Anoushka Kothari, QMWS Events Team member and 2022 Student Representative of the James Cook University, shares her experience attending her first QMWS dinner event which was held 19 May 2022. Thank you for sharing Anoushka.
Anoushka’s first QMWS Dinner event
Held at the historic United Service Club on Wickham Terrace Brisbane on the 19th of May, was the highly anticipated Queensland Medical Women’s Society (QMWS) May Dinner event, kindly sponsored by Valley Plastic Surgery. Raffle prizes were also drawn, with funds raised for war affected citizens of Ukraine. It was excitingly the first face-to-face event on the QMWS calendar after many solely Zoom dinners and meetings, and for myself my very first QMWS dinner!
Upon walking in I was warmly welcomed into a room full of incredible women in medicine, who are to me and to many, brilliant role models and mentors. QMWS President Dr Ira van der Steenstraten opened the event, introducing special guest Dr Kim Hansen, the Director of Virtual Emergency Department in Metro North and the Director of Critical Care, Women’s and Children’s Health at Redcliffe Hospital. Dr Hansen’s speech was an incredible testament to her hard work and a wonderful example of the contributions of female doctors towards world change. She spoke on her experiences as an emergency physician, her journey through working on the frontline during COVID-19, and her advocacy work for patients and health professionals. It was inspiring hearing about her work as a clinician and her leadership experience and contributions to medical organisations.
Dr Hansen also mentioned her reignited love for coaching and playing basketball, and enjoyable stories of family time. Though it is undoubtedly a balancing act, women in medicine can have it all – a thriving career, in addition to a great family life, hobbies outside medicine and time to enjoy the pleasures of life.
Discussions throughout the night stressed the importance of having a supportive community with the imperative need for family, friends, colleagues and the value of networking with like-minded women. The strains of the global pandemic have also further brought to light the necessity for ongoing mental health support advocacy for health professionals.
Upon reflection, what I took away from attending the QMWS May Dinner event, was that women who support women are irrefutably more successful. It was clear that I was surrounded by passionate female doctors breaking glass ceilings, all with a myriad of skillsets, who truly empower each other professionally and personally. As stressed by Dr van der Steenstraten, men are also just as involved in this catalyst of gender equity in medicine and should be further included in celebrating and supporting women. From a medical student perspective, it was extremely uplifting networking with successful and approachable female doctors, that I would feel comfortable to reach out to for career advice and guidance.
As highlighted by Dr Hansen’s speech and echoed by the room, saying “yes” to opportunities that life presents itself with is the first step towards making a positive impact on the world. For myself, Dr Maria Boulton, Vice President of QMWS and newly elected AMAQ President, and Dr Fiona Raciti, Events Coordinator for QMWS, were the wonderful women who introduced me to QMWS. I already felt I had met two very inspiring future role models and mentors, and I am so grateful I took the opportunity to be the James Cook University student representative for QWMS, and form connections with a society of such dedicated and empowering women in medicine.
[Photo credit – JCU post]
