UT Southwestern women’s groups earn national leadership award

Newswise — DALLAS – Oct. 04, 2023 – UT Southwestern Medical Center has been recognized for its decades of commitment to developing female leaders in medicine and science and its far-reaching impact in supporting and advancing women’s careers.

UT Southwestern’s Women in Science and Medicine Advisory Committee (WISMAC) and the Office of Women’s Careers (OWC) have jointly received the 2023 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Women in Medicine and Science Leadership Award for an Established Program in an Organization.

WISMAC, established in 1994, is composed of appointed faculty, administration, fellows, and students who advocate for the advancement of women in science and medicine in an inclusive environment that promotes their success at UT Southwestern. Among its activities, the Committee has spearheaded efforts that resulted in on-campus child care centers and lactation rooms; participated in initiatives to improve campus safety; established a mentoring and networking program aimed at retaining female faculty; and engaged in UTSW’s annual Compensation Equity Study. 

The OWC, created in 2012 and led by Helen Yin, Ph.D., facilitates the recruitment, development, and retention of exceptional faculty and trainees from a broad range of backgrounds at UT Southwestern. Its primary objectives include broadening faculty research funding opportunities; assisting in the promotion and tenure process; offering mentoring and one-on-one career guidance; and providing career development opportunities.

“These two synergistic entities, which support the women who make up nearly 50% of UT Southwestern’s faculty, have a profound impact on our entire institution,” said Dr. Yin, Professor of Physiology, Associate Dean of Women’s Careers, and a founding member of WISMAC. “Their efforts have enabled us to recruit and retain outstanding female faculty and trainees, and to provide an environment where they can flourish.”

Collaborative projects such as Celebrating Breakthroughs Together and IF/THEN Ambassadors are intended to inspire the next generation of women in medicine and science.

Dr. Yin, a Distinguished Teaching Professor, holds the Margaret Yin Chair for the Advancement of Women Faculty and the Peter and Jean D. Dehlinger Professorship in Biomedical Science.

About UT Southwestern Medical Center  

UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 26 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 19 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 2,900 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 120,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5 million outpatient visits a year.