Spring Conference Report by Aanya Gaur
Attending the MWF conference this year was an amazing opportunity that I’m so grateful I was able to participate in. Being a first year medical student, I was one of, if not the, youngest people attending the event and despite this, everyone was so warm, welcoming and friendly! I have a long career ahead of me and this gave me so many insights and things to start thinking about now to prepare myself for the journey ahead. All the sessions and talks given by such successful and accomplished women were fascinating and it truly inspired me to educate myself and advocate more for the issues that women in medicine face. Being a vegetarian, I found the first debate on plant-based diets really interesting and the talk on vitamin b12 deficiencies opened my eyes. The vast panel of women who answered questions and introduced themselves as leaders in different national and international organisations empowered me to be proud of my identity and to speak up if there’s anything that doesn’t feel right. There were so many women from many different backgrounds and specialities and occupations; it broadened my horizons a lot when I listened to their talks or went up to speak to them. Being a brown girl, facing not only sexual harassment but also microaggresions and racist remarks, coming to this conference I feel less alone and it almost feels like a community who’s always there to support me and uplift me! The event has definitely made me want to explore what’s out there and it’s made me think outside the box of just a career in clinical practice. Being one of my first conferences that I’ve ever attended, it was so engaging and thoughtful. I really liked the fact that there was a buddying scheme which partnered me up with another person attending the conference, and my buddy - who was a third year medical student - was so kind and sweet and she gave me a lot of advice about clinical years at medical school! I wish there was more time to talk to so many different healthcare professionals or students and it was a genuinely really enjoyable event. I was also presenting a poster and it genuinely did brighten my day when people stopped by, asked questions and had a conversation with me about it as well as even taking pictures of my poster and getting my contact. I’m constantly a victim of imposter syndrome, just like many healthcare professionals, but this conference and its sense of making sure I felt like I belonged was so comforting. It’s benefited my career in many different ways: by learning about other organisations advocating for women’s issues and even thinking of becoming a part of these, by finding out so much about the hidden challenges that women still face, by seeing diversity in leadership and representing women of colour like me and finally, and crucially, by networking with so many talented and bright individuals. I will definitely be attending next year too and I look forward to it again!
