Towards Gender Equity in Science at WEHI AAMRI, Canberra Nov 11, 2015

Lynn Corcoran Laboratory Head, Molecular Immunology Division Co-chair, Gender Equity Committee

Outline • The problem

• Some solutions – Influencing upwards and outwards • McKeon Review of the NHMRC • NHMRC WIS Committee • SAGE/The Academy/”Athena Swan” pilot program • Women in Science, Parkville Precinct (WiSPP) • Veski (Victorian Government Women

– Putting our house in order • WEHI Committee • Initiatives • Outcomes

Number of staff 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009

Laboratory Heads 50 Where are all those 45 highly trained women??

25 32%

20 Number staff of Number

0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Division Heads 20

8 Number Number staff of

4 14%

0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 WHY?

Family commitments Confidence

Lack of senior women as role models

Lack of career prospects Competition for funding

Fewer opportunities to present at conferences

Subtle and overt bias Etc…

Outline

• The problem

• Some solutions (GEC, 2010- ) – Influencing upwards and outwards • McKeon Review of the NHMRC • NHMRC WIS Committee • SAGE/The Academy/”Athena Swan” pilot program • Women in Science, Parkville Precinct (WiSPP) • Veski (Victorian Government)

– Putting our house in order • WEHI Committee • Initiatives • Outcomes McKeon Review of the NHMRC (2012)

Written and personal presentations to the review panel

– Clearer guidelines and allowances for family leave for CI's and fellows – Official recognition for institutional support roles (committee work, mentoring, training) – Nationally available register of women biomedical researchers for conference chairs and speakers – Quota of women on NHMRC committees

• And ongoing support for the NHMRC WIS Committee

The Australian Academy of Science, Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Athena Swan Pilot Program (2014- ) WEHI applied to be part of the SAGE pilot program

Requires commitment:

Two years to put procedures in place to comply and achieve Bronze Award (Nov 2015 -)

Incurs cost of $50,000 ($25k/yr)

Plan to have ~20 institutions participate in the pilot, 32 now participating

The SAGE Athena Swan plot program participants State and local organisations:

• Veski (Victorian Government, Education, Science Knowledge and Innovation) inspiring women working group: Mentoring, training, networking, prizes, fellowships

• Women in Science, Parkville Precinct (WiSPP) Members: Howard Florey Institute, WEHI, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Lobbying employers and granting agencies with a common voice

Outline

• The problem

– Putting our house in order • WEHI Committee • Initiatives • Outcomes Putting our house in order

A window of opportunity…

1. A director who is deeply committed to the cause Prof Doug Hilton

2. Some institute funding is available through our endowment -though strong intention that this should directly fund research

Gender Equity in Science Committee (2010 onwards ) Composition: (LC and Prof Terry Speed co-chair) Scientists (Div heads, lab heads, postdocs, students), People and Culture (HR), COO, Community Relations, Business Development, Education, Sharon Bell (external). ~30% male

Our 3 main initiatives: 1. Child care and family support

2. Equal pay, appointment and promotion

3. Training, mentoring, perception and presentation of achievements 1. Child care and family support (~FREE) • Family-friendly meeting times

• WEHI Lactation room

• WEHI emergency care Family Rooms at Parkville and Bundoora campuses

• Extended contract renewal time as compensation for maternity leave

• Maternity leave policy for women @ WEHI < 12 months

• Home based work facilitated via IT support

• Flexible working arrangements for staff with family responsibilities

1. Child care and family support (~FREE)

• Childcare cost assistance (Craven and Shearer Awards) • Up to $15,000 per year for pre-school children

• Technical support during and following maternity leave (Page-Betheras Awards) • Up to $20,000 for each pregnancy

• Sponsorship of a Lorne Conference Family Room for all conferences, and funding for travel for female invited speakers • Approx $4,000 per year

Feedback, Craven & Shearer and Page-Betheras awardees: • “…makes the decision to return (to work) far easier”

• “…would've missed these opportunities without the childcare subsidy. I simply wouldn't go to conferences otherwise as I find the emotional strain too great”

• “If ever there was a moment that I might have thought..."It's all too hard", having the knowledge that WEHI was there to support me in my endeavors was very important”

• “As it was my first major invitation, I was extremely disappointed to miss that opportunity and worried that since I'd declined that I wouldn't receive an invitation the next time… I then became aware that the award could be used to pay travel costs….”

Continued…

• “boosted my self-confidence and encouraged me as a researcher”

• “I will continue to greatly appreciate the support the award provides to my husband and I during what is not only a very busy and difficult period of our lives, but also a critically important time in our career development.”

• “I am a proud recipient of the Craven & Shearer Award since 2011”.

• “…in order to remain productive and internationally competitive whilst parenting a young child…As a result, …I was successful in attracting funding…I co-authored 3 papers, 1 patent…” Continued…

• Awarded to 46 women (2010-present)

• Annual expenditure for these support packages is about ~ to 1 project grant’s income

• These scientists have won 63 project grants and 17 fellowships since receiving this support.

Building a child care centre at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Approved by the WEHI Board

Donor(s) becoming interested

Business plan (2015): Must operate without ongoing cost to WEHI

Access for WEHI (1st ) and other Parkville institutions

Building a child care centre at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute 2. Equal pay, appointment and promotion

• Cory Fellowship (1 awarded every 5 years)

• All internal committees have strong female representation, including as chairs

• New “Appointment and Promotions” policy, to include gender equity input at earliest stages of search o “From 2014 onwards, the Institute explicitly aims to appoint women to at least half of all new Laboratory Head positions”.

• New Centenary Fellowships ($500,000 over 5 years) o “Centenary Fellowships will be awarded on the basis of gender equity, with the intention of a 50:50 distribution”.

3. Training, mentoring, perception and presentation of achievements • Mentoring program, all postdocs, 2013-

• Women-in-Science lectures and lunches with speakers

• Leadership, management and skills training and networking programs…ad hoc at present. o Sponsorship of the BioMed Network Women in Science (2012-)

• Formal policy for equal women’s representation at all WEHI-sponsored meetings (speakers and chairs), 2014- ______

It’s contagious –

• Lorne Conferences: – WEHI sponsoring 1 Lorne Conference “Family Room” grew to all 6 conferences

– WEHI support for travel costs of high profile female speakers for Lorne Protein Conference has now been matched by 3 other sponsoring organisations (commercial and academic)

– The Lorne Genome and Protein Conferences now have “Women in Science Awards”

• Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine conference will have a “Family Room” through Council member, Dr Felicity Hawkins

It’sIt’s contagious contagious – – • WEHI’s child care subsidies have been matched when some WEHI scientists recruited to another institutes

• WEHI policies form part of NHMRC recommendations for funded institutions to lift their games – more comprehensively covered by SAGE/Athena Swan initiative. An international standard.

• European Women in Life Sciences (WiLS) database now includes Australia in Europe, after our request – (jobs, fellowships, speaker expertise, etc). Register!

It’sIt’s contagious contagious – –

• ICI (2016) Melbourne will have ~48% female speakers

Wouldn’t say • Universities of Melbourne and NSW, Menzies Institute (Darwin), Bio21 and Bionics Institute have asked for our list of GE initiatives as a model for their own efforts.

Our remainingIt’s contagious challenges, – e.g. • Getting our appointments and promotions policy right

• Training our leaders (new and old) – Management, good mentoring, unconscious bias, etc.

• Preventing an “us and them” mentality of preferential treatment for women within WEHI

• Encouraging women to stay and remain ambitious, and understanding why, when this doesn’t happen

• Attaining Athena Swan Bronze award standard, which means all WEHI departments/services get on board

Thanks to: Doug Hilton and the

University of NSW August 14 2015