The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) is a professional advocacy and educational organization of female physicians, medical students and undergraduate students. Designed to address the needs of female physicians, the AMWA works to advance women in medicine and to serve as a voice for women’s health. Today I am welcoming the president of Florida State University’s undergraduate chapter of AMWA, Silvia Zervos, as she discusses the position and her experiences.
Her Campus (HC): Hi Silvia, can you introduce yourself?
Silvia Zervos (SZ): Hey! My name is Silvia Zervos, and I am a junior studying Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences: Clinical professions on a pre-medical track.
HC: Why did you decide to join AMWA?
SZ: My freshman year of college was a weird one, it was the fall semester after COVID-19 had emerged and many things were shut down. As any eager freshman would, I was looking on social media and NoleNetwork for any organizations that were interesting. I came across AMWA on social media and loved the idea of women supporting women through their pre-medical years. As medicine is a male-dominated field, I knew I wanted to join a medical women’s organization, one where everyone understood each other’s experiences and could provide guidance and support. Navigating the COVID-19 era of freshman year made me realize the importance of a strong support group, especially in a strenuous career path. I knew that AMWA would provide me with an environment of like-minded women who would be there to answer my questions, pass down their knowledge and support me through my undergraduate years!
HC: What motivated you to run for president of AMWA?
SZ: During my sophomore year, I was secretary of AMWA. I received credit for this leadership position through the FSU Experience Recognition Program where I met one of my lovely advisors, Mrs. Carla Dunn. Mrs. Dunn and I had similar ideas and thoughts about the organization; we both wanted AMWA to be an organization where pre-health women would be guided through their pre-medical years in a way that was beneficial to them. We wanted to make AMWA a true pre-professional club that had a name on FSU’s campus, had many volunteer opportunities, more involvement and more members. As someone who has always loved coordinating events, meeting new people, public speaking and leadership, I was motivated to run for the executive board again. Through the joint effort of Mrs. Dunn and I, there were many areas we found that the club could improve on and with all these ideas I decided to run for President!
HC: Do you think it is important for women in pre-health majors to be a part of AMWA as an all-female organization?
SZ: AMWA’s mission statement is to advance women in medicine, advocate for equity, and ensure excellence in health care. As a national organization, AMWA is comprised of female physicians, residents, medical students, and pre-medical students who value integrity, equity, diversity, inclusion, mentorship and collaboration. Although the popularity of women in pre-health fields has flourished, there is still work that needs to be done and issues that need to be addressed. Stereotype bias, a standardized mental picture that represents a prejudiced attitude is a real issue for pre-health majors; I have already experienced it in multiple science courses and in research. It can be difficult to overcome gender obstacles in pre-health fields. I have found comfort in knowing that I have a large group of women who share similar experiences as I do and who will support me through them. Being part of a women’s pre-health organization allows like-minded women to have a free and comfortable space to speak on these issues, support one another, and motivate each other to do the best we can.
HC: What do you view to be the most beneficial aspect of being a member of AMWA?
SZ: I believe the most beneficial aspect of AMWA is the large network of women you join when becoming a member. AMWA is a national organization, with members in all 50 states! Networking is one of the most important aspects of joining the professional workforce. AMWA has opened my network up to so many amazing women and I look forward to meeting more at this year’s Region 4 Conference that is being held at FSU College of Medicine!
HC: How has AMWA changed under your presidency and what are your goals for the future of the club?
SZ: When applying to be President, it was important that this club was made into something I was proud to be a part of. Alongside the amazing 2022-2023 Executive Board, we have implemented many new ideas into AMWA. First and foremost, I pushed for AMWA at FSU to officially become an affiliate chapter of AMWA nationals. Since then we have integrated true pre-professional activities and workshops, begun tabling at all school-wide events, coordinated the FSU pre-health involvement fair, started a mentor-mentee program, have more community service opportunities, have a greater social media presence, work with other on-campus organizations to plan events, coordinated a menstrual product drive, planned our first annual Breast Cancer Awareness event and have grown the club from about 15 active members to over 60! I am proud of the accomplishments we have made so far and hope to continue with all the success! Coming up for the month of October we are having our mentor-mentee reveal, RAD Self-defense workshops, a pre-health interviewing workshop, two volunteering opportunities, our menstrual product drive, our first co-sponsored event with the Womxn’s Student Union and Relay for Life and will be attending the Region 4 AMWA Conference: Caring with Compassion.
With a growing membership and increased involvement in and off, the substantial changes made by FSU’s undergraduate AMWA chapter prove to be paying off. President Silvia Zervos honors the original promise to promote women by prioritizing their education and health.
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