Medical Women's International Association

What Medical Women's International Association does

The Medical Women's International Association (MWIA) is a non-sectarian, non-profit international professional association founded in 1919 in New York City by 140 women physicians representing 15 countries, and currently registered in Switzerland with its Secretary-General office in Geneva. It represents more than 12,000 women physicians across 70+ countries organized into 8 regions (Northern Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Central Asia, Near East and Africa, North America, Latin America, and Western Pacific), operating as a membership-based organization through national medical women's associations and individual members. The core offering is professional development, advocacy, and convening services for women in medicine, addressing issues including gender mainstreaming, violence against women and girls, adolescent sexuality, and career progression. MWIA holds formal observer status at the World Health Organization and World Trade Organisation, enabling direct policy engagement at the World Health Assembly and UN Commission on the Status of Women. The organization is governed by an elected Executive Committee and General Assembly under a triennial cycle (current: 2025-2028), led by International President Dr. Amany Asfour.

MWIA's product portfolio comprises five core offerings: (1) I-GLOWe, a free virtual hub for women's health education launched at the 33rd MWIA Congress in Cairo, Egypt in October 2025 with Gates Foundation Grand Challenges support, deployed in India, Nigeria, the United States, and Zambia; (2) the MWIA Module on Violence, a training module for physicians on gender mainstreaming and violence against women and girls; (3) periodic publications including the 'Activities of MWIA and its Regions' report; (4) Triennial Congresses — the primary international convening held every three years (1,200+ delegates at the 2019 Centennial in New York); and (5) Regional Meetings across the 8 regions. Technology is built on a WordPress-based web platform (mwia.net), with social media presence across Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube, and newsletter distribution via Mailchimp. There is no disclosed API, mobile application, or AI/ML infrastructure.

The revenue model is subscription/recurring membership dues from national associations and individual members, augmented by freemium free-membership options, grants (notably Gates Foundation Grand Challenges for I-GLOWe), triennial congress registration fees, and donations. Paid membership pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution occurs primarily through national medical women's associations acting as channel partners, direct website self-serve, in-person congresses, and embedded representation at international policy forums (WHO, WTO, CPME, EWL). Geographic reach spans six continents with identified active national chapters in countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, India, Egypt, Nigeria, Zambia, Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Philippines, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.

Name

Medical Women's International Association

Legal name

Medical Women's International Association

Website

https://mwia.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MWIA is a Geneva-registered, non-profit international association founded in 1919, representing 12,000+ women physicians across 70+ countries through 8 regional chapters. It delivers advocacy, training, and convening services — including the I-GLOWe education platform — and holds WHO/WTO observer status.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD), Community Development & Social Impact Programs (EDAIAGAA)

Keywords

• Professional medical association
• Women physician advocacy
• Medical education platform
• International health policy
• Membership-based organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: MWIA operates with a membership-based model where national medical women's associations and individual medical women and students pay membership dues. The organization also offers free membership options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MWIA is a non-governmental professional association that provides membership services, advocacy, and education for women physicians across 70+ countries. Its core offerings include the I-GLOWe online women's health education platform, the MWIA Module on Violence training program, periodic publications, triennial international congresses, and regional meetings across eight global regions.

Product overview

MWIA operates as a professional membership association for medical women, offering a portfolio of educational and networking products centered on advancing women's health globally. The core offerings include I-GLOWe, a free online education platform for women's health training launched in 2025; the MWIA Module on Violence providing physician training on violence against women and girls; periodic publications documenting organizational activities; and major congress meetings (Triennial Congress and Regional Meetings) that serve as the primary platforms for knowledge exchange and professional development across eight global regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• I-GLOWe: Improving Women's Health Globally Through On-Line Education and Training - a virtual hub for women's health education launched at the 33rd MWIA Congress in Egypt in October 2025, supported by Gates Foundation Grand Challenges.
• Young MWIA
• MWIA Module on Violence

Products and services

• I-GLOWe (Improving Women's Health Globally Through On-Line Education and Training) A virtual hub for women's health education providing practical, clinically relevant, and contextualised information on women's health conditions across the life course, available online free of charge for a global audience of healthcare providers and researchers.
• MWIA Module on Violence Training module for physicians on gender mainstreaming, violence against women and girls, and adolescent sexuality.
• MWIA Publications Periodic publications including 'Activities of MWIA and its Regions' reports, statements, press releases, and resolutions documenting organizational activities and positions.
• MWIA Triennial Congress International congress held every three years bringing together women physicians from around the world to discuss women's health, featuring scientific sessions, workshops, and networking.
• MWIA Regional Meetings Regional conferences held across eight regions (Northern Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Central Asia, Near East and Africa, North America, Latin America, Western Pacific) to address regional health priorities and foster collaboration among medical women.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,000+ women physicians represented globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMWIA holds observer status with WHO and actively participates in World Health Assembly and Executive Board meetings. MWIA conducted a Gender Medicine Round Table on the margins of WHA76 in 2023 and submitted statements on cardiovascular disease in women and universal health coverage.
• World Trade Organisation (WTO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMWIA holds observer status with WTO and met with Bernard Kuiten, Head of External Relations of WTO, to discuss the intersect between health and trade.
• Women in WarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization listed on MWIA's Partner Organisations page.
• Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMWIA has a representative to CPME (Prof. Dr. Dr. Bettina Pfleiderer, MWIA past president) who participates in General Assembly and Board meetings. CPME covers topics including AI, violence against healthcare professionals, and vaccine confidence.
• European Women's Lobby (EWL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMWIA is a European-wide board member of EWL, which has members in all 27 EU Member States. MWIA past president Prof. Bettina Pfleiderer serves as MWIA's representative and is Vice President of EWL. EWL campaigns for promotion of women's rights and equality.
• Pan-American Medical Women Alliance (PAMWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMWIA Peru and Ecuador chapters are part of PAMWA. PAMWA president Dr. Veronica Clara Rodriguez Torres organizes regional meetings and events for Latin American medical women.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Association of Women Surgeons: US-based professional society for women surgeons. Comparable to MWIA as a specialty/special-population membership organization for women in medicine, providing mentorship, advocacy, and educational programming.
• American Medical Women's Association: US-based professional association for women physicians, founded in 1915. Directly comparable to MWIA as a membership-based organization for women doctors with advocacy, education, and mentorship offerings, though geographically focused on the United States.
• Medical Women's Federation: UK-based membership organization for women doctors and medical students. Operates a similar model to MWIA at a national level, providing advocacy, networking, and professional development for women in medicine.

Broad incumbents

• International Council of Nurses: Global federation of national nursing associations. Comparable to MWIA in operating an international membership-based model with regional structure, congresses, and WHO engagement, though focused on nursing rather than women physicians.
• International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics: Global professional organization focused on women's health and OB/GYN. Comparable to MWIA in women's health advocacy and international congress model, but specialized in obstetrics/gynecology rather than women physicians broadly.
• World Medical Association: International confederation of national medical associations representing physicians globally. Overlaps with MWIA in medical advocacy and global health policy, but is broader in scope (all physicians, not specifically women) and is the dominant global body in this space.
• World Health Professions Alliance: Alliance of global health professional bodies (nursing, pharmacy, medicine, etc.). Comparable to MWIA in member-based international structure with WHO engagement, but represents multiple health professions rather than women physicians specifically.

Others

• European Women's Lobby: EU-wide umbrella organization of women's rights associations. MWIA is a board member; comparable in advocacy and coalition-building across multiple countries, though focused on women's rights broadly rather than health specifically.
• Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME): European-level organization representing medical associations. MWIA has a representative to CPME; comparable in representing physicians' interests at supranational policy platforms, though broader in physician scope.

Emerging players

• Women in Global Health: Movement and organization working to achieve gender equity in global health leadership. Overlaps with MWIA's policy advocacy on women in medicine, but is more focused on leadership and movement-building than on a formal membership model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/medwia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCT2butpTIpbr53dIKlGkdMg
• Facebookfacebook.com/mwia.network
• Instagraminstagram.com/mwia_network
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/medical-women-international-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Medical Women's International Association