Women in Clinical Immunology
Upcoming Event
WICI/WIT Session at the FOCIS 2024 Annual Meeting
Thursday, June 20, 2024, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. PT
San Francisco Marriott Marquis, 780 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103
The session is co-organized and sponsored by FOCIS and Women in Transplantation (WIT), a special initiative of The Transplantation Society. The session included a keynote presentation and group discussion.
FOCIS 2024 registration is required to attend the session.
Recent Event
History of Women in FOCIS: Navigating Your Way Into a Leadership Role
This WICI/WIT session included a keynote presentation and group discussion.
It was held on June 22, 2023, as part of the FOCIS 2023 Annual Meeting, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Co-hosted by the Women in Transplantation (WIT), a special initiative of The Transplantation Society.
Session Co-Chairs:
- Elaine Reed, PhD, University of California – Los Angeles;
- Terri Laufer, MD, University of Pennsylvania;
- Megan Levings, PhD, The University of British Columbia
Keynote Presentation
History of Women in FOCIS: Navigating Your Way into a Leadership Role
by Maria Grazia Roncarolo, MD, Stanford University
Group Discussion
Facilitated by WICI & WIT Representatives
Questions:
- Do you feel as if your organization cares about diversity and inclusion?
- Have you faced any obstacles in your career progression or the ability to participate fully in work processes not experienced by all of your colleagues? Describe those obstacles.
- Have you faced or witnessed prejudice or discrimination in your work setting? Describe what happened.
- Do you feel the field of immunology cares about diversity and inclusion?
- What is one thing everyone can do to impact diversity and inclusion in their organization positively?
- What motivated you to get involved in being an advocate for change?
- How can DEI be a priority for organizations that have other significant issues to deal with?
Guideline to Promote Diversity in FOCIS Leadership and Governance
The guideline aims to formalize the current informal, alternating male/female presidential track and expand it to include a representation that reflects the characteristics of the FOCIS membership on board and committee service.
Approved by the FOCIS Board of Directors, February 15, 2023
WICI Manuscript
ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Abstract
The authors of this manuscript, all women who have been deeply committed to the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS), performed a retrospective analysis of the gender equality practices of FOCIS to identify areas for improvement and make recommendations accordingly. Gender data were obtained and analyzed for the period from January 2010 to July 2021. Outcome measures included numbers of men and women across the following categories: membership enrollment, meeting and course faculty and attendees, committee and leadership composition. FOCIS’ past and present leaders, steering committee members, FCE directors, individual members, as well as education, annual meeting scientific program and FCE committee members and management staff of FOCIS were surveyed by email questionnaire for feedback on FOCIS policies and practice with respect to gender equality and inclusion. Although women represent 50% of the membership, they have been underrepresented in all leadership, educational, and committee roles within the FOCIS organization. Surveying FOCIS leadership and membership revealed a growing recognition of disparities in female leadership across all FOCIS missions, leading to significant improvement in multiple areas since 2016. We highlight these changes and propose a number of recommendations that can be used by FOCIS to improve gender equality.
Keywords: gender, equality, professional society, career, leadership
Resources
The curated articles are meant to assist organizations and individuals in their efforts to bring equality to their networks.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Academia: lessons from the Canadian Society of Immunology
In 2021 the Canadian Society of Immunology opened its conference with equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) workshops. SCI hopes that their experiences can provide a roadmap for others to engage in action-oriented conversations to render academia more equitable, diverse, and inclusive.
Women in Immunology Databases
Women Speakers Database is a resource provided by the IUIS Gender Equality Committee (GEC) to enhance the representation of women within the immunological community. This searchable database of women can assist in identifying individuals to invite as speakers at conferences, chairs of sessions, presenters of seminars, participants on review panels, and editorial boards.
WICI and FOCIS are not alone in their efforts for gender equality. The following organizations are active in their efforts to increase diversity in the field.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Canadian Society of Immunology
The EDI committee provides consultation to the CSI council, helping to develop programs that ensure equal treatment of all Canadian immunologists regardless of career stage, affiliation, race, ethnicity, age, gender, spiritual belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, or other diverse backgrounds.
The EDI committee strives to make the CSI a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive society and to become a national and international role model for other societies through novel and strategic EDI initiatives. The EDI committee achieves this through liaising with CSI council to develop an EDI strategic plan, build awareness of EDI issues, create an environment where all members feel valued and are open to other viewpoints and provide advice and counsel to CSI council and the trainee engagement committee (TEC) on EDI issues.
WICI Committee
The Women in Clinical Immunology (WICI) Committee embodies FOCIS’s ongoing commitment to ensure a fair, equitable, and welcoming environment for all engaged in the science and management of immunological disorders.
This commitment is underscored by the stated mission, which is to foster understanding and awareness of gender issues, promote the career development of women in immunology, and advance understanding of the role of sex and gender in immunological disease.
Championed by several successful immunology leaders, this committee is chaired by Dr. Elaine F. Reed, PhD, University of California – Los Angeles, and co-chaired by Dr. Terri Laufer, MD, University of Pennsylvania. They are joined by Founder and Past Chair, Dr. Maria-Grazia Roncarolo, MD, Stanford University, and FOCIS President, Dr. Megan Sykes, MD, Columbia University. In addition to these core leaders, the committee will include a steering sub-committee made up of seven members nominated by the FOCIS Member Societies. View the full Committee roster here.
