Women
Are Making Their Place in Academic Medicine
(JANUARY 2002)—"The climate for women in academic medicine
is changing," Elizabeth Nabel, MD, of the National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute said at the "How to Become a Cardiovascular
Investigator" conference cosponsored by the American College
of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (AHA) this
fall.
Reassuring
the young women in the audience, Dr. Nabel explained that
institutions are hiring more women, a process that is slowly
creating a critical mass of women in the field. Employers
are becoming increasingly sensitive to family issues. And
because many female patients prefer physicians of the same
gender, market forces are encouraging women to enter the field
and stay in.
Sure,
the number of women physicians in top academic positions is
still quite small. For many young women, huge loans make the
idea of accepting an academic salary daunting. Others worry
that they won't be able to juggle young children and an academic
career. And rigid promotion timelines, the lack of part-time
tenure tracks, and meetings after 5 p.m. can deter women who
have taken the plunge into academic medicine from continuing
on.
But
according to Dr. Nabel, there are strategies women physicians
interested in academic careers can use to overcome these challenges:
- Establish
relationships with the chief of your lab and your department
chair. The more they know you, said Dr. Nabel, the better
they can help you.
-
Develop a professional curriculum vitae and take pride in
your accomplishments. "Women often underestimate their accomplishments
and are quiet about them," said Dr. Nabel. Also, obtain
objective documentation of your academic accomplishments.
- Tie
into a professional network of women in cardiology. Join
the AHA's women in cardiology group, for instance. And network
with other women at your institution.
-
Find ways to adapt to the fact that between work and children,
you may not have much time to spend with your spouse. Dr.
Nabel and her husband often collaborate on research projects.
-
Hire as much household help as you need. "Hiring a housekeeper
is not a luxury," Dr. Nabel emphasized. "It's a necessity."
- Become
skilled at multi-tasking. Said Dr. Nabel, "An academic career
can be hectic!"
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