I had the pleasure of organising, attending and presenting my research at the Medical Women’s Federation 2024 Conference, of which the theme was ‘Leadership and Innovation in Challenging Times’. The Conference included keynote speeches from Prof Dame Lesley Regan, Miss Samantha Tross, Titsa Chakravarthy-Gannon, Dr Rachel Morris and Dr Rosalind Ranson and a panel discussion exploring ‘how to improve health and women doctors’ experience?. There was also a raffle and an excellent showcase of oral and poster presentations. We also had breaks to network with inspiring medical women including the patron of the organisation, HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, who opened this year’s conference.
Whilst organising the conference, I learned about the different logistics involved in terms of speakers, poster boards, catering and provision of accessible facilities to cater to all. In preparation for the conference, I attended two visits to the venue, the second of which was to meet the Lord Lieutenant of Cambridge to discuss the logistics of our patron visiting the conference. This enabled me to learn about how Royal visits are carried out as well as the importance of communication between different organisations to ensure that things run smoothly on the day, which they did. On the day, I was helping to ensure that the delegates were comfortable and were enjoying the conference as well as helping assemble the posters and with registration.
I also presented a poster of my research on ‘Telephone training to improve ECG quality in screening for atrial fibrillation’ which was very well received during the conference. I also posted some of the highlights from the conference onto the MWF Instagram Page. My aim was to make the conference look inspiring so I ensured to incorporate a range of photos from speakers delivering presentations to fun photos with a diverse range of medical women in the networking sessions.
This was a very inspiring day and the key takeaway points were that everyone has a role to play in advocating for change (Prof Dame Lesley Regan), a successful environment should have positive culture, positive communication, positive relationships and positive meaning (Miss Samantha Tross) and that whilst setting boundaries will help you to avoid burnout and become a better doctor (Dr Rachel Morris). I will apply these in the workplace to better advocate for myself and my fellow medical professionals. I will also provide support for my colleagues who may be facing difficulties in the workplace should they need it.
I have also learned how to promote a conference to a younger audience to increase attendance at future conferences and also learned how to present my research to an audience from a range of backgrounds at a national conference, which I will apply for future presentations.
I would like to express my thanks to The Medical Women’s Federation for awarding me with a Lady Estelle Wolfson Bursary in order to continue my professional development and become a better doctor.
-Dr Kethaki Bhayankaram, MWF East of England Council Representative and Recipient of the Lady Estelle Wolfson Conference Bursary
