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NHLI Athena SWAN - Update

9 October 2012

Professor Clare Lloyd

Athena SWAN – Background

• The Athena SWAN Charter is a recognition scheme supported by the UK Resource Centre for Women in science, engineering and technology (SET) and by Equality Challenge Unit.

» It aims to assist the recruitment, retention and progression of women in SET.

• SWAN is the Scientific Women's Academic Network and consists of a series of Awards at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels for departments and institutions across the UK who can demonstrate good practice.

NHLI and Athena

• NHLI Athena Silver SWAN awarded• Submitted May 2009, awarded September 2009

• Only SID in FoM

» Joined by School of Public Health in 2010

• Judges• Impressed by consultation process and efforts to engage with all

staff

• Felt Action Plan was ambitious and may require focussing

• Award ceremony commended NHLI for its work with postdocs

Update…

Athena Swan - Visibility

• Standing agenda item:• Management Advisory Committee• Some Section Meetings

• Actions tagged as Athena

• Advisory role throughout Imperial and UK

Athena Swan Workshops

• 26/27 March 2012

• All invited to attend• Students to Professors

• 8 Separate workshops

• Led by Fiona Richmond, Organisational Development Consultant

• Four clear themes throughout all workshops• Basis of new action plan

Athena Swan Workshops - Outcomes

• Mentoring

• Start up package

• Research days

• Leadership/Management

Mentoring

• PhD and MD(Res) Students• Via Degree registrations• More formalised than previously, with guidance but keeping flexibility

• Postdoctoral Research Associates including Career Development Fellows• Led by Institute Lead of Postdocs• Database Generation• In liaison with Postdoc Development Centre

• Lecturer and Clinical Senior Lecturer• Provided as part of the appointment process

• Non-Clinical Senior Lecturer, Reader an Professor• Urgently needed – nothing in place.

NHLI Survey

• Canvassed opinion via NHLI on Mentoring

• Each NHLI academic was asked whether they would be interested:• In having an academic mentor

• In acting as an academic mentor for other academics within NHLI and FoM (depending on grade)

• In acting as academic mentor to NHLI Postdocs, thus continuing the Postdoc Development Scheme.

• > 50 responses with an overwhelming positive result for the possible and existing schemes

Faculty of Medicine Mentoring Scheme

• Presented to FoM• Proposed that each SID suggest a pool of volunteer academic mentors

• Training days• Cross-SID mentoring

• Presented to Faculty Opportunities Committee

Start-up package

Aim: to maximise experience of new starters, and ensure their success•Face to face meeting with Head of Institute on starting•Seminar to introduce new starters to NHLI (breakfast/lunch or afternoon seminar)•Provide 1 hour slot with web manager to start professional and group webpages•Write a focus slot in the NHLI Newsletter on starting•Provide a tailored information pack •Provide mentoring

Research Days

Aim: to increase scientific interaction and collaboration•NHLI facebook page for PG/PD?•Increase media options – Twitter?•Open up PD/PG email lists to share techniques/reagents•Ask Theme leaders for their opinion – annual research days?•Ask HoS to garner opinion/scope, start at management meeting•Continue Annual Postgraduate Research Day (June annually)•Continue with Postdoctoral Research Day (currently every two years)

Leadership / Management

Aim: to address feeling that management is not transparent; there is no opportunity to influence, not clear how decisions are made.

•Refine Head of Section (HoS) role•Expectations for HoS

Both discussed at Management Advisory Committee and in process.

What next…

Application

• Data

• Open Meeting

• Feedback

• Self-Assessment Team

• Submission

Self Assessment Team

• Includes men and women:• With personal experience of balancing home/caring

responsibilities and work/part time/flexible working/career breaks

• From a dual career family• With recent experience of the Institute’s recruitment and/or

promotion processes• At different stages on the career ladder and particularly from

those in early and mid career• With Institute or management responsibilities

Self Assessment Team

• Pre-submission meetings• 17 October and 8 November 2012

• Regular Meetings• 2 / 3 times per year

• Reviews and feeds back on progress of Action Plan

• Reports to Career Development Committee and Management Advisory Committee

Updating you

• Self-Assement Team

• Management Advisory Committee

• Career Development Opportunities Committee

• Updates on NHLI website and specific email updates.

• Newsletter updates

• 1) brief background on Athena etc

• 2) in depth description of what exactly you want Section heads to do - most of them just won't know what you mean by 'good practice'...so couple of examples as you see them -

• 3) exactly what type of agenda item you envisage Athena to be for Section meetings - how might it be tabled -

• 4) examples of the type of feedback you expect - you could just illustrate with made up scenarios...

Questions?