Newsletter Federation of Medical Women of Canada Fédération des femmes médecins du Canada Spring 2009 ▪ Vol 22 ▪ No 2 2009 AGM, Leadership and Advocacy Workshops: September 26–27 à la Montréal By President-Elect & AGM Chair: Dr. Andrea Canty Photo: Normand Rajotte Are you striving for harmony in your Janet Dollin, will tell the stories of fe- be awarded this year’s prestigious May personal and professional lives? Are male physicians, how they “customized” Cohen Award for her signifi cant contribu- you struggling to fi nd balance between a balance in their lives. Dr. Nahid Azad, tion to the promotion of women’s health building a career and having a life? If you our Newsletter Editor, working with our and to the Federation. Please join us in are, you’re not alone. Please join us in Student Representative, Rachel Ptashny, applauding these two very deserving and Montréal, September 26 and 27, 2009 to will offer advice on setting boundaries and amazing women. discover some useful strategies and meet how to deal with harassment and intimida- other physicians interested in this chal- tion in the medical workplace. As well, The backdrop for the FMWC 2009 AGM lenging and exciting journey. we are organizing a panel discussion with will be the luxurious InterContinental a variety of specialists who will offer their Hotel in the Old Port of Montréal. I en- The title of our 2009 Advocacy and strategies for choosing a “non-traditional” courage you to arrive a day or two early, Leadership Workshops is: Beyond specialty as part of our “mentoring morn- walk through the Old Port; drink a latté at Balance - Achieving Professional and ing” for medical students. The Committee an outdoor café, visit an art gallery...go Personal Harmony. Our objective in is pleased to announce that Dr. Alex shopping. We will be introducing you to holding these workshops is to provide Ferenczy will be sharing the latest infor- the history of Old Montréal in a visit to strategies and tools for female physicians mation about HPV vaccines. We will also Pointe-à-Callière for our Saturday Soirée, to achieve harmony between their pro- have a workshop on palliative care and our followed by a gourmet meal at the ar- fessional and personal lives: to illustrate President, Dr. Gartke, will be presenting chaeological museum itself. Afterwards, ways to resolve confl ict effectively and to the results of the FMWC/CMA joint study we’ll stroll back to our hotel, taking in the facilitate networking between physicians on workplace fl exibility policies. We’ll be sights and sounds of the city. (For those and, in particular, to foster a mentoring planning a few surprises in keeping with of you who are directionally challenged, relationship with medical students and our theme of Harmony/Balance so expect I urge you to bring a GPS). The evening young physicians. some fun along with our more serious promises to be an entertaining and unique topics! For this conference, FMWC has experience. The conference committee is honoured applied for accreditation (details will be to have a number of distinguished and posted soon on our website). And if a unique conference in a great talented physicians, researchers and pro- hotel in a beautiful city is not enough to fessionals on the agenda for our 2009 And let’s not forget the Saturday entice you, the Conference Committee is workshops. Janice Stein, PhD, will lead Awards Luncheon. Dr. Jane Philpott is offering an Early Bird Draw to give you a workshop on confl ict and negotiation being honoured as our Honorary Member. further incentive to register. Please see the skills from a gender perspective. Dr. Bo Dr. Philpott will inspire us with her work registration information in this newsletter Miedema, PhD, will present the results of with Give a Day. A Past President of for all the details. I’m looking forward to her survey on abuse of female physicians the FMWC, Dr. Charmaine Roye, will seeing you all in Montréal! in the workplace. Our Past President, Dr. FMWC Mission Statement The Federation of Medical Women of Canada (FMWC) is La Fédération des femmes médecins du Canada est committed to the development of women physicians and to the vouée à l’avancement des femmes médecins ainsi qu’à la promotion of the well-being of all women. promotion du bien-être des femmes en général. Editorial FMWC Social Networking – Executive Let’s Tweet Committee By Newsletter Editor: Dr. Nahid Azad 2008–2009 Virtual communi- als networking, sharing information and cation is now a real- ideas. The site is excellent for promoting ity of our lives. We President: Dr. Kathleen Gartke and connecting. It is as if you belong to an hear about Wikis, exclusive golf club (membership is by per- President-Elect: Dr. Andrea Canty Blogs, FaceBook, mission) and when you are socializing, you Past President: Twitter, LinkedIn, are exchanging fi rst hand information. Dr. Janet Dollin YouTube and oth- ers. These are Web In our email we are bombarded with Honorary Secretary: 2.0 services, the countless unsolicited messages which con- Dr. Cathy Wilkie second generation sume our time while we determine which National Treasurer: of web development. Unlike Web 1.0, the are important and which are to be imme- Dr. Susan Wilkinson fi rst generation (1995-2005) of services diately deleted. But Twitter and LinkedIn that focused on delivering information in can be of greater value than email – they MWIA National Coordinator: a unidirectional way, Web 2.0 (2005-pres- provide a social network to which you Dr. Zohra Docrat ent) focuses on user interaction and creates want to belong - only selected people have communicating communities. access and these services support a quick, FMWC Newsletter reliable exchange of ideas. FMWC always Twitter, is a free social networking and encourages its members to network as part micro-blogging service that allows its us- Editor: Dr. Nahid Azad of their leadership development. I don’t ers to send updates and read other users’ think we can ignore these new develop- updates (otherwise known as tweets), ments - you do not want to be the last one The FMWC Newsletter is published which are more personalized. Twitter al- three times a year and sent to members to hear about an interesting idea or new op- lows social messaging utility for staying portunity. Do you? as a perquisite of membership. Next connected in real-time. It lets you keep in deadline is September 15, 2009. touch with people through the exchange Check out: of quick, frequent answers to simple ques- - http://twitter.com Views and reports appearing in tions. LinkedIn is also a social networking - www.linkedin.com the Newsletter are not necessarily site but is more relevant to profession- endorsed by the FMWC. Contributions of articles, reports, letters, notices, resource informaiotn and photographs are encouraged. Share Your Story! Submissions and membership inquiries to the National Offi ce: FMWC, 780 prom. Echo Drive The FMWC Newsletter wants to recently added a new section called: Ottawa, ON K1S 5R7 hear from you – our members. Please Creative Corner. We know that doc- send us news about achievements, tors have many other talents and we Tel: 613-569-5881 or awards, and accolades as it pertains to want to showcase them. We invite Toll free: 1-877-771-3777 yourself or another FMWC member. creative types to submit poems, draw- Fax: 613-569-4432 or Relevant pictures (please include cap- ings, cartoons or a humorous column Toll free: 1-877-772-5777 tions) are also welcome. (tasteful and short of course). Email: [email protected] NEW! We will be adding in a new The newsletter is for everyone’s Web: www.fmwc.ca feature called “Letter to the Editor”. benefi t and enjoyment – so please Please submit your comments to the contribute! The deadline for the Fall Commercial Publication Agreement editor on your experiences/concerns 2009 newsletter is September 15, No. 1437895 on health care, on women’s health, or 2009. The newsletter will come out ISSN 1209-1332 on your practices. We also welcome in late October. Please forward sub- © 2008 Federation of Medical your feedback and comments on the missions to the National Offi ce at: Women of Canada/ Fédération des newsletter in general. We have also [email protected] femmes médecins du Canada. Page 2 ▪ Vol 22 ▪ No 2 President’s Message Pap Test Campaign (A “Smear” Campaign Against Cervical Cancer) – Here we go again! By President: Dr. Kathleen Gartke At the Interim we included an agreement on their part to will be the week of the FMWC Pap test Board meeting participate in and help sponsor our Pap campaign. We are hoping to have all of (January 24th - test campaign. More recently, the Society last year’s participants (thank you again!) Ottawa), the Pap test of Colposcopists of Canada (SCC) has plus many more. This time, we have cho- campaign we ran last also come on board. Both groups felt this sen, coincides with cervical cancer aware- fall was discussed activity was a good fi t with their mission / ness week in several provinces, which is in detail. Everyone vision. Their participation may take a dif- why it was selected. Options this year will seemed pleased with ferent form in some cases – an offer to ac- include scheduling appointments as well the success we en- cept, in referral, patients seen during this as drop-in visits for Pap tests. In fact, if joyed, but also real- campaign whose Pap tests results require that week doesn’t suit, your clinic / offi ce ized there were things about this project further follow up.