College of Medicine hosts Women in Medicine and Science celebration

The Ohio State University College of Medicine recently hosted the 2019 celebration of Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) to acknowledge the accomplishments of female faculty, welcome new female faculty, and celebrate women in science and women in medicine in the college.

The event celebrated many exciting things that have happened at the College of Medicine this year, including innovative career development programming, hiring, promoting a record number of female leaders and providing implicit bias training for all leaders within the Ohio State College of Medicine. Overall, 50 female faculty members were promoted in 2019 and 103 female faculty members were hired between October 2018 and September 2019.

At the event, Clara Lee, MD, associate professor of Plastic Surgery and WIMS director, gave the opening address and Tatiana Oberysyzn, PhD, associate dean for academic affairs, gave the keynote. In addition there were remarks from Dean K. Craig Kent, MD, presentations by the WIMS subcommittees and concluding remarks by Quinn Capers IV, MD.

In 2018, the college was only average for the number of women in leadership roles. (Nationally, 15% of department chairs are women and 16% are deans.) However, Ohio State is changing that. By January 2020, 26% of the college’s department chairs will be women — 11% above the national average. With the addition of J. Nwando Olayiwola, MD, as chair of Family Medicine; Amy Moore, MD, as chair of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; Sayoko (Sy) Moroi, MD, as chair of Ophthalmology and Visual Science; and Isabelle Deschenes, PhD, as chair of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ohio State is actively working to have a diverse leadership team and understand the value and importance of women in leadership roles.

The national average for percentage of female faculty in colleges of medicine is only 38%. At The Ohio State University College of Medicine, 46% of our faculty is women, slightly up from 44% in 2018.

“I am pleased with everything we’ve accomplished so far in this area. I’m even more excited about the years ahead,” Kent says. “I know the future of medicine is here at Ohio State. There will not be a more exciting place to be over the next 10 years than The Ohio State University College of Medicine.”

About WIMS
The WIMS mission is to promote equity and advancement for faculty in the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University by cultivating awareness, advocating for change and empowering female faculty to achieve personal and professional fulfillment. All female faculty in the Ohio State College of Medicine are part of WIMS. WIMS also welcomes men who share a commitment to creating inclusive cultures.

To become part of the community of WIMS, attend events and get to know your colleagues, follow The Ohio State University College of Medicine on Twitter (#OhioStateWIMS), or participate in the closed Facebook group. To really become involved in advancing the mission of WIMS, join a subcommittee. Calls for new subcommittee members go out each spring.

About FAME
The Faculty Advancement, Mentoring and Engagement (FAME) program is designed to empower the professional growth at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. FAME’s Women in Medicine and Science Committee (WIMS) was started to help the advancement of women in The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Goals of this committee are to identify and actively reduce barriers to the professional success of women in medicine and science, focusing on equity and parity, promotion and leadership; implement and disseminate resources for mentoring, sponsorship and career development programs; improve the health and well-being of all faculty through aligning career goals with work-life balance; and foster a positive culture and environment that supports the goals of all faculty in medicine and science.