Supporting and developing our community
Find out more about Athena SWAN
Who we are
In the Department of Surgery and Cancer, we are actively working to increase and support development opportunities to all of our staff. Led by our Culture and Engagement Committee, we champion initiatives to promote the advancement of gender equality, representation, progression and success for all. The Committee's success is reflected by the Department recently receiving the Athena SWAN Gold award in 2024.
Culture & Engagement Action plan
- Improving Staff Support, Development and Mentorship
- Improved Male:Female Staff Ratios (Clinical & Non-Clinical)
- Improved Taught Course Gender Balance
- Improving Communication
| Objective | Actions to take |
|---|---|
|
Further raise awareness of the Department / Faculty mentoring scheme within the: early career researcher community, professional and technical staff groups and student community |
Monthly newsletter to include information regarding mentoring scheme and process to engage |
| Improve engagement with annual PDRP | Enhance and update guidance on PRDP on Department webpage |
| Monitor uptake of face to face exit interviews for all staff | Divisional Managers to ensure exit interviews for all leavers in the division and report to C&E every quarter |
| To improve uptake of job level review by PTO staff | Consider all eligible PTO staff for JLR |
| To improve uptake of job level review by PTO staff | Ensure line managers discuss JLR in PDRP annually and provide mentorship support for applications |
| Improve engagement with annual PDRP | Ensure all PRDPs establish a career development action plan, with set goals and objectives to complete within the following year, through appraiser training |
| Improve engagement with annual PDRP | Set annual deadline for PRDP completion by 31 July each year |
| Further raise awareness of the Department / Faculty mentoring scheme within the: early career researcher community, professional and technical staff groups and student community | Reminders to be sent out to targeted staff groups |
| Further raise awareness of the Department / Faculty mentoring scheme within the: early career researcher community, professional and technical staff groups and student community | Mentoring scheme to be discussed as part of PRDPs |
| Support for junior Clinical staff | Promote the mentoring scheme to clinical staff, highlighting benefits of mentoring |
| Broaden engagement of staff and students in ED&I and Athena SWAN. C&E proactively seeks to engage wider Department in consultation and delivery of Action Plan | Review C&E membership: Chair & Co-chair positions to be advertised every 3 years to ensure continuity of leadership and know-how. Co-chair positions to be phased to ensure continuity |
| Develop Standard operating Procedures and How to guides to improve understanding of the processes in the Department | Develop process flow maps for regularly used HR and finance processes to help new staff members |
| Further raise awareness of the Department / Faculty mentoring scheme within the: early career researcher community, professional and technical staff groups and student community | Feedback from mentees who have found the scheme beneficial to be publicised on our webpages |
| Improve engagement with annual PDRP | Monitor PDRP compliance rates |
| To improve the quality of leavers data within the Department | Examine Divisional processes to identify current best practice and formally implement across Department to ensure consistency in process |
| Broaden engagement of staff and students in ED&I and Athena SWAN. C&E proactively seeks to engage wider Department in consultation and delivery of Action Plan | Membership of wider C&E committee to be rotated annually |
| Broaden engagement of staff and students in ED&I and Athena SWAN. C&E proactively seeks to engage wider Department in consultation and delivery of Action Plan | Ensure equality in representation of BAME & LGBTQ+ in C&E committee |
| Improve engagement with annual PDRP | Enhance and update guidance on PRDP on Department webpage |
| Monitor uptake of paternity, shared parental and adoption leave and raise awareness of these schemes | Focus group with men to understand their awareness and perceptions of Imperial's family friendly policies and support available in the Department |
| Audit Recruitment & Selection training for all recruitment managers | Feedback to C&E committee on a quarterly basis regarding uptake of training |
| Raise with the College creation of PDRP profiles, taking into account different requirements and activities of postdoc role | By end of 2020 to have presented a proposal to the College with details of information that will be part of the profile |
| Promote the Managing Family Related Leave online course to staff and make it compulsory for all S&C managers | Review completion by S&C managers and remind staff to take up training as necessary |
| Audit Recruitment & Selection training for all recruitment managers | Non-compliant staff to be referred to HoD |
| Promote training related to ED&I, UB, harassment & bullying and active bystander to all staff and students | Create bespoke sessions for all staff in partnership with EDIC |
| Promote training related to ED&I, UB, harassment & bullying and active bystander to all staff and students | Continue to audit uptake of training courses by new and existing staff and students |
| Support for junior Clinical staff | Collaborate with Academy of Medical Sciences, RCP and Royal College Survey regarding clinical academic career development |
| Support for junior Clinical staff | In liaison with CATO to provide bespoke training courses aimed at junior clinical staff |
| Review grant application success rates and support offered to applicants | Explore with staff which methods of support are most effective and useful for improving grant applications. Identify specific measures to improve our current support systems |
| Review grant application success rates and support offered to applicants | Specific investigation into applications for funding from charities and how to support women applying for these |
| Objective | Actions to take |
|---|---|
| Leverage the central recording of committee membership and the data from the staff profiles to assess for any bias in workload distribution |
Analyse the distribution of teaching activities, committee memberships and formal college positions for any intersectional or gender bias as well as for any unfair burden on individuals. |
| To increase the gender balance in Surgery in partnership with Royal College of Surgeons England |
Work with the Royal College Surgeons ‘support women in surgery network’ and support their efforts to understand issues facing women in surgery |
| Develop Standard operating Procedures and How to guides to improve understanding of the processes in the Department |
Review and improve current C&E webpage to ensure information related to specific HR/ Grants/ finance processes are up-to-date |
|
Audit job descriptions and adverts for all academic posts for gender specific language and inclusion of the AS and Mumsnet logos |
Monitor recruitment material and advertisements to ensure AS logo and Mumsnet accreditation logo are displayed on all recruitment material |
|
To increase number of female academic applications |
Use conferences and external events to publicise the Department and our Athena SWAN activities to attract female candidates |
| Audit job descriptions and adverts for all academic posts for gender specific language and inclusion of the AS and Mumsnet logos |
Annual audit of all S&C adverts and to be reviewed by C&E committee |
| Develop strategies to overcome career barriers facing junior female Clinical Academics |
Fully analyse data from focus groups |
| Develop strategies to overcome career barriers facing junior female Clinical Academics |
Identify and/or develop strategies to help junior female academics to pursue an academic career |
| Employ 'the search committee' approaching order to target female candidates for recruitment especially at the more junior clinical academic levels |
Emulating an existing scheme from Department of Medicine. |
| Understand reasons and eliminate gender bias in discontinuation rates |
Education Manager to review why men & women have discontinued over the last 5 years; to report to C&E |
| Have a minimum of 1 female and 1 male panel member in all recruitment panels with 3 or more members |
Identify and/or develop strategies to help junior female academics to pursue an academic career |
| Gather feedback from recently promoted academics to improve departmental promotions support |
Showcase recently promoted academics to ensure staff interested in applying for promotions to hear first-hand experiences |
| Have a minimum of 1 female and 1 male panel member in all recruitment panels with 3 or more members |
Audit interview panel representation annually and present it to the C&E Committee to ensure that we are compliant with the objective |
| Gather feedback from recently promoted academics to improve departmental promotions support |
Organise annual focus group with recently promoted academics |
|
Audit Recruitment & Selection training for all recruitment managers |
Divisional Managers to ensure recruitment managers in their division are up-to-date with recruitment & selection training which must be within the last 5 years |
|
Gather feedback from recently promoted academics to improve departmental promotions support |
Implement a process of continual improvement in academic promotions process through feedback received |
|
To capture speaker data by gender |
Set up formal process to record speaker details for all department events including gender |
| Leverage the central recording of committee membership and the data from the staff profiles to assess for any bias in workload distribution |
Analyse the distribution of teaching activities, committee memberships and formal college positions for any intersectional or gender bias as well as for any unfair burden on individuals. |
| Investigate maternity return rates |
Identify leavers following period of maternity leave in past 5 years. Investigate reasons for leaving and if department could have supported individuals to stay on |
| Objective | Actions to take |
|---|---|
| Ensure gender balance on our PGT courses | Improve visibility of role models at student focused events e.g. open days, prospectus and S&C website |
| Understand reasons and eliminate gender bias in discontinuation rates | C&E to recommend actions to further support PhD students to completion |
|
Ensuring better gender balance on our BSc courses |
Gender disparity within courses - Reproductive and Developmental Science BSC female dominated (81% in 2017/18). Surgery & Anaesthesia tends to have more men (38% female in 2017/18) |
| Audit the uptake of the support and training offered to PhD students | Compile complete datasets of training and support activities including uptake by gender |
| Ensuring better gender balance on our BSc courses | Numbers are small but overall trend for last 5 years suggests higher female discontinuation rate than male. Monitor gender representation |
| Investigate and assessment practices; understand why men may be less likely to achieve 1st and seek actions to change | Working with course Directors to investigate assessment practices |
| Objective | Actions to take |
|---|---|
| Broaden engagement of staff and students in ED&I and Athena SWAN. C&E proactively seeks to engage wider Department in consultation and delivery of Action Plan |
C&E webpages continually updated to provide easy access to college procedures and Department policies around ED&I |
|
Raise profile of outreach activities undertaken by staff & students and improve data collection |
Recognition of outreach activities through monthly newsletter, blogs and C&E webpages |
| Broaden engagement of staff and students in ED&I and Athena SWAN. C&E proactively seeks to engage wider Department in consultation and delivery of Action Plan |
AS section on the monthly newsletter to include staff & student Q&As to improve engagement through inclusivity |
| Broaden engagement of staff and students in ED&I and Athena SWAN. C&E proactively seeks to engage wider Department in consultation and delivery of Action Plan |
Department away days & AS specific events to be used to deliver training to wider Department to enable better understanding of our activities and thereby further improving overall culture |
|
Gather feedback from recently promoted academics to improve departmental promotions support |
Update academic promotions page based on feedback to reflect enhanced and accurate process |
| Promote the Managing Family Related Leave online course to staff and make it compulsory for all S&C managers |
Promote course via newsletter, emails, Divisional board and C&E meeting |
| Review grant application success rates and support offered to applicants |
Explore with staff which methods of support are most effective and useful for improving grant applications. Identify specific measures to improve our current support systems |
|
To capture speaker data by gender |
C&E to review data annually and raise issues with event organisers where necessary |
| Audit the uptake of the support and training offered to PhD students |
Report findings of audit to C&E committee |
| Raise profile of outreach activities undertaken by staff & students and improve data collection |
Establish a database of participants and types of outreach events |
| Raise profile of outreach activities undertaken by staff & students and improve data collection |
Department to nominate at least one individual a year for College President's Societal Engagement award |
Committee membership
|
Members |
Position / Affiliation |
|
Prof Gina Brown |
Chair |
|
Ms Karina Aashamar |
Data Officer |
|
Mr Ahmed Ahmed |
Surgery – London Surgical Symposium |
|
Dr David Antcliffe |
CSL – APMIC |
|
Mr Rob Bell |
Athena SWAN Coordinator/Equalities Administrator |
|
Dr Ilaria Belluomo |
Research Associate |
|
Prof Charlotte Bevan |
Professor of Cancer Biology |
|
Dr Alison Cambrey |
Education Manager |
|
Ms Emma Carrington |
Clinical Senior Lecturer |
|
Mr Benjie Coleman |
Communications Officer |
|
Dr Valerio Converso |
Senior Analytical Scientist |
|
Prof Elizabeth Dick |
Professor of Practice Radiology |
|
Mr Chinmay Gupte |
CSL and Consultant Upper GI and General Surgeon |
|
Ms Dorcas Ishaya |
Departmental Operations Officer |
|
Ms Kathy Lewis |
Section Manager – Surgery |
|
Dr Nina Moderau |
Research Associate |
|
Ms Elsa Paul |
Departmental Manager |
|
Mr Chris Peters |
CSL and Consultant Upper GI and General Surgeon |
|
Ms Karen Pontifex |
Departmental Staff & Business Support Manager |
|
Mr Matt Ryan |
Divisional Manager – Cancer and APMIC |
|
Dr Katerina-Vanessa Savva |
Postgraduate Research Student |
|
Dr Paul Strutton |
Senior Lecturer |
|
Mr Nick Wood |
FoM Programme Manager – Data |
|
Mr Hailin Zhao |
Research Associate |
Join the Culture & Engagement Committee
Please contact Prof Gina Brown if you wish to join S&C's Culture & Engagement Committee.
