The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Program for Women Faculty Affairs (PWFA) was created in 2005 in the Office of the President to ensure equal professional development opportunities for women and men faculty. With leadership support, the PWFA partners with other Memorial Sloan-Kettering departments that provide resources and training for faculty, including Academic Affairs and Recruitment, the Office of Diversity Programs, Employee Health and Wellness Services, Graduate Medical Education, Human Resources, Junior Faculty Council, Research and Technology Management, and Work/Life Initiatives. Goals of the PWFA are to:
- Improve communication
- Facilitate recruitment, promotion, and retention
- Enhance career development
- Optimize work environment and work/life fit
- Track and share data on progress in achieving program goals
The PWFA supports faculty professional growth through seminars and coaching on a variety of topics including promotion, negotiation, time management, public speaking, grant writing, scientific presentations, mentorship, childcare, and life/work balance. Athena, an informal networking group created by the PWFA, provides a forum for sharing information, welcoming new faculty, and celebrating achievements.
To foster the training of women in medicine and science, the PWFA offers career development activities for undergraduates, medical and graduate students, residents, postdoctoral researchers, and fellows. The PWFA participates in the Female Association of Clinicians, Educators, and Scientists (FACES), a group that supports students enrolled in the Tri-Institutional MD/PhD program of Weill Cornell Medical College, The Rockefeller University, and the Sloan-Kettering Institute.
Currently, women comprise more than 40 percent of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering faculty; among these women faculty, almost half are in the senior ranks (associate or above). The representation of women faculty at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, both overall and in the senior ranks, is significantly higher than the national data reported by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). Since the PWFA was created, approximately half of the individuals appointed to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering faculty have been women.
The PWFA is dedicated to serving as a resource for recruiting, retaining, developing, and enhancing the environment for Memorial Sloan-Kettering faculty. For more information about the PWFA, please contact:
Laura Liberman, MD, FACR,
Director, Program for Women Faculty Affairs
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue, M110D
New York, NY 10065
Phone: 212-639-5732
Fax: 212-717-3398
E-mail: pwfa@mskcc.org
