Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) has been recognised for its commitment to gender equality in higher education and research by achieving the Gold Award as part of the Athena Swan Charter.
The Athena Swan Charter was established in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine in higher education and research and was expanded in May 2015 to aim for gender equality for all staff in all subject areas in academia, in professional and support roles, and for trans staff and students.
BSMS was awarded a Bronze Award in 2015 and then Silver in 2018 following its commitment to addressing gender equality in the areas of representation, career progression and working environment.
In 2021, BSMS formed a new Equality, Diversity and Staff Development group, which is made up of staff from all parts of the school. Inclusivity reps were also recruited from the student body to ensure student voices are heard too. The creation of a core Athena Swan team consisting of Ceri Butler, Academic Lead for Athena Swan, Suze Cruttwell, Equality and Diversity Project Officer, and Ellen Thomas, Assistant Data Analyst drawing in expertise from Elaney Youssef and Richard de Visser, was central to the success of the application.
Commenting on the award, Ceri Butler and Suze Cruttwell said: “Achieving our Gold Award has been a significant achievement for the whole medical school. An important aspect of the application was our approach to addressing intersectional inequalities and disadvantages looking across gender, ethnicity, disability and other relevant characteristics. We recognise that this award is not the end point but part of our vision to ensure that BSMS remains inclusive and justice-oriented.”
Malcolm Reed, Dean of BSMS, said: “This award specifically recognises the changes made following our previous silver award and strongly encourages us to continue to work hard in order to maintain this progress. A key feature of our submission was the recognition and steps to address the intersectionality of issues relating to gender, ethnicity, disability and other relevant characteristics, and this features strongly in our action plan for future implementation. We will continue to focus on this work, and I recognise that there remains much to do in future to improve the experience of BSMS for our colleagues and students.”
Professor Debra Humphris, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Brighton, added: “I would like to extend my congratulations to all my colleagues at BSMS and all those involved in achieving this key milestone. Inclusivity is one of our key values here at Brighton, and I am proud to see this reflected in the incredibly hard work by the Equality, Diversity and Staff Development team. A Gold is the highest level of award that can be given and recognises exceptional progress in embedding equality throughout an institution. While there is always more to be done in ensuring an inclusive experience for everyone, this is an important moment for the school – well done to all.”
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