The Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women provides scholarships of up to $10,000 to support research advancing the study of women in the medical profession and strengthening the AMA's ability to identify and address the issues affecting women physicians and medical students.

The American Medical Association Women Physicians Section (WPS) in conjunction with the AMA Foundation established the Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women to promote the progress of women in the medical profession and to strengthen the ability to identify and address the needs of women physicians and medical students.

The first award was granted in 2006. The scholarship was established by the Women Physicians Section (WPS) in conjunction with the AMA Foundation. To date, 29 research awards have been granted.

Learn about the recipients of the 2020 Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women and read about their research projects.

2020 Giambalvo Fund recipients

Project one: Creation and assessment of a virtual negotiation workshop for women physicians

Pictured: Anees B. Chagpar, MD, MSc, MPH, MA, MBA, FACS

Award winner

• Anees B. Chagpar, MD, MSc, MPH, MA, MBA, FACS, professor, Yale University, principal investigator

Project summary

There are discrepancies in pay, position, and perks between men and women in all fields, including in medicine and surgery. This is mediated, in part, by a discomfort in negotiation by women, which can potentially be mitigated by negotiation training. Many negotiation workshops require in-person training and interaction. There are a number of barriers to access to such programs.

We therefore propose to build on our extensive experience in delivering negotiation workshops for AAMC to create and evaluate a virtual online negotiation workshop specifically for female physicians and trainees that will assess virtual means of interaction.

“I cannot adequately express how thrilled I am to have won this very prestigious award… in part for the award itself, but perhaps more so for the opportunity to design and evaluate a virtual negotiation workshop that can truly be impactful for female physicians and trainees. It is truly wonderful to partner with the AMA on this important endeavor!” –Dr. Chagpar

Project two: Research Initiative to Sponsor and Empower Women in Medicine and Science (RISE WIMS)

Pictured (left to right): Susan Thompson Hingle, MD; Vidhya Prakash, MD; Wendi El-Amin, MD; Heeyoung Han, PhD

Award winners

• Vidhya Prakash, MD, principal investigator, professor of clinical internal medicine
• Heeyoung Han, PhD, associate professor of medical education
• Susan Thompson Hingle, MD, professor of clinical internal medicine
• Wendi El-Amin, MD, associate professor of family and community medicine

Project summary

RISE WIMS is a formal research sponsorship program for women in medicine and science at SIU School of Medicine, dedicated to promoting a community of research practice for women physicians, which will lead to an increase in presentation of scholarly work at regional and national meetings and publications from women researchers.

“We are honored to have been awarded a grant through the 2020 Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women. What a tremendous privilege to be able to give deserving women in medicine and science at our institution an opportunity to expand their horizons and lead groundbreaking research, narrowing the gender equity chasm. We are grateful to the AMA for its invaluable support.” –Drs. Prakash, Han, Hingle, and El-Amin

Past recipients

Learn about the past recipients of the Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women.

How to apply

Applications for the 2021 award cycle will be available in Spring 2021. We are seeking innovative research proposals focusing on professional work/practice issues that affect women physicians, including but not limited to:

• Leadership training protocols
• Gender-based physician practice patterns
• Physician satisfaction or burnout
• Retention incentives
• Practice re-entry issues

About Joan F. Giambalvo, MD

Joan Fara Giambalvo received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and, in 1956, her medical degree from Temple University Medical School. Dr. Giambalvo was an intern at Temple University Hospital and certified in her residency by the American Board of Anesthesiology.

Dr. Giambalvo passed away on May 14, 1971, at age 39, of liposarcoma.