Scarcity of female conference speakers puzzles U of O student
Fifteen years ago, I saw snow and heard English for the first time.
As a six-year-old girl moving halfway across the world from Albania, I was lost and confused. Not only did I lack any knowledge of English, I didn’t even know Canada was a country, let alone that temperatures below 0 C could exist. It hasn’t been an easy road, but I’m very proud to live in a country that embodies multiculturalism, equality and unlimited opportunity.
I am also immensely grateful to the community that accepted me and my family. They have raised and supported me, and given me every opportunity to pursue my dreams. It is for this reason I dedicate my time to giving back.
As a woman striving to improve health care, I have been involved as president of Actions for Healthcare (AFH), a non-profit student organization. There, I’ve helped raise thousands of dollars for local charities and health-care research. We also organize an annual conference to promote health care by sharing advances in medical research with the general public.
And yet, despite our successes, there have been times I’ve doubted my ability to achieve my goals.
At last year’s conference, we were unable to acquire a female speaker, which unfortunately happens more often than not in the world of academic conferences, which are heavily dominated by male speakers.
As a 21-year-old University of Ottawa science student in a position of leadership, this predicament is incredibly puzzling to me. This is supposed to be the land of equal opportunity and yet, as an aspiring physician, I am often confronted with the reality of a male-dominated field.
I look to influential figures like Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, and I’m reminded that “normal isn’t good forever — we have to evolve,” as she once said. While there are some challenges, my hope is renewed knowing one of the more influential gender-equality activists in the world is working with us to redefine what normal means, for both young men and women.
Next year, the AFH conference takes place Feb. 19 to 20, with a focus on debunking modern myths, such as the supposed dangers of vaccination and medical marijuana.
I am especially excited about the event because we are also trying to debunk the modern “myth”’ that conferences are dominated by male speakers. We aim to have more than 50 per cent of our speakers be female.
My ultimate goal for the conference would be to have Sophie Grégoire Trudeau as a guest of honour. I have contacted the Liberal party, the prime minister himself — I’ve even messaged her on Instagram, in addition to reaching out to the community.
If you would like more information about how you can help us achieve this goal, do not hesitate to contact me at president.actionsforhealthcare@gmail.com or www. actionsforhealthcare.com, where you can also find more information on registering for the conference.