WISMAC: 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.

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]

A Workshop for Female PhDs/Postdocs Are you interested in pursuing an academic career?  Consider applying to participate in the workshop, “Negotiating the Ideal Faculty Position”  It will be held on the campus of  William Marsh Rice University in Houston.  Airfare, hotel accommodations, and meals are provided at not cost to workshop participants!  Dates of workshop are October 5 – 7, 2008; application deadline is August 1, 2008. Learn more:  http://www.advance.rice.edu/negotiatingtheidealfacultyposition/default.html#Negotiating_the_Ideal_Faculty_Position_Workshop

A new Women in Science and Medicine Guide to information resources is now on the UT Southwestern Library Web site. The Guide, which debuted in February 2008, 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:

November 20 & 21, 2008  Negotiation Skills is the topic of WISMAC’s fall career development symposium. Linda Wilcox, ombudsperson at Harvard Medical School, will make two similar presentations. Faculty, postdoctoral scholars and students will be invited and, upon pre-registration, be able to choose the time that best fits their schedules:

- Thursday, Nov. 20: 4 - 5:30 PM in the A.W. Harris Faculty and Alumni Center. This 1 ½ hour presentation will include more audience participation; refreshments will be provided one half hour before, after and during the presentation. 

- Friday, Nov. 21 noon – 1 PM in D1.502.  Lunch will be provided at this shorter presentation.

February 3-5, 2009 The 2008-2009 Southwestern Medical Foundation's Ida M. Green Distinguished Visiting Distinguished Visiting Professorship Honoring Women in Science and Medicine will feature Carol Greider, Ph.D. She will present the University Lecture on February 4, 2009 at 4 PM in the Excellence in Education Foundation Auditorium, NB2.102. [posted December 28, 2007]

Recent WISMAC-sponsored Events

May 27, 2008 WISMAC hosted a presentation by and reception for Molly Carnes, M.D.  Dr. Carnes summarized the initiatives and outcomes of an ADVANCE  Institutional Transformation Award granted to the University of Wisconsin - Madison.  On May 28, Dr. Carnes gave a presentation for Psychiatry Grand Rounds titled, "Identifying and Reducing Bias in Scientific Evaluation".

February 5 -7, 2008 The 2007-2008 Southwestern Medical Foundation's Ida M. Green Distinguished Visiting Distinguished Visiting Professorship Honoring Women in Science and Medicine featured Christine E. Seidman, M.D.  She presented the University Lecture on February 6. [updated February 15, 2008]

November 16, 2007  A career advancement symposium on Promotion and Tenure was held at noon time the T. Boone Pickens Auditorium.  Presentations were given by the chair of the Faculty Promotions and Tenure Committee, David Russell, Ph.D., the provost and medical school dean, Aflred G. Gilman, M.D., Ph.D., and the chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Alison Dobbie, M.D. There were refreshments available before and after the presentations.   DVD recordings of the symposium are available at the university libraries. [Updated Dec. 19, 2007]

October 12, 2007:  A fall welcoming reception for female faculty was held in the A.W. Harris Faculty-Alumni Center from 4:30 to 6:00 P.M.  [Updated October 17, 2007]

February 20-22, 2007: The Southwestern Medical Foundation's Ida M. Green Distinguished Visiting Professorship Honoring Women in Science and Medicine for the 2006-2007 academic year featured UT Southwestern alumna and Nobel Laureate, Linda Buck, Ph.D.

February 3, 2007: WISMAC collaborated with the Science Teachers Access to Resources at Southwestern (STARS) program to present a symposium to junior and senior high school science teachers and their selected female students.  The topic was careers in science and medicine presented by UT Southwestern deans, faculty, and students.