According to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, women in the United States accounted for 38 percent of active physicians in 2022, an increase of 26 percent from 2004. Despite the increase, women remain a minority in the medical field.

The Girls in Med Club was created to kickstart and empower young women interested in pursuing a career in medicine. Sophomores Kunji Padley, Winnie Lin and Sabin Fransis, the club’s founders, are all interested in and optimistic about the future of women in medicine. In the club, they bring in guest speakers to introduce fields of medicine and learn about what doctors do in their day-to-day lives.

Lin said she co-created the club because she wanted to become a doctor herself, spread awareness about the issues facing women in the medical field and create space for girls to express their passion for medicine.

“We all want to become doctors. We also knew a lot of other people who wanted to become doctors,” Lin said. “So we just wanted to create a safe place and talk about issues about women in medicine.”

The founders said they wanted to create a club that offers a different perspective of the medical field than what is seen in the media. Lin said participating in the club has given her more of an active role in the medical field.

“I feel like it’s helped me become more involved, because we’ve been reaching out to doctors and researchers and just becoming more passionate towards the field,” Lin said.

In their meetings, the club invites doctors to speak in order to bring in new ideas and help members understand how the medical field works.

Padley said the club wants to expand into other fields that are not just medicine.

“We want to become more involved in the Brookline community, women’s homeless shelters and drives for women’s products,” Padley said.

Sophomore and club member Gaya Essber said she learns a lot from guest speakers and was motivated to join because she wanted to help others. She said she believes the club can offer a gateway into the medical field and help her follow her dreams.

“An oncologist is a doctor for cancer, and I’ve known someone very close to me that had cancer, and I’ve always felt really sad about not being able to do anything for them and their pain,” Esseber said. “So, being an oncologist is just something that I hold really close to me.”

Padley said the club has created a community where people can share ideas and experiences and connect over their passion.

“I like that it’s a safe space where people can just connect over something they’re really interested in,” Padley said. “I just think it’s a safe space for us girls, so I feel like all of us, we’re pretty close.”