Kick-Off Symposium Gender & Vascular Science
05.12.2014
Our first CRC symposium under the title „Gender and Vascular Science“ took place on December 5, 2014 and started with a lively Round Table discussion to which all our speakers were invited. The speakers (Lynn Hedrick, Gwen Randolph, Carlos Fernandez-Hernando, Fil Swirski, later joined by Alison Abbott) shared their very interesting viewpoints, personal experiences and advice with the female junior scientists and PIs of the CRC in the audience. Together we discussed potential reasons for the lack of women in leading positions in research and what should be done to solve it. Some remarkable points to keep in mind (certainly not just for the female junior scientists): make yourself known in the scientific community (e.g. by presenting your data on international conferences), create your own network, find somebody who shares your enthusiasm about your data and is willing to support you, and don´t be afraid to say what you want.
This passionate discussion was followed by a scientific session with lectures of the invited speakers.