Announcing the Launch of the Women in OHBM Special Interest Group

Jean Chen

On behalf of the Women in OHBM Special Interest Group

Over half of OHBM conference attendees are women scientists (according to data from OHBM Executive Staff), and many of them continue to face gender-specific barriers in their work as human brain mappers. To enable members to learn from one another and mutually support career success, we created the Women in OHBM Special Interest Group (SIG), officially recognized as of March 2023.

​The product of a 2-year informal consultation process, the Women in OHBM SIG was motivated by a group of mid- and early-career OHBM women scientists with shared interests and challenges around gender equity in terms of scientific impact, career development and work-life balance, among other topics. The SIG aims to provide a community for OHBM women to network, promote mutual career development and facilitate scientific exchange amongst women scientists.

2023 inaugural leadership of the Women in OHBM Special Interest Group.

What we do
Motivated by our fellow OHBM members involved in the consultation process, as well as the ever-growing literature and awareness on the gender gap in academia (Casad et al., 2021; Jebsen et al., 2022; Keng, 2020; Romano, 2021), this SIG will augment the OHBM’s efforts in diversity and inclusion. We will set targets that will complement and strengthen the activities of the OHBM Diversity and Inclusion Committee, by promoting women’s achievements and providing networking events for women scientists. We will also complement the OHBM Student and Postdoc SIG in enhancing mentorship for women members and taking mentorship to higher career stages.
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Who we are
The current executive team consists of international women scientists:

• Chair: Jean Chen, Professor, University of Toronto, Canada
• Chair-Elect: Hyang Woon Lee, Professor, Ewha Women’s University, South Korea
• Secretary: Molly Bright, Assistant Professor, Northwestern University, USA
• Secretary-Elect: Ruchika Prakash, Professor, Ohio State University, USA
• Communications Officer: Audrey Fan, Assistant Professor, University of California, Davis, USA
• Social Events Officer: Marta Garrido, Associate Professor, University of Melbourne, Australia

Our advisors:

• Randy Gollub, Professor, Harvard Medical School, USA; former Chair of OHBM Council
• Aina Puce, Eleanor Cox Riggs Professor of Social Justice & Ethics, Indiana University, USA; OHBM Aperture Oversight Committee

Who should get involved
We are a SIG for supporting women in the OHBM, with the main focus on women in academia as faculty members or scientists. We are inclusive of OHBM members across all gender identities in the service of channeling support for increased gender equity from everyone in academia. Our success depends on advocacy and support from all genders!

​How to get involved
You can help us grow and evolve. If you are interested in finding out more, please stay tuned for our launch event at the 2023 OHBM meeting. Please also stay tuned for us to be listed under OHBM SIGs.

​We are currently seeking volunteer executives to help us carry out our activities, including: 

• Social media officer: In coordination with the leadership team, manages the SIG’s social media accounts (e.g. Twitter, website, Slack). In coordination with the social-events officer, posts announcements for SIG events on social media.
• Inclusivity officer: Maintains communication with the Diversity and Inclusivity Committee and communicates with the SIG leadership to ensure activities are consistent with the OHBM’s mandate to foster a diverse and inclusive international community.
• Trainee SIG liaison: Maintains communication with the Students and Postdocs SIG and communicates with the SIG leadership regarding potential opportunities to offer career development and mentorship opportunities to trainees.

 If you are interested, please fill out this contact form.