A Pilot Program to Address Gendered Expectations of Faculty Service
The Office of Diversity and Leadership at the Medical School is piloting a program, Academic Biomedical Career Customization (ABCC), to increase flexibility in the faculty career track. This program is designed to support faculty in managing the many demands on their time at home and at work. Work-life conflicts have been broadly discussed in the literature, but work-work conflicts, created by the multiple demands of research, teaching, clinical care, and service/administration, are also a source of significant stress for faculty. This is exacerbated by perceived differences in the value placed on the different academic missions. The ABCC pilot program is designed to alleviate both work-life and work-work conflicts. One issue I will highlight is the potential for programs like ABCC to address the gendered expectations of faculty service that have been described in the literature.
Jennifer Raymond is an Associate Professor of Neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.