"FACES is about fostering the development of mentoring relationships between the female students and faculty members," said Dr. Debra Leonard, vice chair of laboratory medicine and professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. As faculty leader of the Female Association of Clinicians, Educators and Scientists (FACES), the new mentoring group for female MD-PhD students, Dr. Leonard is creating a supportive environment for its students and helping them identify female faculty who may serve as role models.
Plans were put into motion for the mentoring group in 2004, when Dr. Leonard met with Dr. Olaf Andersen, the Thomas H. Meikle, Jr. Professor of Medical Education, to discuss the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program. Among the topics that came up during their discussions was the idea for a women's mentoring group, a program several female students had previously expressed interest in. Dr. Andersen then asked Dr. Leonard to meet with the women to develop the program, and FACES was the result. The group's first meeting, held earlier this year, was a panel discussion of "Women's Career Paths: The Long and Winding Road," hosted by Dr. Katherine Hajjar, chair of cell and developmental biology; Dr. Barbara Hempstead, co-chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology; and Dr. Leonard.
FACES, which now includes 37 participating students from the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, will continue to hold monthly events for the remainder of the academic year. "We hope this program will provide support for our female students during the MD-PhD program and establish support mechanisms for these students during the course of their career," said Dr. Leonard.
"Through FACES we have met several accomplished women who manage to balance successful careers and personal lives," said first-year student Rebecca Ahrens. "They have given us insight into what a career in academic medicine is really like, and have given us suggestions on how to make the most of our time here in the Tri-Institutional Program. They are role models demonstrating the wide variety of possible careers that are available for physician-scientists."
All female physician-scientists, students, and faculty from the tri-institutional community are welcome to attend the meetings, but the group is non-exclusionary. One male MD-PhD student attended February's meeting, "Understanding Gender Differences: The Power Dead-Even Rule."
"Sometimes identifying female mentors is difficult for the female students," said Dr. Leonard. "Hopefully, this program will grow to include women physician-scientists at Weill Medical College at all levels of training and careers."
For more information on FACES, contact Dr. Debra Leonard at dgl2001@med.cornell.edu or (212) 746-2041, or Ruth Gotian at rgotian@med.cornell.edu or (212) 746-6023.
FACES Schedule of Upcoming Events
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
"Women's Career Paths: Round 2"
Panel Discussion with panel members to be determined
Tuesday, July 5, 2005
Tentative date
Social Event for new women MD-PhD students
Details to be announced at a later date
June 18, 2005
Dr. Debra Leonard