The University of Cambridge has learned the exciting news that it has won an institutional Athena SWAN Silver award. Athena SWAN awards recognise commitment to advancing women’s careers, employment in higher education and research. Cambridge has joined a select group of universities holding this level of award, joining only four other universities in the UK. Achieving this would not have been possible unless a significant number of its constituent institutions, such as the Clinical School, had already achieved this prestigious award. The School of Clinical Medicine achieved a silver award in September 2013.

 

Professor Fiona Karet led the steering group that produced the School’s successful Silver submission last year. She and Professor Gordon Smith have recently been appointed by the University as School Gender Equality Champions. They stress that whilst much of the work has been to level the playing field and offer career development training and opportunities for academic women, the aim is to change processes and practices to have a positive effect on working culture and improve the environment for everyone. All departments and Institutes now have Equality Champions, and the School’s Equality and Diversity online training completion rate has more than doubled to 80% of all staff.

 

For more information about Athena SWAN, to offer suggestions on how gender equality practices can best be improved within the Clinical School, or to communicate any examples of both good and less-than-optimal practice, please contact the Equality and Diversity coordinator, Victoria Smallbone: vs351@medschl.cam.ac.uk