Given the importance of the medical field to everyone’s lives, it is critical to ensure that young women have opportunities in the world of medicine and access to needed medical products and procedures.

At Patrick Henry High School, the Women in Medicine Club is doing its part to better ensure young women have the tools they need to not only be healthy but pursue medical careers down the road should they choose to do so.

Leah Silverman, who teaches biology and honors physiology at the school, is the advisor for WMC. The club recently organized an event to gather pads, tampons, and other products related to menstruation for those in need of such things.

“A couple of the senior students (Gracie Levine, Zoe Colling, and Bailey Huot) approached me at the beginning of this year to be the advisor for Women in Medicine,” Silverman stated. “It was founded this year at PHHS but is an internationally recognized organization (parent website (https://youngwomeninmed.org/) that seeks to empower young women to enter the medical field and supports health equity. The students lead/plan every meeting and planned this drive independently – I only offered suggestions.”

According to Silverman, WMC President Gracie Levine brought up the idea during one of the meetings. “From what I understand, it was something a few of them had wanted to do since the beginning of the year,” Silverman said. When asked what the response from club members to the idea was, Silverman noted, “They were enthusiastic! The club partnered with ASB (Associated Student Body) to put collection bins in every classroom and club members went to all classes to do quick announcements about the drive.”

Levine, who created the school’s club by joining the larger Young Women in Medicine organization and applying to create a local chapter, said the effort has been well worth it.

“The club has created a great community of girls who want to pursue careers in the medical field and I love being able to give back to my community through the club,” Levine commented.

Colling noted that she was asked by a friend if she’d be interested in being a part of the board due to her interest in physical therapy, and she gladly agreed. “The club has been a great way to meet other girls who have the same love for STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), talk about volunteer opportunities and more,” Colling stated.

As for the project to collect items tied to menstruation, Levine said the club created a total of 122 menstrual product kits to be donated to Father Joe’s Villages.

“This project took months of planning and coordinating but every second of work is entirely worth it,” Levine remarked. “We first held a school-wide drive to collect menstrual products and then used those products to create kits to donate. We have also created gifts for hospice patients through this club and we plan on doing more exciting things in the future.”

Colling echoed those sentiments, noting, “With the help of ASB, we organized a school-wide menstrual product drive which was very successful thanks to the students and teachers on campus who donated. With our donations, we were able to put together more than 100 care packages that included pads and tampons that will be donated to Father Joe’s Village.”

Succeeding in the field of medicine and elsewhere

Making sure that young women have as many opportunities to succeed as their male counterparts in the field of medicine and elsewhere is important. That said, some young females still face challenges that males do not always have to deal with.

“As a girl, I have faced a lot of scrutiny from boys in my STEM classes,” Levine went on to say. “Many people have assumed that I don’t belong in a STEM space simply because of my gender. Most boys will never encounter that kind of challenge. Our club is amazing because the environment is super friendly and inviting and everyone is passionate about medicine and creating a safe space to pursue their interests.”

For Colling, the feeling has been the same.

“I have been asked many times if I am smart enough to be successful in a STEM career,” Colling pointed out. “Unlike me and many of my female peers, most men won’t have their intelligence or capabilities questioned just because of their gender. I want to create a safe space for girls to come together and share their experiences and explore their interests further because most of us, unfortunately, have this shared experience. The community created through the club has been amazing, everyone is very friendly and eager to learn about ways they can help in their community.”

With intelligent and determined young women like this spearheading the effort, females pursuing medical careers and other choices will have more support and confidence in their corner.

CAPTION: Left to right: Zoe Colling, Bailey Huot, Gracie Levine, Yasamin Hourmezian, Vian Pham, Carysma Castro. (Foto de cortesía)