2025 Breaking the Glass Ceiling particiapnts Brenessa Lindeman and Denise Lo

 


 

Breaking the Glass Ceiling Program

AWS funds women surgeons in practice who are eager to build their leadership skills in order to prepare for an anticipated or recently appointed leadership position. The "Breaking the Glass Ceiling" Leadership Education program provides up to $8,000 for 2-4 AWS member awardees to attend a leadership conference or course of her choosing (either virtual or in-person). 

In order to maximize the impact of the available grant funding, BCG awardees may have their budgets partially or fully funded.

Award winners are notified in March 2025 and are expected to attend a course by November 2025. The applicants will be required to submit photos, a one-page summary to the AWS Council, and a blog post about their experience.

Criteria:

  • Must be an active AWS member
  • Should be a minimum of five years in practice
  • Can be in any practice setting or region

Application:

  • written online application
  • 5-page biosketch or curriculum vitae
  • 500-word cover letter that describes why the selected course will build meaningful leadership skills to impact her career, and how this aligns with the AWS mission
  • One letter of support from the applicant’s chair, division chief, or direct supervisor, discussing their support and explicitly stating that the applicant has time allotted for the course
  • A link to the course website
  • Detailed budget of no more than $8,000 including all proposed costs associated with the course

The Breaking the Glass Ceiling Leadership Education program is generously sponsored by a grant from Intuitive. Questions? Contact us at [email protected].