CHICAGO – Each September, the American Medical Association (AMA) recognizes influential women physician leaders as part of Women in Medicine Month. To showcase the accomplishments of these leaders, the AMA Women Physicians Section (WPS) and the AMA Foundation (AMAF) today announced the winners of the 2016 Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women research grants.

The AMA and AMAF awards scholarships of up to $10,000 to research programs that advance the study of women in the medical profession and strengthen the AMA's ability to identify and address issues that affect women physicians and medical students.

“The grants reaffirm our commitment to increasing the influence of women physicians and advocating for women’s health issues,” said Patrice A. Harris, M.D., AMA Board Chair. “Since 2006, the AMA has granted 21 research awards to a variety of pivotal topics that impact me and my fellow colleagues – from flexible work options to promotion and retention of diversity in medical education. This year, the AMA recognizes two exceptional members in medical education whose work acknowledges some of the challenges women in medicine face today.”

The 2016 recipients are Shobha W. Stack, M.D., PhD, and Jennifer Best, M.D., acting instructor and associate professor, respectively, in the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington. Both are principal investigators for the research project, “Childbearing among physicians in training: A cross-sectional survey of trends and factors,” which evaluates factors that influence the length of parental leave and assesses the impact of parental leave on resident trainee well-being and the training environment.

“I have been deeply interested in the issues that women face in medical training since undergoing my own postgraduate years as a new mother,” said Dr. Stack. “With the help of the Giambalvo research grant, we will conduct the first study in more than 20 years specifically addressing present-day parental leave across medical specialties in graduate medical education.”

“We are very grateful to the AMA’s Women Physicians Section for granting us the Giambalvo award, but more importantly for prioritizing this research that will hopefully create a more sustainable environment for women in medicine,” said Dr. Best.

Read more about this year’s award recipients at AMA Wire.

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About the AMA-WPS
The AMA Women Physicians Section (WPS) consists of the more than 70,000 members of the AMA and aims to increase the number and influence of women physicians in leadership roles and to advocate for and advance the understanding of women's health issues. Each year, WPS celebrates Women in Medicine month to recognize the progression of women in medicine and the contributions they have made to the medical field. Read more about how you can celebrate Women in Medicine Month at AMA Wire.

About the AMA Foundation
The AMA Foundation, a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt foundation, is dedicated to improving public health by raising funds and providing philanthropic support to high-impact health and medical scholarship programs.

About the AMA
The American Medical Association is the premier national organization dedicated to empowering the nation’s physicians to continually provide safer, higher quality, and more efficient care to patients and communities. For more than 165 years the AMA has been unwavering in its commitment to using its unique position and knowledge to shape a healthier future for America. For more information, visit ama-assn.org.

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