BMA network of elected women

Our purpose

The BMA network of elected women (NEW) is a group of BMA elected women members who will champion and strengthen female leadership and advance diversity for the benefit of our Association.

We recognise that the collaboration of different voices at all levels and from all backgrounds is key to unlocking our collective potential.

We launched our first meeting at our 2020 Annual Representative meeting.

Helena McKeown, chair of representative body introduced the NEW group, setting out what the group aims to achieve. 

Watch the launch video

What we do

Our aim is to:

• focus on inspiring continuous personal and professional development of our elected women members
• support members to develop the skills and confidence needed to become effective medico-political leaders, committee representatives and ambassadors for the BMA’s work on gender equality
• hold networking events
• act as a hub where we listen to each other and engage with our membership, colleagues and partners in a common endeavour
• team with partner organisations that share our vision and connect with the wider community. 

Considering working due to COVID-19, NEW will be a virtual forum.

A parallel and informal group of male allies will be established. They will advocate for greater gender equality at the BMA and will encourage their peers who are women to connect with NEW.

Who can join the network of elected women?

Membership of NEW is open to any women BMA members who hold elected or appointed positions on BMA committees and regional structures, and those elected or appointed to attend BMA conferences.

Knowledge sharing

The NEW group arranges regular knowledge sharing sessions to create networking initiatives and provide personal and professional development opportunities.

Our events:

• Developing public speaking and debating skills - the event aimed to provide attendees with tools that can further develop their public speaking skills and empower them to be more confident when taking part in debates.
• Inspiring the female GP leaders of tomorrow - chaired by Dr Samira Anane, GPC Education, training & workforce policy lead
• Fixing the gender pay gap in medicine - following on from the publication of the Mend the Gap: The Independent Review into the Gender Pay Gaps in Medicine England, and in collaboration with Medical Women’s Federation. Read BMA’s response to the review along with a full briefing on its findings.
• A guide to pensions - organised in collaboration with the BMA pensions committee, the session covered the pension scheme throughout the stages of a woman’s working life: from FY1 to pre-retirement planning and receipt of a pension, including periods of maternity leave and less than full time working.
• Menopause in the workplace - following the publication of the Challenging the culture on menopause for working doctors report by the BMA, this event explored the issues highlighted in the report, as well as helped attendees mobilise on how to make changes on this in their own workplaces.

Contact us

Email us to find out more about the group or to express an interest in joining.