Athena Swan activity in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences (HLS) has been engaged with the Athena Swan charter since 2015. The journey began when the Leicester School of Pharmacy assembled a team from the school and wider faculty to analyse and tackle issues in the school related to gender equality using the Athena Swan self-assessment framework and core principles. The Faculty can now celebrate Bronze awards for the Leicester School of Pharmacy (awarded in 2018) and the Leicester School of Nursing and Midwifery (awarded in 2021). With a dedicated Athena Swan Project Officer and Academic Faculty Athena Swan Champion, each School within the Faculty is supported with developing submissions/resubmissions for an Athena Swan award as part of the ongoing strategic aim of dismantling barriers and building pathways for all staff and students.
The Leicester School of Pharmacy
The Leicester School of Pharmacy successfully obtained a bronze award in November 2018 making it the first school in Â鶹´«Ã½ to not just submit for an award but to do so successfully. The school is currently implementing the submissions ambitious five-year action plan, which runs from November 2018 to November 2023.
View a copy of the school’s submission and action plan.
The Leicester School of Nursing and Midwifery
The Leicester School of Nursing and Midwifery is now the second school in both the Faculty and University to achieve an Athena Swan bronze award following a successful submission made in May 2021. The School’s journey began in 2019 when an Athena Swan working group was established. The working group rigorously adopted the Athena Swan self-assessment and data collection framework, and consulted with the School’s staff and student population to inform the submission. The group will now oversee the implementation of a progressive five-year action plan, the most important element of any submission.
View the school’s submission and action plan.
The School of Applied Social Sciences
An Athena Swan working group was established in the School of Applied Social Sciences in 2019. Since forming, the working group has adopted the Athena Swan self-assessment and data collection framework, and consulted with the school’s staff and student population to inform an award application on track for submission in January 2022.
The School of Allied Health Sciences
The School is now well underway in its Athena Swan journey. With an Athena Swan lead recently appointed within the School, a working group is currently being assembled. Data collection, and staff and student consultation will soon commence.
2020 Conference
The inaugural HLS Athena Swan themed conference took place in November 2020 with a diverse set of speakers from both Â鶹´«Ã½ and external institutions. The conference title was “Dismantling barriers – Building pathways”, an ongoing theme that succinctly summarises the faculty’s aims of engaging with Athena Swan.
View a copy of the conference agenda.
You can also view a poster produced for the conference by Leisa Nichols-Drew (Leicester School of Pharmacy) and the Leicester School of Pharmacy Athena Swan working group. The poster does an excellent job of summarising the school's approach to academic citizenship.
Lectures
Regular HLS Athena Swan themed lectures take place throughout the academic year. Keep an eye on @HLSdiversityÂ鶹´«Ã½ where details on upcoming events will be posted.
- “Dismantling the Barriers” women in leadership discussion panel from the Leicester School of Pharmacy
- “Gender Inequalities in Health” by Dr Nicola Ward from the Leicester School of Pharmacy
- “Managing imposter syndrome in HE: an individual or a structural problem?” by Professor Nicky Hudson from the School of Applied Social Sciences
- "The Problem with Toxic Masculinity" panel discussion with Ellen Wright, Geoffrey Hughes, Shardia Briscoe-Palmer, and Victoria Knight, chaired by Momodou Sallah
- “Black female academics in HE: Are we closing the gap?” by Professor Bertha Ochieng from the Leicester School of Nursing and Midwifery