Welcome message from the Associate Dean Diversity and Inclusion
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences website for Diversity and Inclusion. This website was established to celebrate our diversity, share resources, and provide an opportunity for staff involvement in our diversity and inclusion initiatives across the Faculty.
As your Associate Dean Diversity and Inclusion, I am passionate and committed to equity and will use my role to advocate for people, their purpose, and for medicine and science.
We all have the right to a diverse and discrimination free workplace, where gender, sexuality and sexual orientation, disability, health issues, ethnicity and race, and an individual’s background should not be a barrier to reaching their full potential. My resolute goal is to continue to develop and bring new ideas to lead key initiatives that will enhance our Faculties progression towards Diversity and Inclusion.
Our Faculty is ranked among the top in the world for its impact, innovation, education, prosperity and growth. I believe we are ready to also be known for celebrating our diverse and outstanding people.
Associate Professor Natalie Hannan
Associate Dean Diversity and Inclusion
Graduation address by Associate Professor Natalie Hannan
Associate Professor Natalie Hannan, Associate Dean, Diversity and Inclusion and Head, Therapeutics Discovery and Vascular Function Group, addresses students graduating from the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.
Meet Dr Asiel Adan Sanchez
Dr Asiel Adan Sanchez (they/them) is a GP with an approach to diversity that is very much grounded in a human-rights framework. They have a quiet determination to change attitudes.
The MDHS Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee (DIAC)
The MDHS Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee (DIAC) is made up of individuals across the Faculty who are committed to cultivating a work and study place where diversity is valued, respected and affirmed. We do this by sharing and promoting key learnings about emergent or embedded Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives in the Faculty.
The Committee has representation from across each of our Schools, both professional and academic staff, early career researchers and senior leadership. Importantly, we have a range of diverse experiences, attributes, skills and expertise which lend themselves to robust collaboration.
We are guided by University’s Advancing Melbourne Strategy, particularly the Diversity and Inclusion Implementation Plan, the Athena Swan (SAGE) Gender Equity Bronze Award, the Faculty’s Strategic Plan, Beyond 2018 and the MDHS 2020 Action Plan. You can read our Terms of Reference here.
Please email DIAC with any questions or initiatives you'd like included on the MDHS Diversity and Inclusion website at mdhs-diversityinclusion@unimelb.edu.au.
Celebrating our people and diversity
Momentum Fellowships and Diversity and Inclusion Grant Recipients
Together with our Faculty’s leadership and Early Career Researcher Network, it gives me great pleasure to announce the inaugural recipients of the MDHS Momentum Fellowships and MDHS Diversity and Inclusion Grants, two very important new initiatives that will support our Faculty’s strategy, including our vision for diversity and inclusion, and enrich our culture and scholarship.
2021 Momentum Fellows
Dr Jess Heerde, MMS, Dept. Paediatrics
Jess is a research leader in youth homelessness. Homelessness remains, in many respects, a hidden issue. Rates of homelessness are rising among the young, with devastating effects on their health and wellbeing. Homelessness remains a wicked problem that straddles both the health and social sciences, meaning it has been a challenging area in which to build a research program. Jess will use the Momentum Fellowship to progress her outstanding work an area Jess is deeply passionate about. This fellowship will support Jess to build research momentum for subsequent funding applications and enabling enhanced capacity for research and advocacy for her very important work.
Dr Kate Filia, Centre for Youth Mental Health
Kate is an exceptional researcher and emerging leader in the field of social inclusion and mental health, an area of critical significance for those living with mental ill-health. She has developed a novel measure of social inclusion, and a research program dedicated to understanding differences between, and improving, social inclusion across psychiatric diagnoses, developmental stages, in caregivers, and at-risk population groups. Kate has experienced significant career interruptions throughout her career and exacerbated more recently. This fellowship support will enhance Kate’s capacity to pursue opportunities as an independent researcher, as well as leverage more available opportunities to her enhancing her competitiveness for future funding support.
2021 Diversity and Inclusion Grants
Dr Marianne Coleman; Dr. Flora Hui; A/Prof Kristin Diemer; Dr Gemma McKibbin; Dr Michelle Hall; Dr Belinda Lawford; Dr Kate Hayward; Dr Rebecca Jarden; Dr Elaina Kefalianos
The project brings together a collaborative application from the early-mid career academics to better identify and advocate for early-mid career academic issues. The project will use a participatory, systematic approach, that promotes inclusion of and maximises reach to EMCAs across the faculty.
Dr Megan Sharp (CIA); Dr Barrie Shannon (PI); Dr Ruby Grant (PI)
The project aims to develop better understanding of how students experience diversity and inclusion within the MDHS Faculty. The project will use innovative visual methods to address key research questions and will produce rich qualitative data to share the perception and story of MDHS students’ lived experiences.
The Faculty will open a second call for applications in October 2021 for two additional MDHS Momentum Fellowships and MDHS Diversity and Inclusion Grants, with funding to commence in early 2022.
Associate Professor Natalie Hannan
MDHS Associate Dean, Diversity and Inclusion
Our Faculty is the sum of its people. Here are some of their stories.
Dr Asiel Adan Sanchez
Dr Asiel Adan Sanchez (they/them) is a GP with an approach to diversity that is very much grounded in a human-rights framework. They have a quiet determination to change attitudes and breakdown barriers that prevent people from engaging in healthcare systems.
What is SWiM?
The Supporting Women in MDHS (SWiM) program aims to promote gender equity and support academic promotion of women in our Faculty.
SWiM aims to inspire and encourage women to seek out and step up to leadership roles in their academic careers, as well as strategically prepare them for academic promotion.
Why does gender disparity matter?
Our Faculty cannot reach its full potential unless it can benefit from the talents of all our academic staff. Female academics are forced out of careers in STEMM by structural barriers and dysfunctional systems. The loss of such expertise is a significant waste of knowledge, talent and investment. This is an important issue for the entire Faculty to take on. Achieving gender equity will result in better balance, leading to a better Faculty for all.
What are we doing?
SWiM will provide targeted support for women applying for academic promotion under three pillars:
- Inspiring stories: a seminar series featuring women leaders and change makers
- Tailored mentoring: supporting women in preparing for academic promotion; Register as a mentor now
- Peer networks: for information sharing and advice on career progression
The SWiM program is aligned to:
- University and MDHS Faculty Gender Targets for Level D and E
- Beyond 2018 MDHS Strategic plan, pillars 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, and 3.2
- The University of Melbourne Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Athena SWAN Bronze Award Action Plan
- Our participation in the Joint Sector Position Statement: ‘Preserving Gender Equity as a Higher Education Priority During and After COVID-19.’
- Advancing Melbourne, 2030
- Australian Academy of Science's Women in STEM Decadal Plan.
Inspiring stories: webinar series
In this monthly discussion series Associate Professor Natalie Hannan, Associate Dean Diversity and Inclusion, invites leading women in STEMM and other sectors to join her for a conversation about their careers, to share their advice and experience.
Natalie shares, "I hope that by creating this ongoing series for all MDHS colleagues we open up conversations about women in the workplace and feel inspired for our futures, better connected and confident to achieve our best."
Professor Jane Gunn: Listening, learning and renovating workplace culture
Professor Jane Gunn is a general practitioner with a distinguished academic career and over 25 years of experience in implementing research into clinical practice. As the university's inaugural Chair of Primary Care Research, her work in mental health addresses a leading cause of disability burden and she is a current member of a number of health service boards. Jane is also passionate about ensuring we have a safe, inclusive work environment where we are all able to thrive and has made improving workplace culture a priority as Dean.
Julia Page: Key ingredients for progression towards gender equity in STEMM
Ms Julia Page was appointed chief executive officer of veski in 2004 after a career spanning the public, private and philanthropic sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom. In the time she has been with veski, Julia has actively lead initiatives for women in science and research and was instrumental in the development of the veski inspiring women program including a series of professional development activities and the inaugural veski inspiring women fellowships. She is passionate about delivering diverse and inclusive programs, including the veski inspiring women STEM sidebyside program, developed to empower women at differing career stages with the skills, networks and mindset to develop and achieve their career goals within STEM industries.
Leonie Walsh: Two careers in one, the why and the how
Leonie Walsh is a Board Chair and strategic adviser in technological innovation with over 30 years of local and international experience across a broad range of industries. More recently Leonie completed a three-year term as Victoria’s inaugural Lead Scientist from 2013 to 2016. In this capacity Leonie was a contributing member on the Future Industries Ministerial Advisory Council, helped establish the Inspiring Women Fellowship program, represented Victoria on the Forum of Australian Chief Scientists and participated as an industry expert on a range of Government grant and scholarship programs.
Professor Sharon Lewin: The critical importance of good leadership in crisis
Professor Sharon Lewin is a leading infectious diseases expert, inaugural director of the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, Professor of Medicine and a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Practitioner Fellow. Professor Lewin's leadership of the Doherty Institute and calm and informed media presence throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have been nothing short of inspirational.
Professor Laura Parry: Fixing the system while smashing imposter syndrome
Tuesday 13 April 2021
Professor Laura Parry has three decades of experience in higher education, as a researcher, research leader and award-winning educator, and is internationally renowned for her expertise and ground-breaking research in reproductive and vascular biology. In September 2020, she was appointed interim Executive Dean of Sciences at the University of Adelaide, after a 10-month appointment as Head of School, Biological Sciences. Furthermore, she is a champion of the greater participation of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
Professor Til Wykes: a talk about gender equality and mental health
Tuesday 16 March 2021
Til is a Professor of Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation and Head of The School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences at Kings College, London.Her research has been various with explorations in cognitive science, developing treatments and evaluations of those treatments - mostly for people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Til is the editor of the Journal of Mental Health, holder of a Guinness World record for the largest mental health lesson and has been awarded a Damehood for her work in mental health.
Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea AM: mentorship, sponsorship and allyship
Tuesday 15 December 2020
Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea AM is a scientist, executive and entrepreneur. She is Executive Director of the Industry Mentoring Network in STEM (IMNIS) with the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE), and co-founder and CEO of Women in STEMM Australia.
Dr Evans-Galea talks to Associate Professor Natalie Hannan about finding a mentor, knowing your career 'why' and believing in yourself during uncertain times.
Dr Ngaree Blow: the visibility of First Nations women
Tuesday 17 November 2020
Dr Ngaree Blow is a Yorta-Yorta, Noonuccal, Goreng-Goreng woman living on Wurundjeri country. She is currently working as the Director of First Nations Health for Medical Education at the University of Melbourne, as well as medical lead in the COVID-19 case, contact and outbreak management team at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
Dr Ngaree Blow talks with Associate Professor Nat Hannan about the social determinants of health, the ‘angry black woman’ stereotype and how we need to address racial inequities before barriers for women can be broken.
Prof Julie Bines: the importance of good mentorship for women academics
Tuesday 20 October 2020
Professor Julie Bines is a Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne and a Paediatric Gastroenterologist and Head of Clinical Nutrition at the Royal Children’s Hospital.She leads the Enteric Disease Group at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute working to develop an affordable novel rotavirus vaccine, RV3-BB vaccine, aimed at preventing rotavirus disease from birth in infants worldwide. She is Director of the WHO Collaborative Centre for Child Health and has served as a consultant for WHO.
A/Prof Susan Hurley: a career in STEMM, culminating in a novel
Tuesday 22 September 2020
Associate Professor Susan Hurley is a writer and medical researcher with expertise in health economics, pharmacoepidemiology and public health policy. She is the author of the novel Eight Lives (Affirm Press, 2019), which has its origins in a catastrophic first-in-human trial of a monoclonal antibody. Susan has published more than fifty papers in high profile journals like the Lancet and her projects have influenced health policy, particularly in the areas of mammographic screening, HIV/AIDS, pharmacoepidemiology, immunisation and tobacco control.
Tailored Mentoring Guide
The SWiM Program aims to provide focused support for Level C and D academic women applying for promotion in 2021. To ensure our Faculty is progressing towards reaching gender equity, we want to provide support to women in a new tailored form and the mentoring partnership is a key factor in the success of our program.
Participants will be partnered with Level D and Level E academic mentors outside of their Department (and School where possible) for tailored advice and to support them through the promotion application process. Pairings are based as much as possible on the data we receive from your registration application as a mentor and/or a mentee.
A copy of our Mentoring Guidelines can be downloaded here
“Every great achiever is inspired by a great mentor” – Lailah Gifty Akita
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What to Expect
One on one support through individual mentee/mentor relationships
- Your mentor will be someone who has successfully applied for academic promotion to level D or E and has opted in to be a mentor for this specific program; they will likely have mentored others in a promotion application too,
- They will be an active listener, ask you questions about your career and provide constructive feedback in order to prepare an application that best showcases your attributes in line with the promotions criteria,
- You will receive six months of one-on-one support and guidance developing and refining your promotion application,
- Communication between you and your mentor should be targeted towards preparing a strong promotion application, the relationship, communication style and medium should be mutually decided on early to ensure you meet each others expectations.
- We recommend at least 4 mentor/mentee meetings throughout the promotion process (please see below for more details about the key program dates).
Opportunities for networking and peer support
- You will be invited to practical workshops with other mentees focused on preparing and refining promotion applications,
- You will be set up with a members access online connection via Teams to share content, stories, and progress,
- Two small-group networking sessions twice throughout the promotion rounds to encourage connection and application preparation (peer groups will be encouraged to also connect in addition to these two sessions),
- You will be supported with updates and check-ins from the SWiM team with respect to program dates and expectations of progress.
Alignment with the University’s promotions process, timelines and briefings to ensure that workshops are timely and relevant
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Mentors
A cross section of academic mentors from Levels D and E will be identified provide a mentor for each of our mentees.
Inclusion criteria for mentors are:
- Participation in the MDHS promotion process either as an applicant or assessor (must be familiar with current promotions process)
- Evidence of effective mentorship in the past
- Demonstration of the Faculty values
- Passion for supporting the career development of others
- Availability and commitment to attend program events and meet with mentees between January and July 2021
Mentors are not expected to edit promotion applications and are not responsible for promotion outcomes. The role of the mentor is to provide high level advice and support with respect to the narrative of the promotion application, time management, consideration of performance relative to opportunity and asking questions to draw out the strengths of the mentee as they relate to promotions criteria.
To register as a mentor, please visit here
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Mentees
*Please note that registrations for mentees are now closed. We will welcome another cohort in the near future*
Any academic mentee at Level C and Level D are invited to join the program if they intend to apply for academic promotion in through our registration portal.
Inclusion criteria for mentees are:
- Readiness and commitment to apply for academic promotion in 2021
- Availability and commitment to attend program events meet with assigned mentor between January and July 2021.
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Getting the Right Match
- The matching process will be undertaken using the data gained through the registration survey.
- When completing the registration keep an open mind when completing your preferences in your application profile – we will try our best to accommodate your preferences, but it is not possible to guarantee a 100% match.
- Mentoring participants often report gaining a lot from mentors they would not necessarily of picked themselves in the beginning. Intuition is important, and should be relied on but mentees often experience great outcomes by keeping an open mind and maintaining a professional relationship. You may also have other mentors in your Department, try to use this paired mentor to help convey your case beyond your discipline or workforce category.
- An agreement should be reached about the style, duration and regularity of meetings possible between you and your mentor early on – with expectations discussed early.
- Remember that mentoring can be more than the traditional expert-novice relationship. We have many committed mentors who are willing to share their expertise and support you through the promotions process.
- Teamwork & collaboration – sharing knowledge and expertise to help achieve goals
- Respect – for the diversity of histories and lived experiences to create a safe space to share knowledge and experiences
- Integrity – honesty and trust underpin our mentoring relationships, where mentoring conversations are kept confidential
- Compassion - communicate and clarify expectations of each other (active listening is critical)
- Accountability – we are accountable for the actions we commit to, including being on time to scheduled meetings, advising of any changes in plans as soon as possible and being prepared for meetings.
This program is underpinned by our Faculty values:
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Key Program Dates
Date Activity November - December 2020 Call to HoD/HoS to identify potential mentees and mentors
18 January 2021 MDHS Mentoring program launch event
17 February 2021 University wide women only promotions briefing
18 - 19 February University wide promotions briefings
Feburary 2021 First mentor/mentee meetings
1 March 2021 University calls for promotion applications
University wide women only promotions briefing
MDHS Mentoring program workshop 1 – preparing your application
26 March 2021 Mentee advises HoD/HoS they are applying for promotion
March 2021 Second mentor/mentee meetings
19 – 23 April 2021 MDHS Mentoring program workshop 2 – refining your application
April 2021 Third mentor/mentee meetings
14 May 2021 Complete application submitted to HoD/HoS
May 2021 Fourth mentor/mentee meetings
28 May 2021 Application and HoD/HoS report returned to applicant (Level E)
4 June 2021 Closing date for application to HR (Level E)
11 June 2021 Application and HoD/HoS report returned to applicant (Level D)
18 June 2021 Closing date for application to HR (Level D)
June - July 2021 MDHS Mentoring program celebratory event
July - August 2021 Evaluation phase 1 (debrief with participants)
November 2021 Evaluation phase 2 (promotion outcomes)
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Contact Us
If you have any suggestions or issues to raise in regard to the SWiM Tailored Mentoring Program, please do not hesitate to contact:
Jacqui Olney
jolney@unimelb.edu.auNatalie Hannan
nhannan@unimelb.edu.auMegan Sharp
megan.sharp@unimelb.edu.au
SWiM: Supporting Women in MDHS
The Supporting Women in MDHS (SWiM) program aims to promote gender equity and support academic promotion of women in our Faculty.
SWiM aims to inspire and encourage women in MDHS to seek out and step up to leadership roles in their academic careers; as well as strategically prepare them for academic promotion.