"While this book's focus is on integrating training after contraception and abortion become legal, many, if not all of the systems and approaches described in this book are equally applicable in countries where abortion is illegal or access to abortion and contraception is limited. Our educational concepts and approaches may seem too complex, expensive or impractical for resource-poor countries where family planning services, no matter how poorly delivered, are judged adequate or are so controversial that ignoring them is the safest course. In fact, this attitude perpetuates the status quo, prevents progress or leads to a deterioration of health care. In the context of family planning, this view is particularly detrimental. It reinforces the perception that family planning and reproductive health have little status or value in health care delivery, and therefore in medical education. Ensuring a properly informed, motivated, and caring workforce to drive research and policy must be the aim of every country. Education of that workforce is paramount for promoting health in general and reproductive health in particular. While legalization of abortion is an essential element in promoting women's and public health, the advocates for reform and those responsible for implementation often do not consider the essential link: the systemic education of all involved in providing the care, for which we hope this book will offer inspiration and guidance"--

Neither legalization of abortion nor scientific and political advances in contraception and abortion ensure that training and research in family planning are routinely integrated into medical education. Without integration, subsequent generations of healthcare professionals are not prepared to incorporate evidence-based family planning into their practices, teaching, or research. Omission of this crucial component prevents the cultural and professional normalization of an often stigmatized and embattled aspect of women's health. Taking the successful US-based Ryan and Family Planning Fellowship programs as templates for training, teaching, and academic leadership, this book describes the integration of family planning and pregnancy termination into curricula with an international outlook. With an evidence- and systems-based approach, the book is a unique and practical guide to inspire and train the next generation of healthcare professionals.

No wonder so many women are choosing to become physicians. The field of medicine offers abundant opportunities—to take care of individuals; improve public health; advance science; make a good living; and become a leader in the community, in an academic center, and in professional organizations. The demand for women physicians is growing dramatically, as more and more women health care consumers actively and specifically seek them. Chapters cover getting into medical school, overcoming gender stereotypes, finding a mentor, combining parenting with a career, and looking ahead into the career. While women are no longer newcomers to medicine, compared to men they still face extra challenges in the development and valuing of their skills and potential. This book will help women entering medicine to maximize their options and to have the fullest possible lives and careers. Women in Medicine draws on all the best available literature and on the experience of thousands of women physicians. It is a resource for anyone considering a medical career—whether they be in junior high school or in their 40s and contemplating a major life change— but especially women. This book will be useful throughout medical education and during early career development, as it includes tips on, for instance, interviewing for a job. Another helpful feature is that each chapter, except the last, concludes with a "Diagnose Yourself" section, to assist readers in beginning necessary preparations and to offer support. An extensive reference list facilitates follow-ups on areas of special interest

Women in Medical Education combines personal narratives written by sixteen women medical educators who, as clinicians, basic scientists, administrators, and medical humanities faculty, write of their experiences with students, patients, colleagues, and administrators. Their narratives reflect the issues confronting women in the medical academy today, including working in situations where power relations are embedded and enacted daily in the ethos of the institution; where rigid disciplinary boundaries do not include or invite inquiry into gender, race, ethnicity, or class; where integrating one's personal and work life often seems overwhelming. Yet their stories reflect the success and recognition that women in academic medicine have achieved. The book includes essays written by Beth Alexander, Janet Bickel, Dale G. Blackstock, Kate H. Brown, Lucy M. Candib, Pamela Charney, Frances Conley, Leah J. Dickstein, Jacalyn Duffin, Deborah Jones, Perri Klass, Mary Mahowald, Marian Gray Secundy, Marjorie S. Sirridge, Rebekah Wang-Cheng, and the editor.

Even though slightly over half of the U.S. population is female, medical research historically has neglected the health needs of women. However, over the past two decades, there have been major changes in government support of women's health research-in policies, regulations, and the organization of research efforts. To assess the impact of these changes, Congress directed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ask the IOM to examine what has been learned from that research and how well it has been put into practice as well as communicated to both providers and women. Women's Health Research finds that women's health research has contributed to significant progress over the past 20 years in lessening the burden of disease and reducing deaths from some conditions, while other conditions have seen only moderate change or even little or no change. Gaps remain, both in research areas and in the application of results to benefit women in general and across multiple population groups. Given the many and significant roles women play in our society, maintaining support for women's health research and enhancing its impact are not only in the interest of women, they are in the interest of us all.