Use of a Newsletter to Facilitate Communication and Increase Participation and Sense of Belonging in WiMS

Harriet W. Hopf, MD, Jennifer L. Allie, Kathleen DelMar Office of Faculty Administration, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132

RESULTS

• Response overwhelmingly positive • >30 requests to add to mailing list

• Many from outside SOM, some outside University • Other organizations requested advice on starting a newsletter • Increased attendance at monthly seminars • Second annual WIMS / AMWA year-end social in May:

• Increased attendance • Attendees reported an increased sense of belonging to a group

INTRODUCTION

• Women in Medicine and Science (WiMS) Program • Successful monthly seminar series • Faculty members haven’t had a sense of “belonging”

• WiMS office serves as a source of valuable information • Frequent complaints about too many emails

•We created a WiMS Newsletter to:

•Strengthen the WiMS identity •Provide a forum for dissemination of news and information

METHODS

• June 2010: monthly newsletter roll-out • Distributed electronically

•All women faculty, staff, students, post-docs, residents, fellows, and institutional leadership

• Posted on a centrally located bulletin board • 3-10 pages

• News • Awards, new leadership positions, legislation, etc.

• Upcoming events • Summaries of recent WiMS seminars • Links to interesting articles and websites • Profile of a “Woman of Science” • July 2010 – October 2011: 15 issues distributed

CONCLUSIONS

• Difficult to define hard outcomes • Newsletter has:

• Raised the visibility of WiMS within SOM and across University campus • Given WIMS “members” a greater sense of belonging • Encouraged participation • Turned hate mail into fan mail

•Challenges: • Timing the release to coordinate with upcoming events • Creating a comprehensive mailing list of women on campus

• Particularly residents, post-docs, and fellows

•Plans: • Encourage more active participation by soliciting articles • Provide commentary on more of the linked articles • Creating a companion blog (“WiMSy”)

• Goal of increasing interaction and discussion

WOMEN IN MEDICINE & SCIENCE (WiMS)

RECOGNITION

Romania Bunnell Pratt Penrose, MD (1839 – 1932)

“Why not let capacity and ability be the test of eligibility and not sex?”

PAST

Dr. Barbara Graves

“Science is just plain exciting and it’s really cool to watch the discoveries…”

PRESENT

“Medicine combines two of my favorite passions: scientific knowledge and the study of humanity.”

Megan Wilde, 2nd Year Medical Student

FUTURE

Women of Note Congratulations to Dr. Amalia Cochran, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, for receiving the Association for Surgical Education Philip J. Wolfson Outstanding Teacher Award. This national award is given annually

to four individuals who are involved in surgical education and have shown themselves to be outstanding teachers. Winners of this award must possess: a commitment to teaching, expert knowledge, innovation, enthusiasm, be an effective role model and be open to new ideas.

EVENTS

We welcome Dr. Ann Darling, Chair of the Department of Communication. An expert in educational communication patterns and social justice, Dr. Darling will be focusing her talk on how women can learn to communicate more effectively within the academic environment.

Improving Communication Skills for Academic Success

LINKS

For Women, Parity Is Still A subtly Steep Climb. Phyllis Korkki. The New York Times. October 8, 2011 http://tinyurl.com/3ckcue4

Top Women Leaders’ Higher Ambition Creates Equal–If Not More–Value than Men. Sasha Galbraith. Forbes. September 27, 2011. http://tinyurl.com/6x85yzh

A Pioneering Diversity Officer Sees Barriers That Persist on Campus. Audrey Williams June. The Chronicle of Higher Education. September 25, 2011. http://tinyurl.com/3j63p8v

ANNOUNCEMENTS

WiMSY BLOG

WiMS is venturing into the world of social media. Visit our blog, WiMSy, at http://library.med.utah.edu/blog/wims, then register, join the conversation and even consider submitting your own blog post.

Doing Math is For Ugly Girls This article by Gwen Sharp at Sociological Images was so incensing that we felt it was deserving of its own write-up. Take a look and tell us what you think. http://tinyurl.com/3cbp86l

Celebration of Women in Medicine & Science

The Celebration of Women in Medicine & Science last week featured an amazing keynote speaker, Kerry Ann Rockquemore, PhD, Executive Director of the National Center for Faculty Development. Her talks… provided detailed and compelling information and advice for our junior faculty. Dr. Rockquemore inspired everyone with whom she had contact with new ideas and motivation to thrive.

Keynote Speaker: Kerry Ann Rockquemore, Ph.D. Align Your Priorities With What’s Being Rewarded”

Saturday – August 20, 2011 12:00pm – 2:00pm

AMWA OPENING SOCIAL American Medical Women’s Association

OPENING SOCIAL BBQ

WiMS has accumulated a unique collection of relevant books that we would like to make available to WiMS members. Subjects include but are not limited to:

•Salary & Gender Equality •Recruitment & Retention of Women Faculty •Career Advancement •Mentoring

THE WiMS LIBRARY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

If you are interested in perusing our collection or checking out a book, please visit our offices in the School of Medicine, Faculty Administration (Room 1C047). We also accept donations of books….

Source: https://www.mededportal.org/icollaborative/resource/270