Life Sciences

Supporting and developing our community

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 Silver award.  

This committee is working towards the Athena SWAN Gold award in 2023 by building on our successful 2018 Silver application key areas:

Culture & Engagement Action plan

Improving Staff Support​, Development and Mentorship

Improved Staff Support
ObjectiveActions 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
 
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Improved Male:Female Staff Ratios (Clinical & Non-Clinical)

Improved Male:Female Staff Ratios (Clinical & Non-Clinical)
ObjectiveActions 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

 
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Improved Taught Course Gender Balance

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ObjectiveActions 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 
 
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Improving Communication​

Improved Communication
ObjectiveActions 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

 
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Committee membership

Committee Members

MembersAffiliation
Chris Peters Division of Surgery
Gina Brown Division of Surgery
Hector Keun Division of Cancer
Ahmed Ahmed Division of Surgery
Farah Al-Beidh Division of Surgery
Rob Bell  Imperial College London Centre
Ilaria Belluomo Division of Surgery
Charlotte Bevan Division of Cancer
Aoibheann Byrne Department of Surgery & Cancer
Alison Cambrey Department of Surgery & Cancer
Benjie Coleman  Department of Surgery & Cancer
Chimnay Gupte Division of Surgery
Tyson Harcombe Department of Surgery & Cancer
Sheraz Markar Division of Surgery
Nina Moderau Division of Cancer
Jaya Nautiyal Division of Surgery
Elsa Paul  Department of Surgery & Cancer
Paula Phillips Faculty of Medicine Centre
Karen Pontifex Department of Surgery & Cancer
Matt Ryan Division of Cancer/Division of APMIC
Katerina-Vanessa Savva Division of Surgery
Paul Strutton Division of Surgery
Tony Tarragona  Division of Surgery
Maniccam Thavarajah  Division of Surgery
Vessela Vassileva  Division of Cancer
Nick Wood Faculty of Medicine Centre
Seema Yalamanchili Institute of Global Health Innovation
Hailin Zhao Division of APMIC
 
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