Introducing…. WoMed: Women in Medicine Blog @FMWCanada

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The FMWC is pleased to announce the launch of our newest communication tool, WoMed, the Women in Medicine blog.

In September, the FMWC hired Margaret Shkimba on a contract to create and serve as blog editor and social media manager. Margaret comes to us from McMaster University where she was the coordinator of the Gender and Health Education Initiative. She also holds a diploma in Public Relations and a BA in History with a focus on the history of women and health care. We hope to see some of our history bloom into the present, with features on notable Canadian women physicians, among other timely and interesting topics.

A blog was decided upon in order to amplify the voice of the FMWC. Advocacy remains a key reason why members join the FMWC. WoMed adds another channel to our advocacy, another platform from which to speak our voice. It is a vehicle we can use to augment our arguments for reproductive health, physician well-being, women in leadership, and women’s health issues which are among some of the many topics we will be tackling. Check out the Call for Contributors and Advisors for ways on how you can be involved in this exciting new communications venture.

The Voice, our newsletter, is published 2/3x a year, and will continue to appear with news and information regarding the FMWC, branches and national and international partnerships. The blog will address current issues as they appear and topics will be more timely with a publishing schedule of 2/3 posts per week.

As Social Media Manager, Margaret has been updating our Facebook page with links to articles of interest to our members, sharing news about the FMWC and participating in HPV Prevention Week and Cervical Cancer Week. She has been busy on Twitter, finding and following Canadian women physicians across the country. In the weeks before Christmas, the FMWC broke 1500 followers on Twitter, an increase of almost 300 new followers since September.

Are you on Twitter? Facebook? Do you have a LinkedIn account? Make sure you connect with the FMWC. If you have any problems with any of these platforms, email Margaret at [email protected] and she’ll assist you.

If you’re not, you might want to take the leap and sign up for Twitter. Lurk for a while until you feel comfortable to communicate, but there’s lots of conversation around relevant issues. Follow the hashtags #unfairtaxchanges, #lookslikeasurgeon #LikeaLadyDoctor or #womeninmedicine for examples of how physicians are using social media – particularly Twitter – to connect and discuss issues of the day.

If you find something you’d like to share, don’t hesitate to connect with Margaret @FMWCanada and she’ll retweet it out to our followers on both Facebook and Twitter.

So subscribe to the blog, share content where you feel appropriate and consider contributing if you have a topic you would like to explore. We encourage you to use this resource to amplify your voice and connect with women physicians across Canada and around the world.