Women in the EMS (WEMS)

SIG Leaders

Janice Pluth and Glenda Gentile

SIG Description

The Women in the EMS (WEMS) Special Interest Group focuses on women’s issues within the EMS as well as broader issues that face many women in scientific careers.

The mission of WEMS is to:

Create opportunities for networking and mentoring for women.
Encourage leadership and career development.
Encourage and support representation of women throughout the society and within the scientific community.

During the EMS meetings, WEMS provides a forum for discussions focusing on general issues that affect not only women but which are relevant to the general membership of the EMS. And, as an EMS Special Interest Group (SIG), we develop ideas for symposia and topics to be considered by the EMS program committee for upcoming EMS meetings.

If you are interested in becoming involved either as a committee member or would like to give your input into programming ideas for SIG discussions or EMS program ideas, we encourage any EMS member to join the WEMS special interest group. ALL are welcome to attend our SIG meetings and WEMS hosted EMS meetings sessions!

WEMS Session During 2009 EMS Meeting

WEMS will host a session in the 2009 EMS meetings entitled, "Women’s Health Issues: Diagnosis and Treatment in the 21st Century". The sequencing of the human genome has opened the door to the era of personalized medicine: customizing treatment to the genetic profile of the individual patient resulting in the selection of the most beneficial treatments and avoidance of potentially harmful or ineffective treatments. The symposium will explore the current state of the art in the role of genetics and gender-related factors in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of diseases and conditions that affect women. In addition, prevention strategies related to specific genetic susceptibilities will be discussed by some of our speakers. Our Keynote Speaker will be Patricia Moorman, Ph.D., Duke University, Department of Community and Family Medicine, Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program. Dr. Moorman, an epidemiologist, has published a number of papers on the effects of NSAID medications on breast and ovarian cancer. She also has evaluated the effects of genetic variants as possible effect modifiers of the relationship between certain medications and cancer outcomes. Other speakers will include Olga Kovalchuk, Ph.D., Associate Professor CIHR Chair in Gender and Health, Board of Governors’ Research Chair University of Lethbridge and Nina Holland, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley. WEMS would like to dedicate this session on Women’s Health Issues to the memory of one of our long standing members of the EMS, Jenness Majeska. May her dedicated service and leadership abilities serve as an inspirational example of the difference one woman can make.

WEMS 2009 SIG Meeting

Our WEMS special interest group meeting will focus on Work/Life balance issues. In the 21st century, one should not have to choose between a professional scientific career and a satisfying home/family life. A balance of work and life/family can lead to fulfillment, improve self-confidence, and even increase chances for advancement. Successful career growth depends on learning how to achieve this balance. Discussions and testimonials will focus on various strategies to help achieve this balance.

WEMS Session During 2008 EMS Meeting

During the 2008 annual EMS meeting in Rio Mar, Puerto Rico, WEMS hosted a lunchtime workshop. Dr. Katherine Squibb from University of Maryland School of Medicine provided a keynote address entitled "Are Science Based Regulations Putting Science at Risk?" She emphasized the challenges faced by scientists who are engaged in "high profile" research in areas of interest important to public health and of equal regulatory importance to industry. Of particular importance were the difficulties that ensued when the data from individual college or university laboratories were challenged by much larger laboratory coalitions supported by industrial dollars. Dr. Squibb provided some specific examples of such situations and also provided suggestions as to how individual laboratory groups, when under such challenges, could respond in a professional, ethical and appropriate manner. Special concerns were noted for early-career researchers (those individuals who had yet accrued a national reputation in science). Such researchers were noted as being particularly more at risk for strong challenges to research results than were data produced from laboratories of senior researchers with long histories of publications.

There were considerable questions from the audience, and the ensuing discussions were thoughtful and lively. An overwhelming theme from both the presentation and the conversations was that a professional group such as the Environmental Mutagen Society, which boasts a membership comprised equally of academic, industrial and federal researchers, as well as members of the regulatory agency communities, provides a remarkable environment for the presentation of potentially controversial findings as well as a forum for members of the broad scientific communities of the society to provide thoughtful insight and perspective to the researchers and all other interested parties.

Links

Famous Women Scientists

NIH Women Scientist Advisors

Women In Biomedical Careers

Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology

4000 Years of Women in Science

Helpful Websites for Women Scientists Interested in Fellowships, Scholarships, and Funding Opportunities