Association of Women Surgeons

History

Chapters

• Arizona
• Massachusetts
• North Carolina
• Virginia
• Washington DC Metro

Key collaborations and partnerships

• Association for Academic Surgery – A liaison position exists between the Council of both organizations; this member plans the biennial Women Surgeons luncheon during the Academic Surgical Congress.
• American College of Surgeons – In addition to having a Governor from the AWS to the ACS Board of Governors, the AWS has a liaison to the ACS Advisory Council on General Surgery, the ACS Women in Surgery Committee, and the ACS Resident and Associate Society Council. The reception prior to the annual AWS Awards Dinner is co-sponsored by the ACS Women in Surgery Committee.
• WiSA – AWS leaders, particularly Drs. Patricia Numann and Hilary Sanfey, provided guidance for the launch of WiSA in 2015 and have provided mentorship for leaders of WiSA.
• International Surgical Society – During the biennial World Congress of Surgery, the AWS works with international women surgeons to develop educational panels and social events.

  Past presidents

• 1981 – 1988 – Patricia Numann
• 1988 – 1990 – Tamar Earnest
• 1990 – 1992 – Mary McCarthy
• 1992 – 1994 – Linda Phillips
• 1994 – 1995 – Margaret Dunn
• 1995 – 1996 – Joyce Majure
• 1996 – 1997 – M. Margaret Kemeny
• 1997 – 1998 – Leigh Neumayer
• 1998 – 1999 – Beth Sutton
• 1999 – 2000 – Dixie Mills
• 2000 – 2001 – Kim Ephgrave
• 2001 – 2002 – Myriam Curet
• 2002 – 2003 – Susan Kaiser
• 2003 – 2004 – Vivian Gahtan
• 2004 – 2005 – Susan Stuart
• 2005 – 2006 – Hilary Sanfey
• 2006 – 2007 – Patricia Bergen
• 2007 – 2008 – Mary Hooks
• 2008 – 2009 – AJ Copeland
• 2009 – 2010 – Rosemary Kozar
• 2010 – 2011 – Marilyn Marx
• 2011 – 2012 – Betsy Tuttle-Newhall
• 2012 – 2013 – Susan Pories
• 2013 – 2014 – Danielle Walsh
• 2014 – 2015 – Nancy Gantt
• 2015 – 2016 – Amalia Cochran
• 2016 – 2017 – Christine Laronga
• 2017 – 2018 – Celeste Hollands
• 2018 – 2019 – Sareh Parengi

  Sponsored awards and past winners

• AWS/ Ethicon Fellowship – $27500 unrestricted research grant awarded annually to an AWS member.
• Kim Ephgrave Visiting Professor Award – provides academic institutions the opportunity to host leading women surgeons as speakers using funding from the AWS Foundation.
• Nina Starr Braunwald Award recognizes a member or nonmember surgeon in recognition of sustained outstanding contributions to the advancement of women in surgery.
• Olga Jonasson Distinguished Member Award is given annually to an AWS member who through outstanding mentorship enables and encourages women surgeons to realize their personal and professional goals.
• Past Presidents' Honorary Member Award is awarded annually to non-members who are supportive of AWS goals and mission. Of note, 16 of the recipients of this award have been male surgeons.
• Hilary Sanfey Outstanding Woman Resident Award recognizes outstanding women surgical trainees who demonstrate potential as future leaders in surgery.
• Patricia Numann Medical Student Award was established to encourage and support female medical students pursuing a career in surgery.
• Women Surgeons in Low & Middle Income Countries was established to enable a woman surgeon in a low or middle income country to attend a surgical meeting or to participate in a workshop or other career development/ educational opportunity.