Calling Women Psychiatrists: Here’s an Organization Just for You

Greetings from the Association of Women Psychiatrists (AWP)! What is AWP, you may ask? I’d love to tell you about our group of amazing, inspiring women.

AWP is an independent organization of women psychiatrists and male supporters. We meet concurrently with APA at APA’s annual meeting, and we work closely with APA and the APA Women’s Caucus. Our membership is small—just under 150—but we are mighty. Our annual membership meeting is always a room full of former and current APA officers and other accomplished women psychiatrists, as well as early career psychiatrists already making their mark on our field.

Small but mighty. Despite our size and small budget, we are able to do the following each year:

• Give awards to outstanding women and supportive men in psychiatry.

• Give a cash award to a community organization working to improve women’s mental health.

• Sponsor an annual APA award and lecture, the Alexandra Symonds Award.

• Sponsor international women psychiatrists to come to the United States.

• Sponsor U.S. women psychiatrists to travel internationally to work, study, and undertake projects.

• Provide mentors at the APA women’s networking lunch, in partnership with the APA Women’s Caucus.

In short, we are an awesome group of high-powered, motivated women in psychiatry. Like women in general, we work hard and accomplish a lot with very limited resources.

AWP provides a tremendous opportunity for mentorship, support, networking, and building a lifelong circle of colleagues and friends.

If you are intrigued by the list above, come check us out at the next annual meeting. Or email me and ask questions. If you have enjoyed a Symonds lecture or mentorship at the networking lunch, support our organization so that these events can continue.

As AWP president, and as someone who has been fed and inspired by the women I’ve met at AWP, I would love to see this small organization grow and reach more of us. ■