Initiatives

This paper focuses on the important role women in leadership positions play in reducing sexual and gender harassment. The need for this paper is clear based on recent reports documenting the continuing high rate of sexual and gender-based harassment in medical school environments. Sexual and gender-based harassment thrives in male-dominated environments. The Committee on the Status of Women in Medicine (SWIM) at the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) has made significant progress in addressing these issues over the past 5 years. However, challenges persist. We describe our plans and strategies in this paper. Chief among our recommendations is to increase diversity in leadership at YSM. Specific strategies to achieve this goal are described, including benchmarks to assess progress.

Promote more women/URM into leadership positions

• Start Date: 1-May-22
• Projected Completion Date: 1-Jan-24
• Initiative Source: SWIM
• Goals:
  1. Increase women into Chair positions at YSM.
  2. Increase women into Section Chief and Vice Chair positions.

Promote and recruit women/URM faculty and bring in leaders to improve climate: including startup packages, retention, academic vs. teaching time, clinic responsibilities

• Start Date: 1-May-22
• Projected Completion Date: 1-Jun-23
• Initiative Source: SWIM
• Goals:
  1. Goal of 40% women/URM chairs
  2. Evaluate current search firm's success in recruiting women/URM faculty/staff leadership; Emphasize to search firm that we would like to recruit URM and women to open Chair position as priority.
  3. Transparency in chair appointment process and other associated institutes with YSM.
  4. Add experts in URM and women recruitment to committees or to the process.
  5. Evaluate current processes in place to retain women/URM faculty/staff.
     

Salary Equality

• Start Date: 1-May-22
• Projected Completion Date: 1-May-23
• Initiative Source: SWIM
• Goals:
  1. Provide intra-departmental equality

Transparency in resource allocation: including start up packages, academic vs. teaching time, clinic responsibilities leadership opportunities

• Start Date: 1-May-22
• Projected Completion Date: 1-May-23
• Initiative Source: SWIM
• Goals:
  1. Develop a method to determine equity in resource allocation and a method to monitor fairness through the promotion process

Improve Climate for promotion for women: Transparency in Promotion Process for Faculty Advancement

• Start Date: 1-May-22
• Projected Completion Date: 1-Oct-22
• Initiative Source: SWIM
• Goals:
  1. All A&P YSM committee membership should be transparent and available on faculty affairs/ Provost website
  2. Improve mentoring and create a sponsoring system within departments

Comprehensive Sexual Harassment Policy for Yale School of Medicine

• Start Date: 23-Feb-22
• Projected Completion Date: 1-Jun-23
• Initiative Source: SWIM
• Goals:
  1. Increase access to Title IX officer at YSM independent of the deanery.
  2. Provide employees at YSM written guidance on policies and procedures
  3. Open conduit to the University Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct
  4. Exclude faculty found guilty of misconduct from positions of power (thesis committees, etc)
  5. Develop a system of monitoring the individual's conduct in the workplace for individuals found guilty of sexual misconduct

Increase representation of women on search committees; increase transparency of search committee procedures as they relate to Affirmative Action and Diversity

• Start Date: 1-May-22
• Projected Completion Date: 1-Jan-23
• Initiative Source: SWIM
• Goals:
  1. Establish written guidelines for search committees across YSM, including guidelines for tracking and oversight.
     
  2. Increase both junior and senior women on search committees across departments.
     
  3. Increase representation of SWIM liaisons on search committees.