In order to ensure that WIMS is reaching and including as many COM faculty as possible, the following membership model is being introduced in 2022. Please select the level of membership you are seeking:
- General Member (receives WIMS email updates (additional opt-in to our email list-serve, separate from current newsletters and Faculty Matters updates), can attend all open WIMS meetings/town halls and general member meetings, can attend all WIMS events)
- Advocate/Ally** Member (agrees to support the mission of WIMS, receives WIMS emails, can attend open WIMS meetings/town halls and WIMS events that are open to the entire COM faculty)
- Subcommittee Member (same as General Member, plus actively involved in at least one WIMS subcommittee, see subcommittee descriptions below)
Brief Subcommittee Descriptions
- Advocacy: The Advocacy Subcommittee focuses on issues pertaining to equity and on solutions for achieving promotion, supporting career advancement, and retaining academic faculty talent. Faculty in academic medicine face challenges in balancing academic research, education and teaching, and clinical duties, and Advocacy’s mission is to advocate for change and to foster a collaborative and supportive environment for all faculty, particularly for women and underrepresented minority faculty.
- Awards: The mission of the Awards Subcommittee’s is to enhance awareness of existing awards, facilitate nominations for and applications of women faculty at the COM for local, regional, and national awards and create new local awards. The awards committee currently focuses on the following awards annually: Emerging Leader in Business, Mazzaferri-Ellison Society of Master Clinicians, the Ohio State WIMS Engagement Award, AAMC GWIMS Individual Award, and the Ohio State FAME AWARDS.
- Data: The Data Subcommittee carries out the important role of collecting and analyzing data to direct and support WIMS. These data help to identify and actively reduce barriers to the professional success of women in medicine and science, focusing on equity and parity, promotion and leadership and foster a positive culture and environment that supports the goals of all faculty in medicine and science. Our Data Initiatives provide the evidence that identifies gaps and procedures towards improving these gaps, as well as celebrating successes of the COM. Importantly, data provides more transparency and the opportunity for information sharing that empowers both the current and next generation of biomedical clinicians and scientists.
- Events: The WIMS Events Subcommittee supports the mission of WIMS by developing and implementing a variety of dynamic events that support the equity and advancement of women faculty in the Ohio State COM. In addition to co-sponsoring educational experiences relevant to faculty resources for professional development, our group is further committed to curating events that both promote the visibility of and address the unique needs, strengths, and barriers faced by women in medicine and science. Collectively, the WIMS Events Subcommittee strives to cultivate events that educate, inspire, and celebrate an inclusive community of women and women-allied faculty in the Ohio State COM.
- Media/Communications: The mission of WIMS Media [Communications] Subcommittee is to raise awareness of unique challenges women face in medicine and science and to amplify the inspiring work and amazing efforts of women in medicine and science at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center both internally via quarterly newsletters and externally via daily Tweets.
Please note:
- WIMS defines ‘women’ as anyone identifying as a woman, including anyone identifying as trans, non-binary or gender fluid.
- WIMS defines Advocate and Ally as per the NSF ADVANCE program usage, where ‘Ally’ is a male colleague who educates themselves about issues of gender (in)equity, and ‘Advocates’ are trained proponents of gender equity in the institution. Individuals wishing to initiate or continue their formal Advocate/Ally training at Ohio State can visit the Women's Place website. However, prior training is not a pre-requisite for joining WIMS at the Advocate/Ally level. Male faculty are also welcome to join a WIMS subcommittee.
If you have any questions about WIMS membership or have trouble accessing the membership application, please contact: wims@osumc.edu.