Women are still heavily underrepresented in higher career stages at German universities. One key to change this situation is to improve networking opportunities and structures. In a joint effort, local Research Units, the Equal Opportunity Office, and the Dean of Münster's Medical Faculty have made an important step towards improving these circumstances by founding the 'Women-in-Science Network Medicine' (WiSNetMed).

'We aim to promote women in not losing sights of their academic careers from doctorate to professorship', says Dr. Sabine Blass-Kampmann, spokesperson of the WiSNetMed. Together with ten professors and coordinators of local Research Units, including the Vice-Dean for Equal Opportunity Measurements Prof. Dr. Petra Scheutzel and the Vice-Dean for Research Prof. Dr. Luisa Klotz, a core team has been formed and initiated the establishment of the network.

The team intend to make an important contribution for preventing the dramatic loss of qualified women starting with the post-doctoral phase and continuing at later stages of the academic career. The network addresses women at different career stages and cover the acquisition of core competences such as career planning, personal development plans towards a visible and confident profile, and networking. Beside the support by the Collaborative Research Centres SFB 1009, SFB 1450, and SFB TR128, and the (Clinical) Research Units FOR2690 and CRU342, our CRU326 is a key player of this important endeavour: our project manager, Dr. Cristin Beumer, supports the network as part of the core team.

An important milestone for the visibility of the initiative and its activities is the recently launched WiSNetMed website, facilitating a faculty-wide communication platform for all female scientists. Besides, the official kick-off symposium took place at the faculty's campus on the 29th of October. Participation was free of charge and the initiators welcomed over 110 internal as well as external participants. A combination of the network's concept presentation, informative talks, a marketplace set up in the garden of the dean's office, and a trial training session on Leadership Journey, was the ultimate starting point to inaugurate the WiSNetMed at the Medical Faculty.

For more information about the 'Women-in-Science Network Medicine', check out the press release by the Medical Faculty, the kick-off's recap, or the network's website. Anyone who would like to receive the network's newsletter can subscribe to the WiSNetMed mailing list.