A Message from the President's Desk

Notes from the (ex)-President’s desk:

It was an honor and a privilege to serve as the AWN president in 2004-2005. It was encouraging to see that we are the “go to” group for events and projects relating to women and their careers, and our input is sought from people and groups within the School of Medicine as well as in the community at-large. We had an enjoyable and productive year, and I will summarize some highlights below. Thanks especially to the board (Linda Cottler, Tamara Doering, Susan Fitzpatrick, Maurine Linder, Anne Goldberg, Shalini Shenoy, and Dayna Early) and to the former presidents (Karen O'Malley, Janet Rader, Diane Merritt) whose efforts are critical to the ongoing success of this group.

September, 2004: AWN and Becker Library, with the outstanding effort of Nancy Baenziger, submitted a successful application for the traveling library exhibit entitled “Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians”. Our school will be one of 30 selected nationally to host this exhibition between May 2005 and December 2008.

October, 2004: Maurine Linder oversaw the presentation of three excellent brown bag seminars. Judi McLean Parks spoke about gender differences in conflict resolution, Paige Taylor led a session about gendered communication, and a panel discussion was held that focused on managing a lab. These were attended by several dozen and appreciated by all who went.

October, 2004: Along with the Dean’s office and Barnes Hospital Foundation, AWN co-hosted a reception for the 8 women who now hold endowed professorships in the School of Medicine. It was a lovely event at the Randall Gallery. We can only hope that the executive faculty see this as the beginning of needed change rather than a task accomplished!

November, 2004: Our fall dinner was held at EPNEC along with our annual collection for Dress for Success. Thanks to Linda Cottler for organizing the event and to Nancy Baenziger for coordinating the effort for Dress for Success. In November, we also saw the first printing of our tri-fold color brochure.

December, 2004: Chancellor Wrighton held a reception for women faculty in EPNEC. At that event, he stated an intention to increase the number of women in leadership positions throughout the University.

January, 2005: The 7th annual Contemporary Women’s Health Symposium took place January 22nd under the skilled direction of Diane Merritt and Janet Rader. There was an excellent slate of speakers and a fine crowd at EPNEC. This continues to be one of the best-attended CME courses in the School of Medicine.

April, 2005: The Peter H. Raven Award was presented to Teresa Vietti, MD by the Academy of Science of St. Louis based on a nomination submitted by AWN. We were proud to sponsor a table and be counted among her admirers!

April, 2005: The spring event was held at the Kemper Art Museum and included a docent-led tour of “Inside Out Loud: Visualizing Women’s Health in Contemporary Art”. We were pleased to present student leadership awards to Virginia Pierce, MD, Kristina Toncray, MD, and Shelley Schlief, PhD, and we honored Paul Stein, PhD with our annual mentor award. Many thanks to Linda Cottler for organizing a memorable evening. The artwork was a wonderful mixture of intense, beautiful, thought provoking, and sometimes humorous pieces.

May, 2005: The Faculty Senate (alias the faculty of the University) voted to add an extra paragraph to the tenure document that provides for each school to develop a policy to stop the tenure clock for “family responsibilities or other exceptional personal circumstances”. This change reflects much work by the Gender Equity Committee, and we salute their efforts.

June, 2005: Alison Goate, PhD, former AWN president, received a Faculty Achievement Award based on a nomination submitted by AWN. Another proud moment!

As we move into the next academic year, I hope we continue to grow in numbers, voice, and accomplishments. I have no doubt that AWN makes the School of Medicine a better place for all faculty.

Respectfully submitted,

Abby Hollander
AWN president, 2004-2005