Associate Dean for Gender Equity and Director, Office for Women in Medicine and Science

The associate dean for gender equity and the director of the Office for Women in Medicine and Science (OWiMS) will support the advancement of women at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) by creating community, promoting networking, enhancing mentorship and sponsorship, ensuring access and fostering climate, sponsoring women for leadership, and bringing innovation and vision to advance the gender equity goals of the YSM diversity strategic plan. The associate dean works closely with the deputy dean/chief diversity officer to partner with stakeholders (deans, SWIM department chairs, etc.) to promote gender diversity and enable women to advance into YSM leadership positions. The associate dean works with YSM leadership to enhance recruitment, compensation, and retention of outstanding women in science and medicine at Yale.

Creating Community and Promoting Networking

Working with members of the dean’s office, the associate dean helps to ensure that women have equal opportunity and access to professional and academic resources and are supported in their career development with networking and leadership opportunities. The associate dean consolidates information for women in medicine and science at Yale across all levels of training and faculty and collaborates with a number of groups to promote allyship and foster community, including the committee on the Status of Women in Medicine (SWIM), the Minority Organization for Retention and Expansion (MORE), the Dean’s Advisory Council on LGBTQI+ Affairs (DAC), and the Faculty Advisory Council (FAC).

Enhancing Mentorship

The associate dean provides a spectrum of mentorship, sponsorship, and educational opportunities to women at Yale School of Medicine. This includes: enhancing access to training for mentors, sponsors, and trainees; promoting programming for area high schools to encourage young women to pursue careers in science and medicine to foster a healthy pipeline; and serving as a key advisor for the Women in Medicine Medical Student interest group and for Yale undergraduate women interested in careers in medicine and science, including the student group Women in Science at Yale (WISAY).

Ensuring Access and Fostering Climate

The associate dean assists the dean in ensuring that women have a voice in YSM policies, such as those related to family and medical leaves. It is expected that the associate dean will serve as one of the Deputy Title IX Coordinators for YSM. Title IX Coordinators are available to consult with members of the community about their concerns and questions related to sex- or gender-based discrimination or sexual misconduct. Coordinators can review options, identify supportive measures, and connect individuals with other campus resources, such as the SHARE Center, the Yale Police, and/or the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct (UWC).

Sponsoring Women for Leadership

The associate dean develops educational programming that emphasizes the importance of managing career and personal life and oversees a number of initiatives around visiting scholars featuring distinguished women in the medical science (i.e., Beatrix Hamburg, MD Lectureship and Phyllis T. Bodel, MD Lectureship). In addition, the associate dean actively enables leaders to promote equity for women in science and medicine locally, nationally, and internationally. Outreach efforts include: serving as liaison officer to the AAMC Group on Women in Medicine and Science; soliciting nominations from the Chairs to ELAM (Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine): and interfacing with the Association of Yale Alumni in Medicine.

About the office

The mission of the Office of Women in Medicine and Science is to advance the careers of all women at Yale School of Medicine through education, advocacy, sponsorship, and mentorship. The office provides opportunities for women to acquire the skills and strategies for professional development and is committed to increasing the representation of women in leadership roles.