Women Advancing & Achieving in Medicine (WAAM) is an organization of Baystate Health's women physicians and mid-level providers that was formed in September 2005 with the goals of refining its members' skills in the areas of:

• leadership
• mentorship
• scholarship
• networking.
  

WAAM membership has since grown to 900 women providers.

Drs. Jeannette Wolfe, Nada Nasser & Tara Lagu Mingling at the WAAM Dinner

WAAM Leadership Committee

• Lauri Meade, MD, Chair
• Mary-Alice Abbott, MD, PhD
• Jessica Bland, MD
• Lori Circeo, MD
• Karin Johnson, MD
• Mary Kraft, MD
• Lucienne Lufty-Clayton, MD
• Tashanna Myers, MD
• Lisa Patterson, MD
• Kathy Rasmussen, MD
• Heather Sankey, MD
• Eleanor Winston, MD
• Jeannette Wolfe, MD
• Malina Yotova, MD
• Kristin Dardano, MD - Emeritus
• Susan DeJoy, PhD, CNM - Emeritus
• Barbara Greco, MD - Emeritus
• Gerda Maissel, MD - Emeritus
• Grace Makari-Judson, MD- Emeritus
• Barbara Stechenberg, MD- Emeritus
• Sherry Taylor, MD - Emeritus

2012 - 2013 Theme: Creating  a Culture of Caring: Peer Support

Each year WAAM focuses on a theme for professional development.  This year our theme is "Creating a Culture of Caring: Peer Support" in medicine. 

We have the honor of highlighting the work of Dr. Mary Kraft, a staff anesthesiologist at Baystate. Dr. Kraft has a longstanding interest in physician health, having served 15 years on the Board of Directors of Physician Health Services (a subsidiary of the Massachusetts Medical Society). She recently attended a program on peer support issues for all clinicians sponsored by Medically Induced Trauma Support Services.  

Throughout the year Dr. Kraft will be presenting Grand Rounds on the topic for each department, sponsored by WAAM and the individual departments.  We will also have a Spring discussion on the topic.