VCOM - Carolinas 2018 Yearbook

AMWA American Medical Women’s Association Angela Montalvo, President; Brooke Spangler, Vice President; Anushka Patel, Treasurer; Meghan Quigley, Secretary; Carrie Downing-Larick, National Liason

T he American Medical Women’s Association empowers women to lead in improving health for all within a model that reflects the unique perspective of women. For the “Take It as A Compliment” activity during Women’s Health Week, AMWA invited both male and female students to anonymously share experiences with gender bias and inequality, especially in the field of medicine, using post-its on the wall. This activity revealed how common gender bias is in everyday life. A Stress Relief Slime event invited students to take a break from studying and do a hands-on activity: making slime balls! This activity was repeated during Welcome Week to help the first-year students cope

women in medicine, specifically DOs, who served as trailblazers for the generations to come. Hannah Coulson, DO and Amber Stroupe, DO, attended the viewing and participated in the discussion. AMWA’s New Year, New You clothing drive was to collect professional clothing and accessories for clients of SAFE Homes - Rape Crisis Coalition (SHRCC), a local organization that provides resources to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. All contributions were donated to SHRCC’s thrift store, where their clients can shop for free. In March, several AMWA members attended the AMWA National Conference.

with beginning medical school and to teach them some stress

management strategies before they got too overwhelmed by studying. In November, the slime event once more taught children in the local community how to manage stress at the Pediatric Wellness Fair. In collaborations with Spartanburg Women in Medicine, AMWA established a mentor relationship between ten AMWA members and ten local physicians who shared areas of interest. These mentors offer support in tackling the obstacles women face in the medical field that is still predominantly male. AMWA hosted a viewing and discussion of The Feminine Touch, a documentary detailing the first

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