Barbara Jung Gender Equity Champion Awards
Congratulations to the inaugural recipients of the Barbara Jung Gender Equity Champion Awards: Dr. Alison Bays, assistant professor (Rheumatology) and Dr. Pavan Bhatraju, associate professor (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine). Dr. Jung presented the awards at Medicine Grand Rounds today.
These awards recognize and celebrate individuals who are dedicated to supporting the success of and advancing women and gender minorities in medicine through mentorship, leadership, advocacy, teaching and/or research.
Alison Bays
Dr. Alison Bays is an assistant professor in the Division of Rheumatology.
She is an incredible mentor, especially in her unwavering support of women and minorities as they advance in their careers. She has been instrumental in helping junior faculty move forward, always championing gender equity within the division.
She demonstrates exceptional leadership and advocacy through her active involvement in key roles, including serving on the fellowship selection committee and our division's DEI initiative. Her advocacy extends beyond formal positions - she consistently puts forward names of qualified women and minorities for opportunities that will help advance their careers.
What sets her apart is her courage to speak up in meetings, whether advocating for fair work conditions or addressing inappropriate behavior and discrimination head-on.
Dr. Bays has created meaningful educational opportunities that advance gender equity. She consistently makes an effort to include women and minorities in research projects, helping build their academic portfolios.
Her recently established "Clinical Research Meeting" has been a game-changer - everyone who participates has given great feedback about how helpful these bimonthly sessions are for getting input on their projects.
Pavan Bhatraju
Dr. Pavan Bhatraju is an associate professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine.
He has long been an advocate and supporter of women/gender minority individuals through his consistent engagement while serving as a member of the gender equity council from 2021-2024.
Specifically, Pavan assisted in the development, piloting and subsequent roll-out of the Leadership in Faculty Trajectory (LIFT) program which was implemented with the goal to improve communication and transparency around the promotion process. The LIFT program aims to create formal routes for advice, dialogue and sponsorship that can help faculty feel more prepared for the promotions process and more supported in their career development.
He also takes a proactive interest in mentoring trainees at different levels of training from college students to post-doctoral fellows. Recognizing that he is not a woman and also not considered underrepresented in medicine (URiM), he makes an intentional effort to mentor those who are URiM and tries to help develop a diverse mentoring team for the mentee.
Dr. Bhatraju is an outspoken proponent of term limits, providing more opportunities for people to lead who may not traditionally be chosen, thus opening up the door for more gender equity in leadership positions.