Accommodation of pregnant physicians is a key issue in human resources planning. The extent to which the needs of pregnant physicians are accommodated - or not - is recognised as a significant influence on maternal and foetal health, the well-being of the mother and child during pregnancy and postpartum, and female physicians' career progression, career choices and practice patterns.

Medicine and Motherhood: Can we talk? is a consensus statement developed by the Taskforce on the Accommodation of the Pregnant Physician and published by the Physician Health Program of British Columbia that aims to inform and promote discussion around the important issues of combining medicine and motherhood. Click here to download

Many countries and communities have worked hard in addressing the incidence of domestic violence within the community. Both government and non-government agencies have developed some great programs to solve these problems. The 2010 Global Domestic Violence Conference, to be held at the magnificent Prince Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 1st – 3rd of November 2010, is devoted to highlighting these successful programs from all corners of the world.

Dr. Chris Laming and Dr. Karen Crinall from Monash University will be representing Australia in the conference, covering issues regarding the involvement of Australian Indigenous Men to Stop Violence and using the Visual to Challenge Men's Violence against Women. If you wish to be part of the conference or to avail yourself of free membership with the Global Coalition against Domestic Violence (GCA-DV) and discounted rates to attend this prestigious global gathering of world leaders in the campaign against domestic violence, please e-mail the conference committee at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the conference website at:  www.domesticviolenceconference.net

It was with tremendous pride that I represented the Australian Federation of Medical Women at Admiralty House Sydney on July 5th 2010 on the National Breast Cancer Foundation - Women’s Advisory Council. This subcommittee of the NBCF consists of key figures from industry, government, business and professional bodies, who have lent their support for the NBCF’s new  “research register”. This online “national register” for women enables every interested woman (both with and without a diagnosis of breast cancer) to volunteer their interest to participate in future Australian research projects examining different aspects of breast cancer.

The Medical Women's International Association June Update is now available - click here to read the news and activities from medical women around the globe.

Happy, Healthy Women, Not Just Survivors is a joint advocacy initiative between the Australian Women's Coalition (AWC), the Australian Federation of Medical Women (AFMW) and the Victorian Medical Women's Society (VMWS).  Following on from the recent national summit, a briefing paper has been released that provides the background information, evidence and educational resources to inform and highlight the issues that need to be addressed to safely and effectively meet the needs of sexual violence survivors over a lifetime.

Sexual violence is a common experience for women in Australia, with 1 in 3 reporting sequal violence over their lifetimes and 1 in 10 reporting penetrative or attempted penetrative sexual abuse. Significant health consequences result over a lifetime, and with domestic violence, sexual violence is responsible for the greatest burden of disease for women aged 18-45 years. In site of this, women who experience sexual violence are reluctant to access healthcare services. There is a critical dissonance between survivors' needs and service provision.

Click here to download the briefing paper Happy, Healthy Women, Not Just Survivors.
Click here to view the cover letter for the paper.