WOMEN’S COMMITTEE UPDATE Nicole Vigh, DO, MPH

By Nicole Vigh, DO, MPH A COEP’s Committee for Women in Emergency Medicine was thrilled to see such a great turnout for the 2021 ACOEP Virtual Spring Seminar. Our women’s track lectures were outstanding. Dr. Jennifer Tsai, MD is an EM physician and writer interested in health justice and education. Her essays on race, gender and inequity in medicine have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Scientific American and more. She gave a very interesting talk on minority disparities in medicine. Dr. Al’ai Alvarez, MD is a clinical assistant professor of EM and an associate residency program director of the Stanford Emergency Medicine residency program. Dr. Alvarez serves as the co-chair of WellMD’s Physician Wellness Forum and is one of the peer supporters for WellMD’s Physician Resource Network Support. Dr. Alvarez gave an enlightening talk about self-compassion. Dr. Tracy Sanson, MD is an EM physician, consultant and educator on leadership development and medical education. Dr. Sanson discussed finding and negotiating your “dream job.” The lectures were very well received by those who attended.

The Committee for Women in Emergency Medicine continues its dual collaboration with the American Academy of Emergency Medicine in the Osteopathic Mentorship Panel virtual discussion which takes place every other month. Dr. Angie Carrick and Dr. Christina Hornack are involved in the events. The events are well received by medical students that have participated and provide us with a great opportunity to answer questions for students and prepare them for residency. Follow our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ acoepcommitteeforwomeninem, for links to upcoming discussions.

We are also excited to announce our partnership with the ACOEP Resident Student Organization. Please visit our Facebook page to stay informed about future events and where to purchase some great ACOEP Women’s Committee swag!

Each year at ACOEP’s Spring Seminar the Women’s Committee participates in a philanthropic event, and as the resilient emergency physicians we are we didn’t let the

pandemic stop us from participating in our annual community service event! The COVID-19 pandemic left many individuals without jobs and struggling to provide food for their families. The Women’s Committee invites you to participate in our ongoing “Food Bank Challenge.” Gather your friends, family and coworkers and collect as much non-perishable food as you can to donate to your local food bank. Show us how much you’ve donated by posting a photo on Facebook and tagging us in your post!

Thank you again to all who participated in the ACOEP 2021 Virtual Spring Seminar and made it such a great event! We hope you will follow our Facebook page for details on future events and information on our new line of ACOEP merchandise.

And most importantly, we look forward to seeing all of you in person at ACOEP’s Fall Scientific Assembly, October 11 – 15, in Washington, DC! –•–