Women in Science and Medicine Advisory Committee   

WISMAC is a UT Southwestern institutional standing committee composed of appointed representatives of the faculty, administration, fellows, and student body. The committee provides advice and initiatives on issues related to women in science and medicine, with the ultimate goal to improve UT Southwestern for everyone. We are supported by the Southwestern Medical Foundation.  The navigational links (at left) lead you to information on this web site, which pertains to women in science and medicine.  If you would like to make suggestions or contribute information, please contact us at: WISMAC@utsouthwestern.edu.

Nobel Laureates Call for Gender Balance in Science Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Carol W. Greider, two Nobel Prize winners of 2009 who are also WISMAC honorees of past Visiting Professorships Honoring Women in Science & Medicine, have urged scientific institutions to make some active alterations in their career structures. They point out that women do really well in sciences but are often daunted by the lack of flexibility in career structure at a life crux where they have to balance having a family and advancing in their scientific careers. Drs. Blackburn and Grieder call for a more flexible approach to part-time research or career breaks for women scientists as well as incorporation of women into key committees and decision-making positions. The two Nobel laureates emphasize that active measures need to be taken to help more women scientists reach top positions. [adapted from AWIS Washington Wire Dec. 2009 Issue I] Even out gender gap = http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=9263248

Ellen Vitetta, Ph.D., is professor and director of the Cancer Immunobiology Center at UT Southwestern and the former chair of WISMAC.  She is also an honoree of the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame.  You can learn about her accomplishments at this Hall of Fame web page: http://www.twu.edu/TWHF/video.asp?id=evitetta [Posted March 28, 2008]

The Women in Science and Medicine Guide to information resources on the UT Southwestern Library Web site was developed in collaboration with WISMAC.  The Guide lists Web sites, books and databases arranged under headings such as:
-- Biography and History
-- Career Guidance/Management
-- Gender, Science & Medicine
-- Professional Organizations
-- Recommended Titles

Upcoming WISMAC-Sponsored Events:

Mentoring Series for Female Graduate Students and Postdocs Beginning fall 2011, WISMAC and the Office of Faculty Diversity & Development, present this new monthly lunch series featuring female faculty members as discussion leaders.   The series is an opportunity for female grad students and postdocs to receive guidance and advice from scientists who are further ahead in their careers on topics such as career planning, finding a scientific niche, transitioning from postdoc to independent investigator and issues such as balancing family and career, etc.  None of these topics is covered in the formal training process but are crucial for success in academia, particularly for women.  The location of the sessions will be announced via email announcements. Below is our line-up of faculty members for fall term.  For further information, please email WISMAC@UTSouthwestern.edu.
                 September 21, 2011: Carole Mendelson, Ph.D.
                 October 26, 2011: Melanie Cobb, Ph.D.
                 November 16, 2011: Beth Levine, M.D.

October 19, 2011: WISMAC and the Office for Faculty Diversity and Development will host a symposium on faculty promotion and tenure.  Presentations will be given by Drs. J. Gregory Fitz, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost; Dean, UT Southwestern Medical School; Carol Tamminga, professor and chair of the department of psychiatry; and Peter Igarashi, professor of internal medicine and chief of nephrology and chair of the faculty promotion and tenure committee. While all faculty can potentially benefit from this symposium, this is primarily intended for assistant professors and instructors. Department chairs, center directors, division chiefs and other faculty involved in mentoring and career development of junior faculty also will benefit from the information provided.

February 7-8, 2012:  For the 2011-2012 academic year, our Ida M. Green Distinguished Visiting Professorship Honoring Women in Science and Medicine will feature Judith Kimble, Ph.D.  Dr. Kimble is Henry Vilas Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Departments of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. She will present her research on molecular regulation of animal development at the University Lecture on February 7, 2012 at 4 PM in the NB2.EEF auditorium. (Updated 6/28/2011)

March 3, 2012 WISMAC will join with STARS (Science Teacher Access to Resources at UT Southwestern) for an all day Saturday presentation of information and workshops on careers in science and medicine.  The audience will consist of junior and high school teachers along with their selected female students.  Student representatives of WISMAC will take the lead roles in this event. [posted 4/14/2011]

Recent WISMAC-sponsored Events

September 20, 2011: Together with the Office for Faculty Diversity and Development, WISMAC hosted a reception for networking and to welcome new female faculty. A panel discussion addressed potential solutions for the leaky pipeline of females progressing through the academic and leadership ranks.  The reception and panel discussion was held in the A.W. Harris Faculty-Alumni Center.

March 5, 2011 WISMAC joined with STARS (Science Teacher Access to Resources at UT Southwestern) for an all day Saturday presentation of information and workshops on careers in science and medicine.  The audience was junior and high school teachers along with their selected female students.  Student representatives of WISMAC took the lead roles in this event. [updated 3/7/2011]

February 1-3, 2011 Nancy Andrews, M.D., Ph.D., who is Professor of Pediatrics and Dean of Duke University School of Medicine, was scheduled for the Ida M. Green Distinguished Visiting Professorship Honoring Women in Science and Medicine but unfortunately her trip was cancelled because of inclement weather.  Flight cancellations were compounded by high traffic for the Super Bowl held the following Sunday in the Dallas area.

October 8, 2010 WISMAC organized and hosted a Speed Mentoring session.   Modeled after the speed dating concept, this event gave postdoctoral scholars and faculty members (instructor through associate professor) at UT Southwestern the opportunity to meet and gain the perspective of multiple enthusiastic senior female faculty mentors from both basic and clinical sciences.