produce a 24 minute video entitled
Women Are Surgeons.
This video is targeted at young girls to
encourage them to enter the field of surgery. By planting the seed early, we can encourage girls
to take math and science courses throughout their schooling, so that all
career options are open to them.
- AWS helped evaluate gender related issues for
surgery with the Residency Review Committee. The issues addressed
include case loads and family leave policies, call room facilities
and residents' overall work environment.
- AWS created a mentor network for those members needing advice regarding their careers,
particularly at the resident level. These individuals work with medical schools and
residencies in their area to provide mentors, organize social gatherings to network and
offer moral support and advice.
- Several AWS members sit on the editorial board of the
American Journal of Surgery.
- AWS, working with the generous support of
Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.,
and Genomic Health offers two $25,000
Fellowships to stimulate original research.
- AWS coordinated a professionally produced film (Three Firsts: Women Pioneers in American Surgery) that focuses on the careers of three women pioneers in surgery: Alma Dea Morani, MD, the first female plastic surgeon; Nina Starr Braunwald, MD, the first female cardiac surgeon in the world and a former deputy director at the NIH; and Olga Jonasson, MD, the first female chair of a U.S. medical school department of surgery. To order copies of this video ($30 each), click here.