STEM workplaces and academia under the LGBTQIA+ microscope

As part of the Central Clinical School's Gender Equity Diversity and Inclusion (CCS GEDI) committee's celebration of International Day of LGBTQIA+ People in STEM on 18 November, three of the committee members - Ms Rhiannon Grant, Dr Jessica Borger and Dr Zhouije Ding - have published an article in Monash Lens, "STEM workplaces and academia under the LGBTQIA+ microscope". 

Read the full Lens story here.

Download the 'Pride in STEM' poster for sticking up around your area.

Monash HDR students win 10% pay rise following student-led campaign

HDR stipend sit-in protest. L-R: Giulia Iacono, Gemma Hartley
leading and just behind, Elan L'Estrange-Stranieri and Rhiannon
Grant. Photo: MGA

by Elan L'Estrange-Stranieri, Gemma Hartley, Rhiannon Grant

As of March 2022, the Monash Research Training Program (RTP) stipend rate of $30,000 per annum for Higher Degree Research (HDR) students officially fell below the Henderson Poverty Line, being 20% lower than the minimum wage ($36,931) after tax1,2, and the third lowest rate offered by Group of 8 (Go8) universities (see Figure 1: 2022 below). 

Champions of GEDI mentoring program

The CCS GEDI committee would love to hear from you, as we are seeking EOIs from potential mentors for students and EMCRs. See example above, kindly provided by Professor Robyn Slattery.

by Dr Lenka Vodstrcil and Dr Jess Borger

In the Central Clinical School (CCS) Gender Equity Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) committee CCS Diverse Lived Experiences survey (see companion story), a primary outcome was that researchers reported the need for mentoring relationships, suggesting there is scope to enhance the mentoring provided at the CCS.

Thank you to Alex Dimitropoulos for GEDI work!

Ms Alex Dimitropoulos

Ms Alex Dimitropoulos is a PhD student in the Department of Diabetes, and has been the student representative on the Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) committee of the Central Clinical School. The GEDI chair, Dr Jessica Borger, writes:

"I wanted to acknowledge what an outstanding job Alex performed in her role within the committee. I was also very impressed by her confidence to participate actively in all of our meetings, and present and discuss the issues of students at the CCS so eloquently.

Leadership lessons from women academics — why men and women need female mentors

Research group leaders in the Department of Immunology and Pathology
share their thoughts on mentoring. L-R upper row: A/Prof Margaret Hibbs,
Prof Nicola Harris, A/Prof Natasha Smallwood, Prof Anne Holland;
L-R lower row: Prof David Tarlinton, A/Prof Menno van Zelm,
Dr Malcolm Starkey.

by Drs Zhoujie Ding and Jessica Borger*
Central Clinical School, Monash University

The topic of women in science usually draws immediate mention of Marie Curie, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes, first in Physics in 1903 (with her husband Pierre), and then in Chemistry in 1911. Or more recently, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier’s ground-breaking work in gene editing, which won them the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Their win marked the first time a science‐related Nobel Prize was shared by women and no men. 

Fixing women vs fixing the system: CCS GEDI event for International Women's Day

Register for 9 Mar IWD discussion

Monash CCS Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
(GEDI) Committee presents:

FIXING WOMEN VS FIXING THE SYSTEM

International Women's Day Panel Discussion

#IWD2021 #ChoosetoChallenge
Topic:  "Fixing women vs fixing the system"
Date: Tuesday 9 March 2021
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Format: Zoom panel discussion (see detail below)
Registration link: monash.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElc-mrrT4jEtF0K941Hzc1KOiOXrowJcoR

Your input wanted! You can send in any questions or comments about this topic anonymously before the event date so that we can have a discussion over them on the day of the event. See below.

Urgent government funding is needed for effective, diverse and equitable medical research

Figure 1 from the article showing gendered trends in application and funding rates

Dr Jess Borger recently co-authored an article on the loss of women from the medical research sector, published in Women's Agenda. She, Dr Kate Lawlor and Dr Kylie Quinn discuss how the government needs to inject funding into research or we will lose Early-Mid Career Researchers (EMCRs), especially women, from the system. They canvass the following topics:

• Government support of research has been waning
• The impact of COVID-19 on research is inequitably distributed
• Australia lags behind the global response
• Women and EMCRs receive less funding support
• How do we mitigate a loss of women from research?

Photo of the Week: #IWD2020 #EachforEqual = good for all

CCS's Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) committee 2020. L-R: Dr Jess Borger, Ms Alex Dimitropoulos, Associate Professor Justin Hamilton, Dr Michelle Zajac, Professor Sam El-Osta, Dr Caroline Gurvich, Dr Maithili Sashindranath, Dr Loretta Piccenna.

The group has organised a lunchtime function to celebrate International Women's Day on 2 March, see below for detail. ALL WELCOME! And all welcome to share the presentation on social media, using hashtag #EachforEqual. If using Twitter, add our handle @CCSMonash for an RT.

Monash Staff Equity and Diversity Survey

Monash University is undertaking a staff equity and diversity survey, closing 20 December.  Please have your say! See more about the survey at www.monash.edu/gender-equity/staff-equity-and-diversity-survey

Take the survey

If you have any questions about the survey, please email staff-equity@monash.edu or call Dr Lucie Joschko, Manager Staff Equity and Diversity, on 03 9902 0246.

Grant, coveted speaking role for sexual health researcher

Dr Lenka Vodstrcil talking on bacterial
vaginosis at scientific conferences

by Anne Crawford 

Monash University’s Central Clinical School (CCS) researcher Dr Lenka Vodstrcil has been awarded the inaugural CCS Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) travel grant to attend a sexual health conference in South Africa in December.

Dr Vodstrcil, who is a Research Fellow with the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, will be funded to go to the invitation-only Keystone symposium on the “Role of the Genital Tract Microbiome in Sexual and Reproductive Health”, to be held in Cape Town.

CCS-GEDI celebrate Diversity and Inclusion Week!

Ms Ashleigh Clarke and Ms Catherine Wong

On Monday Aug 27 the CCS-GEDI committee celebrated Diversity and Inclusion Week by hosting a school-wide multicultural lunch that was catered by the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre. Approximately 50 CCS staff and students attended the lunch. The CCS-GEDI committee will continue to address issues relevant to gender equity, diversity and inclusion and looks forward to engaging with the CCS staff and students on these matters.

Eye on GEDI: Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at CCS

27 August 2018 Multicultural lunch hosted by GEDI

Thank you to all CCS Staff & Students who have completed the CCS Gender Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (GEDI) survey.  We have had 37 responses so far that have provided the committee with feedback on current issues of concern around the School and suggestions of future committee activities. We will be following up on the issues that have been raised so far.  The short survey is still open - please find link on the CCS intranet GEDI page - and we encourage all CCS staff and students to complete this survey.

During Diversity and Inclusion week (Aug 27 - 31), the GEDI committee will be hosting a multicultural lunch in the AMREP foyer on Monday 27 August from 1.30 - 2.30pm.  This will be a great opportunity to engage with CCS staff and students, meet the GEDI committee and learn more about CCS and Monash initiatives that celebrate and recognise diversity and inclusion. There will be more information in the CCS blog - look out for the Eye on GEDI section.

Photo of the week: CCS Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Committee launched

CCS's 2018 Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Committee. L-R: Dr Min Tan, Ms Amy Searle, Dr Maithili Sashindranath, Dr Kim Murphy, Dr Caroline Gurvich, Dr David Wright, Ms Ashleigh Clarke, Associate Professor Anneke van der Walt. The committee's email is ccs.gedi@monash.edu.

The CCS Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Committee represents the CCS at both Faculty and University levels, making recommendations about initiatives, policies and procedures pertaining to diversity and inclusion that are relevant to CCS.