Greeting Letter

Welcome to the Association of Women Psychiatrists website! The Association of Women Psychiatrists (AWP) was founded in 1983 by Alexandra ("Allie") Symonds along with a small group of other dynamic women psychiatrists. At that time there was not an independent organization for women psychiatrists. AWP was designed to meet the following identified needs for women psychiatrists: 1) national and international mentoring and professional development opportunities; 2) the recognition of women psychiatrists at every level of professional training; 3) promotion of leadership opportunities for women psychiatrists; and 4) to address important health needs for women patients. Twenty five years later AWP remains a vibrant and active organization of more than 2500 members. Its membership is comprised of women psychiatrists at every professional level (residents, early-, mid- and senior- career psychiatrists) from across the United States and abroad.

This website is designed to help you learn more about our organization as well as access the archives of our newsletter entitled, News for Women in Psychiatry (NWP). You can also access a downloadable PDF version of our updated brochure and membership application. One major goal of our website is to enhance communication among members and non-members alike. Moreover, we hope to that it will foster connection among our membership and help others become aware of our organization and its goals.

A primary goal for AWP has been to recognize women psychiatrists at every level for excellence in clinical care of women, outstanding community service and/or innovative research in women's mental health. To this end, AWP sponsors or co-sponsors nine awards or fellowships:

1. AWP-APA Alexandra Symonds Award (an endowed lectureship for a woman psychiatrist whose work has enhanced the life of women patients and/or women physicians
2. Marian I. Butterfield MD Early Career Psychiatrist Award given to an early career psychiatrist who has exhibited exceptional leadership, commitment, and made significant contributions to the field of women's mental health
3. Leah J. Dickstein Award given to a woman medical student who has shown outstanding creativity, energy and leadership
4. AWP-Wyeth Pharmaceutical Fellowship honoring outstanding women psychiatry residents who have shown excellence in an area of women's mental health
5. Symonds Fellowship honoring an outstanding woman psychiatry resident who has demonstrated significant achievement in the area of psychoanalysis
6. Alexandra Symonds Distinguished Service Award which is given to an AWP member who has mentored other AWP members and has dedicated her career to the field of women in mental health
7. Martin Symonds Man of Good Conscience Award given to men who have facilitated the promotion and leadership of women through their positions
8. Ellen Violett International Fellowship awarded to a select group of international women psychiatrists
9. Jeanne Spurlock Social Justice Award presented to a man or a woman who has demonstrated significant achievement in the area of social justice.

Over the past 25 years AWP has recognized numerous women psychiatrists for their achievements with these awards and more recently with the Martin Symonds award has recognized several men for their leadership in the promotion of women and/or women's health awareness.

Mentorship is another essential component of our mission. The founding mothers demonstrated their dedication to this goal through their actions. Many of the founders continue to demonstrate their support the organization as mentors to the next generation of women psychiatrists. We hope that you will look to our organization for mentorship or to become a mentor for others. Opportunities abound for mentoring from medical students who have an interest in psychiatry to psychiatric residents to early career psychiatrists and mid-career psychiatrists looking to make a change. The annual AWP Business Meeting is held during the APA Annual Meeting each May. During this meeting mentoring is directly encouraged and fostered through the presence of women leaders in psychiatry, including several past presidents of the APA. Moreover, the meeting allows for peer mentoring (at each level of professional development) among the membership.

Members of the AWP Executive Council and I are delighted to share this brief history of our organization with you and we welcome you to join our organization or renew your membership. We look forward to hearing from potential and current members with any feedback on this site.

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