The AAMC’s Women in Medicine program assists dean’s offices, Women Liaison Officers (WLOs), and individual faculty members in addressing gender-related inequities and improving the pathways for women to contribute fully to academic medicine. Medical school deans may appoint one or two WLOs to the AAMC. As of 2008, 125 US schools have appointed 225 WLOs. WLOs play a major role in fostering women’s networking and in developing and sharing resources within and among medical centers (http://www.aamc.org/members/wim/). Find out early on in your career if your institution has a Dean of Women in Medicine or a WLO, since they may sponsor local events for women in medicine where you can meet mentors.

Attend Women in Medicine events at your own institution, regardless of who sponsors them. These events, ranging from cocktail parties to conferences, are excellent opportunities for networking. They are also a chance for you to begin mentoring other women. At these events, you can efficiently build a repertoire of essential career skills that you may not have been formally taught during residency or fellowship such as teaching, mentoring, negotiation, and financial planning.