Committee on Women in Medicine and Science (COWIMS)
(Left-Right): Kim Insua de la Cruz, MD, Meg Keeley, MD, Ling Qi, PhD, Sue Pollart, MD, Dean Melina Kibbe, MD, Lynn McDaniel, MD, Kate McManus, MD, Evelyn Aboagye, MD, Ourania Preventza, MD, Alyssa Mixon, DO, Adanna Akujuo, MD, Kathryn Xixis, MD, Debora Ferreira, MD, Subhashis Banerjee, PhD
Mission
The UVA Committee on Women in Medicine & Science (COWIMS) promotes and enables the representation, development, and contributions of all individuals.
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Who We Are
Dr. Kate McManus, Chair of COWIMS
“I have a longstanding passion and interest in helping to achieve gender equity in medicine and science and in empowering women in these fields. Women in medicine and science who are empowered, encouraged, and valued improves the retention of key talent who are essential to making UVA a Great and Good university. I look forward to the opportunity to enthusiastically contribute my passion and expertise to drive significant progress towards achieving the committee’s strategic goals.” ~Kate McManus, MD
Dr. McManus joined the University of Virginia Health System and School of Medicine (SOM) in 2010, completed her Internal Medicine residency, and served as a chief resident year and Infectious Diseases fellowship at UVA. She joined the Department of Medicine (DOM) faculty as an inaugural iTHRIV Faculty Scholar in July 2017. Dr. McManus has been an active member of the SOM DOM Women in Internal Medicine Network (WIMN) group since its inception in 2015 and has served as a co-chair of the group since 2019. We are grateful for the leadership experience on behalf of women faculty that Dr. McManus brings to this position and know her experience as a faculty member active in all mission areas will greatly benefit our faculty members.
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- Kendall Bromley, Co-president coWIMS
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- Katie Kraichely, Medical Scientist Training Program; AFFIRM Co-president
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- Caroline Riedstra, Co-president coWIMS
Advocacy and Awards
Professional Development
Data Analytics
Programming/Events
Media
News
School of Medicine women Assistant Professors: Applications are now open for the AAMC’s Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar. For details, see the AAMC’s announcement, below.
For this conference, the Committee on Women in Medicine and Science is thrilled to offer a Leadership Development Travel Award, in the amount of up to $1,000, for to up to four women faculty who are accepted to participate in the AAMC’s Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar.
To apply for this travel award, please SUBMIT AN APPLICATION HERE, and include a PDF copy of your AAMC Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar application and curriculum vitae at the time of your seminar application.
If you are selected to attend the Seminar and selected to receive the Leadership Development Travel Award, COWIMS requests that you prepare a summary describing what you learned while participating in the Seminar, and present it to (1) the SOM community and (2) your department at a department faculty meeting. COWIMS will send additional details, upon notifying you of your receipt of this award.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Kate McManus, Chair of the Committee on Women in Medicine and Science. Please see the note below for details about the seminar and eligibility (women faculty with a minimum of two years of experience, appointed on/before July 2023) as an Assistant Professor.
Apply here
COWIMS Woman of the Month Series
The COWIMS Woman of the Month feature is a once monthly series designed to highlight those who have exerted influence in fostering a better environment for women and gender minority colleagues through advocacy or action.
COWIMS Honors Dr. Anne Sperling as June’s Woman of the Month for Excellence in Lung Immunology and Dedication to Science Education
The Committee on Women in Medicine and Science (COWIMS) is proud to recognize Anne Sperling, PhD, as June’s Woman of the Month.
Dr. Sperling, a Professor of Medicine, holds joint appointments in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology and the Carter Immunology Center. She is being honored for her groundbreaking research in lung immunology and her enduring commitment to scientific education and mentorship.
Dr. Sperling’s research program focuses on the roles of the immune system in lung diseases such as asthma, lung injury, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. She has made important discoveries about how the “farm effect” protects children from asthma, how dendritic cells drive T cell responses, how allergic responses occur in the lungs, and how the immune response impacts lung injury and the progression of pulmonary fibrosis.
Pulmonary and Critical Care Division Chief, Dr. Imre Noth comments, “one of the best things I did was to recruit Dr. Sperling to UVA. Dr. Sperling brought with her years of experience in training the next generation of scientists, both PhDs, and MDs. In addition to being an absolutely world class immunologist, with a track record of impact on the fields of Asthma and ILD, she has also taken on significant training roles within the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care and the Department of Medicine. Her steady hand and invaluable insights have meant a lot to our junior faculty as they navigate their way in this currently very challenging scientific environment. Specifically, she functions as the Vice Chair for Research for the division and is a tireless advocate for women in both medicine and science, in general. In addition to co-chairing or grant writing seminars, she has spent endless hours one-on-one with faculty to help in their grants and in their science in general. She’s also picked up the responsibility of leading the T32 for Berne Carter Immunology Center. Many of the faculty have walked into my office to applaud the work she has done and let me know about the direct impact she has had. It’s no surprise to me at all, as I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Anne for 30 years. Her talents were just recognized at the American Thoracic Society meeting in San Francisco this past week with the Recognition Award for Scientific Achievements, which was richly deserved. She is an absolute role model and we are fortunate to have her here at UVA.”
Dr. Sperling exemplifies the spirit of innovation, mentorship, and advocacy that COWIMS seeks to honor and we thank her for setting a great example to all women in medicine and science.
If you would like to nominate a future COWIMS Woman of the Month, click here.
Resources
May 21, 2024, COWIMS held an AAMC Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar: Sharing about the Application Process & Seminar Highlights. Recent UVA faculty attendees of the AAMC Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar shared insights about the application process and seminar highlights. This session was intended to be helpful for women who are considering any of the AAMC conferences for women faculty and mentors/sponsors who want to know more about the process and the benefits. Learn more about AAMC here. A recording of the session can be found here.
