By Udani Liyanage

In October of 2023, President Ira, Dr. Jennifer Shafer, and Udani Liyanage represented QMWS at the Canberra Australasian Summit on Sexual Harassment in Medicine. This summit, organised by Associate Professor Louise Stone, brought together over 150 medical leaders, lawyers, educators, students, health workforce members, regulators, and university leaders from Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom.

Participants reviewed current organisational policies, procedures, and practices to identify ways in which workplaces can be made safer. This should include trauma-informed and survivor-centred training, supported by peers and leaders. We proposed the development of policies and professional standards to be implemented within the workplace.

The summit did shine a harsh light on a dark corner of our profession, but we hope the result of this summit addresses the high prevalence of sexual harassment experienced by doctors-in-training.

Please see the summit communique (below) for more information.

—

Medical leaders meet to seek solutions to prevalence of sexual harassment within the profession.

Today over 150 medical leaders, lawyers, educators, students, health workforce, regulators and university leaders from Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and the United Kingdom convened in Canberra to discuss the issue of sexual harassment in the medical profession.

Brought together by Dr Louise Stone of the ANU School of Medicine and Psychology, the Australasian Summit on Sexual Harassment in Medicine aimed to find solutions to address the high prevalence of sexual harassment experienced by doctors-in-training.

Participants reviewed current organisational policies and procedures, primary, secondary and tertiary health promotion to identify high risk situations and ways in which workplaces can be made safer, including trauma-informed, survivor-centred training supported by peers and leaders.

“We know our doctors-in-training are experiencing sexual harassment from their peers, supervisors and patients, and this is leading to more than one-third of these junior doctors leaving the profession early. We must find a way to help them know where and who to turn to and what their options and pathways are, for when they’re ready for that help, and we must think about what happens to them long-term. We know the impacts are broad and lifelong. I want our institutions who are looking after victim-survivors and perpetrators to know how they can stand up for their weakest members.
Ultimately this is about shining a harsh light on a dark corner of our profession” said Dr Stone.

Summit attendees developed a range of statements towards informing the development of policies and professional standards. The Summit resolved to:

1. Seek to empower victim-survivors to provide them with a sense of agency and control, underpinned by an understanding of processes and opPons available to them at the time they are ready to seek support.
2. Ensure organisations, including employers, education and training providers, peaks and support bodies have clearly defined and communicated processes for vicPms-survivors and bystanders including peer-based training for medical students and doctors-in-training to act as first responders.
3. Develop professional standards for the profession aimed at protecting victim-survivor privacy, reducing victimisation and re-traumatisation together with a means to offer rehabilitation to victim-survivors as they move from being doctors-in-training into their careers delivering healthcare across all areas of the community.
4. Establish a ‘Global Observatory’ to facilitate the sharing of information and learning across jurisdictions and internationally.
5. Identify the research questions needed to take the issue of sexual harassment in medicine forward.

Following on from today’s Summit, some members will re-convene on Tuesday 24 October to identify research questions and next steps to continue to develop resolutions and outcomes.

For further information on the Summit, research activity and forthcoming international book on sexual harassment in medicine – please contact Dr Louise Stone – [email protected]

Attendees from this Summit are encouraged to promote the resolutions within their organisations, colleagues and constituents.