Happy Birthday to Us!
Authors: Avital O’Glasser, MD; Eve Bloomgarden, MD; Shikha Jain, MD
Keywords:
Look at where we are, look at where we started:
How do you measure a year?
How do you measure a year of the WIMS Blog?
In reflections, in celebrations, in analysis…and in midnights and cups of coffee.
Our hopes were both high and humble when we launched the WIMS Blog a year ago exactly. Our overarching goal was to provide a creative space that added to Women in Medicine ® depth and breadth of content and conversations about gender equity in medicine. As we shared in our opening statement, ”too frequently siloed in medicine, we gain strength by learning from our similarities AND differences. We are eager to use this new venture to tackle gender inequity through the cross pollination of ideas, insights, and strategies.” And as WIMS Founder Dr. Shikha Jain noted, “Often the voices we need to hear are the ones that are silenced. We want to work to change that.”
We are absolutely thrilled to have shared more than 50 blog posts in the past year. We have amplified #SheforShe voices as well as #HeforShe voices. We have amplified cis-gender women’s voices as well as transgender and LGBTQIA+ voices. We have provided a megaphone for physicians in practice, trainees, and non-physicians.
These voices have shared reflections and advice regarding professional development and the professional journey through medical training and practice. They have navigated the balancing act of being a clinician, a person, or a parent. They have shared powerful statements about advocacy, racism, DEI, xenophobia, sexual harassment, imposter syndrome, gender equity, vaccination, gun violence, and climate change. Not surprisingly, many have articulated the challenges of being a clinician–and human being–during the COVID19 pandemic. They have drawn from the ancient lessons of women voices in Greek mythology–to the voices listened to (or not talked about) as represented through modern pop culture. They have mused about hobbies, side-gigs, and sugary treats–and the self-reflection and camaraderie that comes with them. And it has been our privilege and pleasure to publish them all.
We have rejoiced in the launch of the WIMS Speaker’s Bureau as well as other WIMS offerings. We launched a submission contest after the 2021 Women in Medicine Summit, with Dr. Lycette’s submission winning her a WIMS treat. We also launched a partnership with Healio Women in Oncology and their new blog to help each other amplify our crucial content.
So thank YOU for writing, reading, leading, and engaging with the content we have shared. We remain eager and enthusiastic to continue to give authors an opportunity to express their diverse, unique, and impactful voices. We hope you will consider submitting–please find author information here as you begin your creative journey.
About the authors: Avital O’Glasser, MD, is a hospitalist at Oregon Health & Science University and the editor of the WIMS blog (Twitter: @aoglasser). Eve Bloomgarden, MD, is an Endocrinologist in Illinois where she is also the Chief Development Officer of Women in Medicine® NFP and a founder and the Chief Operating Officer of IMPACT (Twitter: @evebmd). Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, is an oncologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the founder of the Women in Medicine Summit (Twitter: @ShikhaJainMD)
