WEST Wisdom Blog

Preposterous Stigmas Resulting in Mental Health Epidemic for Women in STEM

Posted by Courtney Cyron on May 18, 2023 1:27:25 PM

Mental health struggles can happen to anyone. Being in a negative situation for too long is bound to have its effects, and sometimes it takes a lot of work to undo that damage. In many cases, mental health struggles are a result of one specific situation, or a toxic boss or co-worker, something easy to pinpoint. In STEM, that can be true, but even more so, women have seen a higher rate of mental health struggles because of more industry-wide issues. There’s still a stigma, in some places, that women don’t belong in STEM professions or that women are not going to be as smart or as well-educated as men. 

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Topics: Gender Balance, STEM, STEM, Gender Balance, Communication, Community, Choice, Resilience, Mentoring, Coaching, Culture, Networking, Discussion, Mindfulness, Change, Collaboration, Emotional Intelligence, Self-Awareness, Empathy, Gender Pay Gap, Confidence, Challenges, Career Development, Empowerment, Mentor, Inclusion, Diversity, Organizational Culture, Corporate Culture, D&I, Gender Parity, Equity, STEM Women, STEM Leadership, Female Representation STEM, Hiring Women in STEM, Strong Women

Are you the science type? A conversation with women in science

Posted by Jennifer Assily on Dec 6, 2021 4:17:06 PM

On December 9, 2021 at 6:15 p.m., WEST is hosting a free panel discussion to help answer questions like, "what does it mean to be 'the science type'?" and, "how can you recognize your strengths and interests?" Whether you're in high school and beginning to think about your college and career options or an adult pursuing your career as a scientist, this discussion of learning, recognizing your talents, handling adversity, and helping others pursue their own talents will have something for you. You can sign up to join the discussion on WEST's website.

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Topics: Gender Balance, STEM, Gender Balance, Women, Science, Career, Community, Mentoring, Success, Inspire, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Innovation, Professional, Discussion, Resources, Interactive, Change, Making a Difference, Tools, Inspiration, Career Path, Leading Ourselves, Self-Awareness, Empathy, Focus, Insight, Personal Branding, Strengths, Values, Support, Storytelling, Impact, Career Development, Own It, Empowerment, Mentor, Learn, Outreach, Advocate, Stereotypes, Inclusion, Self-Reflection, Diversity, #WESTevent, Voice, #WESTorg, D&I, Gender Parity, Webinar, Personality, Grow, goals, Equity, STEM Women, Female Representation STEM

The Great Resignation of Women in STEM

Posted by Dawn Diperi on Oct 26, 2021 2:12:45 PM
By now you may have heard about the great resignation but if you haven’t it’s the shift from an employer’s market to a candidate’s market and there are now more jobs than there are people to fill them. Companies are especially struggling to attract and retain female employees and this is especially concerning in the STEM fields where womxn are already grossly underrepresented. This blog post attempts to outline what womxn are looking for in a post-pandemic world and how companies can modify their policies to recruit, mentor, retain and promote top talent while addressing burnout and supporting women who are still feeling the effects of the pandemic.  
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Topics: Best Practices, Leadership, Women, Career, Awards, Community, Resilience, Mentoring, Success, Women in STEM, Professional, Resources, Change, Tools, Empathy, Values, Support, Leaders, Impact, Career Development, Learn, #WESTorg, STEM Women, Retaining Talent, STEM Leadership, Female Representation STEM, Hiring Women in STEM

How to Be Inclusive when Differences are Less Visible

Posted by Jennifer Assily on Oct 4, 2021 3:42:21 PM

Join WEST and Ipsen on Tuesday, October 5th for a panel discussion, “How to Be Inclusive when Differences are Less Visible.” Cristina Almansa, the Head of Clinical Development and Medical Scientific Affairs at Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, will moderate this conversation with panelists who have broad and deep experience advocating for themselves and others in a variety of professional contexts. Stacey Brewer, Senior Oncology Educator at Ipsen and Paula Cobb, CBO at Affinia Therapeutics will share insights on how to be inclusive of less visible differences. You can sign up to attend the panel and other upcoming WEST events here on the WEST website. 

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Topics: Best Practices, Leadership, Women, Career, Community, Resilience, Success, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Professional, Discussion, Resources, Interactive, Change, Making a Difference, Tools, Leading Ourselves, Empathy, Focus, Insight, Values, Support, Leaders, Impact, Career Development, Empowerment, Learn, Advocate, Inclusion, Diversity, #WESTevent, Voice, #WESTorg, D&I, Gender Parity, Webinar, goals, LGBTQIA+, Disability

The time to master your virtual communication skills is Now

Posted by Chiara Maffei on Nov 30, 2020 8:45:00 AM

Being able to communicate, and to do it effectively, is probably the most important of all life skills. As human beings and social animals we urge to communicate to others, as this enables us to pass information, to understand, and to be understood. While this is a very natural process, communication skills may take a lifetime to master and nobody would argue against the fact that we can all become better at this, at any point.

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Topics: Leadership, Women, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Relationships, Interactive, Developing Your Skills, Empathy, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Webinar

Leading with Empathy

Posted by Rosalina Torcivia on Nov 9, 2020 8:15:00 AM

Leadership is a big responsibility, and connecting with the people we lead is essential for success. Empathy helps leaders create stronger connections, especially now during the Pandemic. People are going through their own struggles during this Pandemic, and we now have a window into our coworkers’ lives while working remotely. In a time when we are isolated from others, we need to connect with people in every way we can. All of us are going through the same crisis together and this allows us to support and lean on one another.

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Topics: Leadership, Women, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Relationships, Interactive, Developing Your Skills, Empathy, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Webinar

How to interrupt the implicit bias feedback loop

Posted by Diana K. Anderson on Oct 15, 2019 5:02:00 PM

It’s impossible not to have implicit bias—and that doesn’t make you a bad person. 

Just a human being. Also known as unconscious bias, it is exactly that, unconscious. You’re not aware of it. We’ve been talking about unconscious bias for a while now; but being aware of the concept is only the first step. Only after acknowledging that we all have implicit bias, can you disrupt it. And unpacking implicit bias is like brushing your teeth. You’ll need to keep doing it for the rest of your life; but staying on top of it makes it easier and far more effective.

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Topics: Events, Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Developing Your Skills, Self-Awareness, Empathy, Bias, Inclusion, Women in Business, Be Fearless, Be Brave, D&I

Courage – the key to leading yourself with confidence

Posted by WEST Board Member on Jan 10, 2018 9:20:00 AM
Fear of failure and the unknown can sabotage your life’s journey and prevent you from reaching your full potential. Through heightened self awareness and knowledge of your strengths you can take the personal responsibility of owning your life and courageously step forward out of your comfort zone.  
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Topics: Events, Leadership, STEM, Women, Career, Community, Life, Resilience, Cambridge, Women in STEM, Networking, Upcoming Events, Lead, Leading Ourselves, Emotional Intelligence, Developing Your Skills, Self-Awareness, Empathy

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