2024

• International Women's Day
  This year, International Women's Day focused on the theme 'Inspiring Inclusion'. At WMS, we ran several events and initiatives to mark the day and celebrate those around us who inspire inclusion in what they do. On 6 March we held a series of talks covering a range of challenging topics and inspiring conversation around taboo subjects and issues around women’s health. Staff and students can watch the recordings of the talks here. We also invited people to nominate 'role models for good' from WMS and were delighted with the response. Staff and students can read the nominations here. Five members of the WMS community were featured in our Inspiring Inclusion series here.

2023

• Professional Services development and networking event
  In November we held a careers-focused event for our professional support services staff. Presentations focused on the development opportunities available across the university, including the Springboard Women's Development Programme, Leadership and Management Development courses, coaching and mentoring.

2022

• Menopause awareness sessions
  In July we ran two menopause training sessions for staff at WMS. Led by HR Business Partner Marsha Hughes, these sessions were open to women and men and aimed to provide valuable information about the menopause, sources of support, and guidance on how to help those experiencing symptoms.
• Challenging Inappropriate Behaviour workshops
  In March we ran three Challenging Inappropriate Behaviour workshops, open to all staff. The workshops introduced participants to the university's values and principles and what these mean in terms of acceptable behaviours whilst engaged in university business. They will also introduced practical tools and strategies to enable staff to have more confidence in challenging inappropriate behaviour when they encounter it.
• Professional Services Development Meeting
  On 9 February we held a meeting for all staff in Professional Support Services focused on professional development. During the meeting there was a workshop where participants were encouraged to reflect on the skills they have gained and those they need to develop in order to progress. Breakout sessions followed for discussion and networking with colleagues from across the School. The event concluded with sessions on mentoring and coaching available at the university and wellbeing support services.

• New starter event

  We hosted a New Starter Networking event on 8 November for all academic and professional services colleagues who had joined Warwick Medical School since July 2019 (the date of the last cross School induction event). Since then, induction had been devolved to the School’s Divisions and of course Covid happened, leaving a lot of new starters isolated at home, not having the opportunity to meet one another and find out more about what other areas of the School did.

  We invited representatives of all the different groups around the Medical School to staff stalls where they could tell ‘new starters’ all about their service. This extended to cross School and wider university services such as Warwick Sports, pensions, the library, WMS finance, marketing, HR and the three divisions of Health Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Clinical Trials unit, to name but a few.

  Colleagues were invited to attend the session on a drop-in basis over two hours, so they could fit it in around their work and were provided with a buffet lunch.

  The post event survey revealed that 100% of respondents enjoyed the event and found it helpful and informative, with 'meeting other members of staff' and 'feeling part of the WMS Community' as the highest-ranking important elements of the event.

2021

• Equality and Diversity in Healthcare: The Experiences and Challenges of Inspirational Professionals seminars
  Continuing our seminar series that launched in 2020, in these sessions we hear from staff, students and members of the wider healthcare community about the experiences and challenges they have faced within their careers and how they have overcome them.
  January: Professor Rebecca Kearney
  Prof Kearney gave a talk entitled 'Can women have it all? Experience and perspective from a Professor with three children'. Watch the recording of the event.
  February: Georgia Gray
  

  Final year medical student Georgia Gray talked about her experience in medicine so far, and the challenges she has faced in both applying to medical school and then being accepted in the healthcare environment as a person with a disability. Watch the recording of the seminar.
  March: Dr Louise Newson
  We were joined by Dr Louise Newson who talked about being a menopause specialist and her own experiences of menopause. Watch the recording of the seminar.
  May: Dr Christopher Morrison
  We were joined by Dr Christopher Morrison who talked about the work undertaken by GLADD (The Association of LGBTQ+ Doctors and Dentists) in trying to improve the health outcomes of LGBT+ people. Watch the recording of the seminar.

  July: Dr Afiniki Akanet
  Coventry GP Dr Afiniki Akanet spoke to us about her experiences working through the pandemic and shared her thoughts on how we can all refocus following this difficult time and make the most of opportunities that come our way. Watch a recording of the seminar.
  November: Dr Chloe Farahar
  In this talk Dr Chloe Farahar, an Autistic academic, described growing up as an undiscovered Autistic person; the ableism and disclosure issues she’s faced in academia; and how society needs to support and embrace Autistic people as a cultural minority to better humanise, opposing the pathologising, medical “culture of autism”.
  
  

• Mindful Eating Event
  On Tuesday 2 March we held an interactive session with Dr Dean Howes on mindful eating. Find out more about the event.
  
  
• International Women's Day Seminars
  On Monday 8 March we were joined by Dr Meera Unnikrishnan who gave her seminar entitled 'Women in Science, Choose to Challenge' as part of our activities for International Women's Day. Find out more and watch the recording.
  
  Our medical students also organised a seminar for the day, entitled 'Celebrating the Women of WMS'. During the event four WMS colleagues - Prof Kate Seers, Dr Harbinder Sandhu, Ginny Davis and Prof Lesley Roberts - shared their stories and how they choose to challenge. Watch the recording.

2020

• Athena SWAN celebration event: We Said, We Did, We're Doing!
  In January 2020 we held an event for our staff and students to celebrate the progress we have made so far in terms of our equality, diversity and inclusion work, and to look ahead at what we've got planned and how people can get involved. During the event, attendees were able to browse our action plan, chat to members of the Self Assessment Team and Athena SWAN champions, give their feedback and enjoy a buffet lunch.
• Covid-19 lectures
  As Covid-19 hit and we all began working at home, professors involved with the pandemic effort delivered online lectures about the virology and epidemiology of the virus to help inform and reassure staff and students.

• Virtual Seminar - Menopause at the Medical School
  In September 2020 we held a virtual seminar with expert speakers who gave guidance and advice about the menopause, menopause health and menopause in the workplace

• Equality and Diversity in Healthcare: The Experiences and Challenges of Inspirational Professionals seminars
  In September 2020 we launched a new seminar series to hear from staff, students and members of the wider healthcare community about the experiences and challenges they have faced within their careers and how they have overcome them. Recordings of all the sessions can be found here.
  September: Adam Layland
  Adam told us about his career and what it means to be a gay man within the NHS. He spoke about the challenges he has faced and how he is able to bring his ‘whole self’ to work.
  November: Professor Olanrewaju Sorinola and Dr Nariell Morrison
  In this seminar we heard about what it means to be black in medicine.
  December 2020: Jacob Bayliss
  Jacob is a trans man and campaigner for LGBT health and wellbeing equality. In this session he shared his experiences of the healthcare system and discuss how we can work together to tackle the challenges.

2019

• How to have it all: Stories of success from women in science
  In November 2019 we held a joint event with the School of Life Sciences which covered: Overcoming challenges and returning from career breaks; transitioning from academia to industry; Work/life balance; and championing role models.
  
• Raising Awareness on Bullying and Harassment
  In June 2019 we held a joint event with the School of Life Sciences on bullying and harassment. The event featured external speakers as well as academics from the University of Warwick.
• Gibbet Hill Health and Wellbeing Day
  In April 2019 we held our third annual Gibbet Hill Health and Wellbeing Day, alongside colleagues in the School of Life Sciences. This year's focus was on food and nutrition. Activities included food and drink tasting, talks on gut health, mindful eating and fermented food workshops along with hula-hooping, lindy hop, choir, knitting and much more.
• International Women's Day selfies
  To mark International Women's Day in March 2019 we asked colleagues and students across WMS to tell us about women who inspired them. People wrote down the names of inspiring women and had photos taken with them. We created montages of the photos and shared them across social media, on the website and in our School-wide newsletter.

2018

• Men's Mental Health and Wellbeing Day
  On 21 November 2018 we held a day of inspiring talks and activities on the topic of men's mental health and wellbeing, to coincide with International Men's Day.
  
• Gibbet Hill Health and Wellbeing Day
  In March 2018 we partnered with the School of Life Sciences to hold our second Gibbet Hill Health and Wellbeing Day, open to all Warwick staff and students. The event included taster sessions in mindfulness, hula hooping, salsa, stretching and relaxing, deskercise, as well as training in CPR. There was also a smoothie bike, soup tasting , herbal tea tasting, an eye disorder simulator, digital wellbeing, fitness MOT and massages. Representatives from various societies and groups from across the University and external organisations were present on the day, including Deaf Society, WMS Staff and Student Art Group and Allotment Society.
• The XMaS Science Gala
  In January 2018 the University's ScienceGrrl Chapter participated in an evening extravaganza, with members of the WMS community helping to highlight inspiring careers and exciting science to local children. During the event participants were able to chat to the children about opportunities in science and get them involved in activities.

2017

• Aspiration Days at Warwick Arts Centre
  In May 2017 we hosted year 6 visitors to Warwick Medical School from schools which historically have a low proportion of students going on to higher education. The school groups spent time in activities in two academic departments. At WMS the children participated in eyesight and photography science, before visiting a campus sculpture and applying their learning to the artwork they visited.
• Gibbet Hill Health and Wellbeing Day
  In April 2017 we held our first ever Gibbet Hill Health and Wellbeing Day with support from the School of Life Sciences. To showcase all of the health and wellbeing activities available across campus. The event included taster sessions in; mindfulness, hula hooping, salsa, stretching and relaxing, a smoothie bike, protein ‘power bowl’ food demonstrations, herbal tea tasting, fitness MOT and massages.
• International Women’s Day
  In March 2017 we held a breakfast session focused on championing women’s education to mark International Women's Day, under the theme of #beboldforchange. Charoula Tzanakou, a Research Fellow originally from the Department of Politics and International Studies, has been carrying out work throughout the university in this field and presented local data on women’s education.
• The XMaS Science Gala
  In January 2017 the University's ScienceGrrl Chapter participated in an evening extravaganzas highlighting inspiring careers and
  exciting science to local children.