Career Coaching  The Association of Women in Science coaching program offers individual and group coaching, specially designed for women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). General information is at http://www.awiscoaching.org/ [posted:  October 2008]

NIH New Investigator Policies NIH recently published a notice describing changes in NIH  New Investigator policies designed "to encourage early transition to independence." Under the policy, new investigators within ten years of completing their terminal research degree or within ten years of completing their medical residency will be designated Early Stage Investigators (ESIs). Traditional NIH research grant (R01s) applications from ESIs will be identified and the career stage of the applicant will be considered at the time of review and award. Thenotice lists various implementation details. [from the AAMC GREAT Group list serve, Oct. 10, 2008] For more information, see: http://tinyurl.com/nih-esi           

Re-thinking the Traditional Academic Career Ladder The dearth of junior leadership coming into the pipeline will have a direct impact on future leadership of academic institutions is examined in a new issue brief by the American Council on Education.  For example, women aged 45 or younger working in permanent positions make up only five percent of faculty at four-year institutions, and six percent of faculty at community colleges. Likewise, people of color aged 45 or younger working in permanent positions make up only four percent of faculty at four-year institutions and six percent of community college faculty. http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/
ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=28763 [from AWIS Washington Wire Sept. 2008 issue II]

Opting Out of Academe Science Magazine recently traced the 2008 employment of 11 women and 12 men who had enrolled in Yale's elite Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry PhD program in 1991. Although they started graduate study expecting to end up as tenured faculty, almost two-thirds of both men and women are currently working in the corporate sector.  Among those who landed in academia, the men were more likely to have jobs in medical schools while the women were in non-medical universities, and among those working in industry the men were more likely to have supervisory positions than the women.  http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/321/5896/1622.pdf [from AWIS Washington Wire Sept. 2008 issue II]

U.S. Gets Failing Grade for Parental Leave Policies In the U.S., the Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to recent parents, but because of exemptions, fully 40% of Americans get no guaranteed family leave at all.  The study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a Washington D.C. based think tank, focused on assessing the amount of guaranteed leave and the level of support provided for both fathers and mothers in 21 nations.  Sweden, Norway, and Germany topped the list for the most generous policies. [from AWIS Washington Wire September 2008 Issue I]  Parental Leave Policies in 21 Countries: Assessing Generosity and Gender Equality

Life Science Salaries On the Rise Are you earning what you're worth?  The Scientist's annual salary survey of life scientists in the U.S. reports a 13% increase in median total compensation from $74,000 in 2006 to $85,000.  The highest salaries and largest gains were reported by life scientists in publicly traded companies.  The survey also provides interesting insights into compensation differences between gender, race, and non-U.S. life scientists.  For example, female professors have a starting median salary of $126,000 at 15-19 years experience, while men with the same experience start at a median of $164,000, or 23% higher. [from AWIS Washington Wire September 2008 Issue I]. Life Sciences Salary Survey

"Women Leaders in Higher Ed: Lead Your Career with Power & Femininity" Tuesday, September 23, 2008 1:00 - 2:00 PM Eastern Time. Teleconference with handouts provided in advance. Conference Presenter: Dr. Dorothy Leland is the 10th president of Georgia College & State University and the second female president of the university in its 115-year history. She began her tenure at Georgia College on January 1, 2004. Priced at $199, a fraction of the cost of travel and attendance fees for a lengthy, high-priced conference or seminar.    Learn more and register for this event by clicking the following link: http://HigherEdHero.com/women2B?ID=-211425817  or calling 800-964-6033. When registering by phone please refer to your  Priority Code: 25817. A full refund available if not satisfied from now until 7 days after the event. [Posted 9/2/08]

WISMAC Career Development Series  The Women in Science and Medicine Advisory Committee (WISMAC) organizes and sponsors seminars/workshops to promote success of our postdoctoral trainees and junior faculty.  Read about past symposia on our Committee Accomplishments page.  Learn about our most recent and upcoming symposia on our Events page.  

Dual Academic Career Couples Stanford's Clayman Institute has released a major new report on dual-career academic couples. The report finds that "over 70 percent of faculty are in dual-career relationships; more than a third are partnered with another academic. This trend is particularly strong among women scientists and people in assistant professor positions." The Clayman study focuses on 9,000 professors at 13 U.S. research universities, 88 percent of those who negotiated a dual hire at their current institution. Most of the universities studied include a medical school and the report features some medical school-specific data. [from AAMC listserv, Aug. 2008]
http://www.stanford.edu/group/gender/ResearchPrograms/DualCareer/index.html

Attracting the female candidate
If you want to recruit women there are a few key things you must do to diversify your candidate pool, according to a new study presented to the American Sociological Association. The study found advertising in publications geared toward women in science resulted in larger female candidate pools. Men appeared to have a "information advantage" for available openings, so action to balance that helps draw more women.. Another key effort was including a female on the search committee. This did not affect the number of female applicants, but it did increase their chance of becoming a semi-finalist and ultimately being offered the position. [AWIS Washington Wire: July Issue 2] Keys to Hiring Women in Science

The Plexiglas Ceiling Women have made many advances in academe, yet in many disciplines they find their careers stall.  A collection of essays, Unfinished Agendas: New and Continuing Gender Challenges in Higher Education, published by Johns Hopkins University Press suggests this may be due less to overt sexism and more to organizational structures. One of the chapters, "Shattering Plexiglas," details a study following 20 women and 20 men for three years after winning tenure. During this time, service obligations increased for 16 women but only five men. These obligations were often important, prominent and potentially helpful to woman's careers if they wanted to go the administrative route.  But they often led away from scholarship and research, which is why many of these women chose this career in the first place.  Judith Glazer-Raymo, the volume's editor, said universities must begin to reward service, or else insure that service work does not fall disproportionately to women. Women, Men and Service  [AWIS Washington Wire: July Issue 2]

Faculty Retention A 2008 AAMC Analysis in Brief investigates 10-year faculty retention rates-with special attention to first-time assistant professors. The analysis found that after 10 years, 52 percent of medical school faculty remained at their medical schools, 10 percent switched medical schools, and 38 percent left academic medicine. First-time assistant professors were more likely than faculty overall to leave academic medicine, with a 43 percent attrition rate versus versus a 38 percent attrition rate. The authors of this study are Hershel Alexander, Ph.D., director, Medical School and Faculty Studies, and Jonathan Lang, senior database specialist, both of the AAMC.  To read the full issue, please visit: http://www.aamc.org/data/aib/  [from June 18, 2008 AAMC GREAT Group email message; posted June 23, 2008]

Supreme Court Decision Impacts Women in Academia Women in academia suffer from significant pay disparities in the workplace even when they hold the same rank as men. The recent Ledbetter decision by the United States Supreme Court holds a number of important lessons for women in academia: http://www.awis.org/news/documents/PaydisparitiesafterLedbetter-JCUL2008-2.pdf [Posted June 2008]

NIH announces Women in Biomedical Careers, a new Web site that provides information about the recently created NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers. The Working Group was appointed by NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. to develop innovative strategies and tangible actions to promote the advancement of women in biomedical research. http://womeninscience.nih.gov/ [From NIH Nexus/May 2007; posted July 07]

Effective Negotiating Skills was a topic of a career development symposium sponsored by the Department of Clinical Sciences and the Women in Science in Medicine Advisory Committee.  You may listen to the audio recording of the February 2. 2007 presentation made by Janet Bickel, M.A., who is a Career Development and Executive Coach and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medical Education at George Washington University: http://www8.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept174769/files/191368.html (This link is behind the UT Southwestern firewall and can only be accessed from a UT Southwestern computer, not even from a VPN connection). [posted March 2007].

Primary Care of Preschool Age Children Can Extend the "Tenure Clock"
Faculty on a tenure-accruing track generally must achieve tenure during an 8-year probationary period. As stated under "Extension of the Maximum Probationary Period" in the guidelines regarding "Faculty Appointments, Promotion, Tenure, Evaluation, and Non-Reappointment" on the UT Southwestern web site (http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept237881/files/250817.html):
"A faculty member who determines that certain personal circumstances impede his or her progress toward demonstrating suitability for tenure may make a written request for extension of the probationary period, specifying the reason(s) for the request. Personal circumstances that may justify the extension include, but are not restricted to, disability or illness of the faculty member; status of the faculty member as a principal caregiver of a preschool child; or status of the faculty member as a principal caregiver of a disabled, elderly, or ill member of the family of the faculty member. It is the responsibility of the faculty member to justify the request and provide appropriate documentation.
 A request for extension must be limited to one academic year, although a request for an additional year's extension may be made, following the established process. The maximum duration of extension, whether consecutive or nonconsecutive, is two academic years."

How to Write a Good Letter of Recommendation We all know letters of recommendation are critically important, whether they are for new job seekers, or for faculty members seeking promotion or tenure. But what exactly makes a good letter? How does a letter for a job applicant differ from one for a tenure candidate? And what do both types of letters often fail to mention? Read what administrators and faculty members have to say as they share their experiences with both kinds of letters. There is also a link to a 2003 article in Discourse and Society, by Frances Trix and Carolyn Psenka, entitled "Exploring the Color of Glass: Letters of Recommendation for Female and Male Medical Faculty," which explores the differences between letters for men and women and advises careful attention to the language used when describing male and female candidates to avoid biased evaluations. Tips for Writing a Letter of Recommendation [from AWIS Washington Wire 02/14/08]

Vantage Point Audio Journal
In January 2006, Vantage International launched the inaugural issue of its audio journal, Vantage Point. This audio journal allows women in medicine and healthcare to engage in proactive, strategic thinking with six women healthcare executives (participating leaders are from Bassett Health care, Phelps Memorial Health Center, American Legacy Foundation, Tulane University and Vantage International). Delivered on either a CD or internet streamed audio, the discussions forge a sense of community and provide a forum to share new strategies and sustainable solutions.  To learn more about Vantage Point go to: www.Vantage-Inter.com

New Investigators Web Site  The National Institutes of Health has established a web site targeted to new investigators. The site describes current policies and offers helpful hints and resources. NIH New Investigators  This is a useful resource for early career faculty. posted:  December 2004

WOMEN IN CELL BIOLOGY
What Else Can I Do?: Exploring Opportunities in Business and Management
The logical answer to "What are you going to do when you finish your doctorate?" is research and, possibly, teaching. But you may wonder - as you look for the right postdoc position or later in your career-" what else is
out there?" The good news is that there are options, although few paths are as clear as that of research in academia or industry. Despite the hardships and pitfalls you can encounter in securing a fulltime research position, you know the drill through your mentors and advisors who know how to work the system and help you with recommendations and connections. If you are contemplating a career in business or management, connections may not be as readily available. Ask yourself: How do I know whether it's a good fit for me? How do I get the training or education I need? Can I make it without formal training? Click here ASCB to read the complete article.  [Edited February 2008]

Suggested Reading on Career Development
A short selection is shown here; for a more extensive list of articles please click on, Suggested Reading under Quick Links (at upper right of this web page)

A Plan for Professional Reading Frustrated with the task of "keeping up" with the literature?  You are not alone-this is a universal concern among faculty and trainees.  Even though there is not a magical solution, this article by Susan R. Johnson, MD, MS has some observations and a framework to get you started: Career Watch. 

Getting E-mail Under Control by S.R. Johnson, M.D. Academic Physician & Scientist June 2006 pages 4-6.

Organizing Your Work and Time by S.R. Johnson, M.D. Academic Physician & Scientist September 2004 pages 2-3.

Family Matters: Stopping Tenure Clock May not Be Enough by Y.Bhattacharjee, Y.: Science 306: 2031 (2004) http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/306/5704/2031.pdf Letters in response to this article: Science 307: 1720 (2005) http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/307/5716/1720a.pdf