Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine

Functions of AWAEM

1. Promote a forum for the exchange of information between members in line with SAEM’s mission to advance education and research in EM it related to women in academic emergency medicine
2. Provide the SAEM Board of Directors (BOD) with the ability to utilize the expertise of an identifiable group on specific issues related to women in academic EM.
3. Offer a forum for members to speak as a unified voice to the SAEM BOD as well as other national organizations within their scope of special interest or expertise.
4. Provide a formal opportunity for members to network, collaborate on educational initiatives, develop policy, perform research, and provide faculty development pertaining to the recruitment,  promotion, and retention of women in academic emergency medicine

Women have been involved in SAEM in significant leadership roles. AWAEM has begun to address the importance of women in academic Emergency Medicine and this Academy will allow an academy for women in academic Emergency Medicine to focus on the recruitment, retention, and promote women within EM for the good of the specialty and the ongoing need to train future emergency physicians. The success of academic emergency medicine and the ability of the specialty to train future emergency physicians are intrinsically linked with the success of women faculty as they now represent half of the medical student body and almost half of physicians.

What we do:

1. Initiate and support a network for women physicians to facilitate mentoring and research collaboration.
2. Gain knowledge and information of issues pertaining to women in academic EM through research, education, and faculty development initiatives.
3. Serve as a repository of information and resources for women on a myriad of issues of importance to them.
4. Create and sustain a systematic method of attracting women from medical school and in residency to academic EM.
5. Provide a network of resources to further the retention and advancement of women in academic EM, including, but not limited to faculty development and leadership mentoring, that will assist women in reaching their full potential as faculty and leaders in academic emergency medicine, thus allowing the specialty, and its trainees and patients, to benefit from their participation and contributions.
6. Identify possible barriers to the advancement of women in academic emergency medicine based on data and to develop strategies to address them.
7. Monitor statistics on women in academic emergency medicine to better understand the issues facing our specialty and to measure appropriate outcomes.