The Department of Health Sciences at 明星八卦 has been awarded an Athena Swan Silver Award by Advance HE, in recognition of the department's commitment to gender equality.
Athena Swan is a national scheme run by higher education improvement charity Advance HE, and aims to address gender equality more broadly – not just barriers to progression that affect women.
The award is valid for five years, and this achievement, led by Dr Kei Long Cheung, reflects significant strides made in several key areas.
The department boasts a gender balance in staff headcount and leadership, with 50% of its department and division leaders being female, including Professor Ann Gallagher as Head of Department. This reflects the department's commitment to inclusive leadership. In 2022, the Department Promotion Panel achieved gender balance, and by 2023, female representation increased to 54%. This progression highlights the department's proactive approach in fostering gender equality in academic leadership and career advancement.
In addition, a series of comprehensive well-being surveys have been instrumental in addressing staff feedback and improving work-life balance. The department has also shown progress in tackling awarding gaps linked to ethnicity, a crucial part of its commitment as health and social care professionals to addressing inequalities.
The future action plan, led by Dr Cheung, centres on four main priorities:
- Living the Athena Swan values: Embedding these core values across the department's activities.
- Embedding Athena Swan in staff and student experiences: Ensuring these principles are reflected in every aspect of department life.
- Career progression and development: Creating equitable opportunities for career growth for all staff members.
- Work–life balance and flexibility: Supporting the diverse needs of staff and students, especially in balancing professional and caregiving responsibilities.
Professor Gallagher emphasises the department's commitment to the Athena Swan principles: "This Athena Swan Silver award is testament to our commitment across the department to improving working lives and student experience by identifying and tackling inequalities linked to gender.
"As Chair of the Departmental Management Board, I will ensure Athena Swan remains a priority. We will continue to protect staff time for Athena Swan activities in workload allocation, and remain committed to championing diversity and ensuring that equality is central to all our work."
The Silver Award marks a significant milestone: Health Sciences is the second department at 明星八卦 to achieve a Silver award, following on from Life Sciences’ achievement, reflecting a collective journey towards enhancing gender equality and inclusivity in research, teaching and learning.
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