The National Medical Student Committee of the Association of Women Surgeons would like to invite you to participate in the third annual AWS Research Poster Session for Trainees during the AWS Annual Conference in San Francisco, CA October 12, 2008.

This poster session is for female medical students interested in surgery and female surgical residents. It is designed to facilitate an interaction and idea exchange between students, residents and faculty members of various institutions.

Deadline for submission is July 15, 2008. Click here for more information.

AAHPM Announces Two Courses to be Held in Chicago

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) offers two important courses entitled Current Concepts in Palliative Care: Update and Review Course and the Hospice Medical Director Course. These courses will be held August 28-30, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Click here for more information.

AAHPM Announces Selection of Training Sites

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine announces selection of the eight training sites that will host its Clinical Scholars Program beginning in 2008. The program provides physicians one week of participation with a clinical team, under the supervision of physician faculty at the training site. The sites were chosen based on their outstanding reputation, superior service, and well regarded expertise in the field.

For further information on this program, visit www.aahpm.org/education/clinicaltraining.html.

MRgFUS 2008 International Symposium, October 6-7 in Washington, DC: Current and Future Applications of MR-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery

The Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation is holding an important symposium dedicated to exploring MR-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery from scientific, clinical management and socioeconomic perspectives. This meeting is of interest to researchers, clinicians, managers, educators and commentators, and will provide a comprehensive overview of this rapidly evolving field. Click here for more information.

Annual Colorectal Congress to be held in Switzerland -
December 3-6, 2008

The Department of Surgery at the Hospital of St. Gallen will be holding its annual COLORECTAL CONGRESS from December 3rd to 6th, 2008. Lectures for this year’s event will be focused on the topics of COLON CANCER and INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES (IBD).

We are very pleased to offer an impressive group of internationally recognized experts as congress speakers in the area of colorectal surgery and gastroenterology, who will be presenting the latest scientific developments referring to the field of Rectum Cancer and IBD. For more information, visit their Website: www.colorectalsurgery.eu. 

Women Surgeons - Cutting New Paths

On November 13, 2006 a group of AWS members participated in a panel presentation at Radcliffe Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The topic - "Women Surgeons - Cutting New Paths."

The panel included Myriam Curet, MD, FACS, Julie Freischlag, MD, FACS, Verna Gibbs, MD, FACS, Margaret Kemeny, MD, FACS and Patricia Numann, MD, FACS.

If you would like to hear the presentation follow this link to the Radcliffe Institute Website.
http://www.radcliffe.edu/events/paneldiscussions/2006_surgeons.php 

Gaining Force

The Association of American Medical Colleges recently published an analysis of women in academic medicine, reporting that for 2005-06, women represented:

50% of applicants to medical school
48% of first-year students
49% of medical students
49% of graduating medical students
42% of residents and fellows
32% of medical faculty members
38% of assistant professors
28% of associate professors
16% of full professors
19% of division/section chiefs
10% of department chairs
43% of assistant deans
31% of associate and senior associate/vice deans
11% of medical school deans