Women earn more than half of the life sciences Ph.D.s awarded each year, but only a small number of women rise to leadership positions in the field. Why the disparity? Denise Inman, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences and the director of the Integrated Pharmaceutical Medicine program at NEOMED, will address this issue with her keynote address at the Vision Research Scientific Forum being held at NEOMED’s Cook Alumni Hall from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 17. The event, which is open to the public, is being presented by NEOMED and the Ohio chapter of Prevent Blindness.
Dr. Inman’s address will focus on what she has learned throughout her career and how those lessons can be imparted to the next generation of researchers. One of the primary lessons Dr. Inman plans to share is that Ph.D. students need to think broadly while they are working towards their degrees. Knowing that academic positions are limited, students should consider how their work applies to other fields, such as bio-tech, research analysis, patent law and even scientific writing.
“It can be easy to only focus on the near-term while in a Ph.D. program,” said Dr. Inman. “Students need to look five to 10 years down the road. It really makes all the difference.” Dr. Inman suggests that students strategically set aside time to build their network and maintain relationships, as ways to prepare for the varied directions their careers could take.
At the Nov. 17 Forum, College of Graduate Studies student Emily Plyler will present her research on glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease, using the opportunity to explain complex subject matter to a general audience. Plyer, a Ph.D. candidate who recently passed her candidacy exam, works in the lab of Samuel Crish, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences. She is one of two scientists honored with the Prevent Blindness 2017 Young Investigator Student Fellowship Award for Female Scholars in Vision Research.
“This event allows the NEOMED community to engage with developing scientists who are doing compelling work,” said Dr. Inman. “It’s also about supporting women in science while they are young, and giving them opportunities to take on leadership roles that will benefit them greatly in the future.”
For information on attending the Vision Research Scientific Forum, contact Laura Schwartz at lauras@pbohio.org or 614.464.2020, ext. 112.