Hello to all who have joined this group.
It is great to see this community forming! Now that we have a space for discussion and organizing, are there activities that you would like to pursue as a group? The ISMRM can host webinars, facilitate brainstorming discussions, and make it easier for you to connect. But for that we need YOU to let us know what activities you want and suggest leaders for these activities… please feel free to let us know how we can help make this happen!
Below are some topics for discussion, based on ideas and experiences you have already shared in this community. There are many great ideas here. Which would you like to see the group take forward?
And, more importantly, would you be interested in helping lead or joining a working group around one of them?
Career Progression & Leadership
- Why, despite so many women entering MR, are women still underrepresented in senior and leadership positions?
- What factors contribute to these patterns, and how can we as a community help create a more equitable future?
- How can we increase the visibility of female scientists through mentorship, leadership opportunities, and recognition?
Awards & Nominations
- How can we encourage more diversity in nominations for major awards?
- How can we think more broadly and expand the candidate pool for the awards committee to consider?
- Would members who have experience with the nomination process be interested in helping others through it?
Mentorship & Role Models
- Could there be a format where "role model" scientists share their experiences with younger researchers, including how they managed career and family?
- How can trainees connect with mentors and hear honest stories about different career paths?
- Could sharing the experiences of women in leadership roles help younger researchers imagine their own future in the field?
Career Stability, Family & Life
- How are women navigating the instability of postdoctoral contracts and the difficulty of finding positions that provide enough stability to establish themselves in one city or country and start a family?
- What funding opportunities are available for women with these aspirations?
- How are others balancing clinical responsibilities, research, career development, and family life?
- What institutional and community support have others found around family planning, bureaucracy, and career development?
Barriers to Advancement
- Why do many women remain in mid-career positions for years, encounter invisible barriers to promotion, or eventually leave academia altogether?
- Are these challenges different or more pronounced for non-European women?
- How can we better understand the experiences of women whose stories may no longer be visible because they have left academia?
Community, Connection & Collaboration
- How can this become a community/"safe space" where everyone can ask questions and have open and honest conversations?
- What opportunities would you like for networking, mentoring, and collaboration?
- How can opportunities such as the Junior Fellow Program be better advertised or emphasized to encourage high participation among female scientists?
- And beyond career development, how can we use this space to share technical challenges, scanner stories, research breakthroughs, lessons learned, and celebrate the contributions women are making across the MR community?
And, as always, if you have any questions or need help getting something started, please feel free to reach out to me.
Parshy
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Parshy Phillips
parshy@ismrm.orgUnited States
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