In 2020, Women in NEOMED (WiN) took the opportunity to transform their meetings to focus on community building, sharing stories of challenges and silver linings, and supported each other through sharing stories about life during the pandemic. The employee resource group partnered with human resources to provide input and insights into the Flexible Work Arrangement Policy which was updated in September 2020. This policy helped to support women and men to create better work-life integration models, which was particularly important during the changing and dynamic environment presented by the pandemic.
In February 2021, WIN celebrated the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Day through a virtual photo opportunity – uniting in supporting the sharing of heart health information with others to bring awareness to cardiovascular health.
Additionally, WIN has transitioned two new leaders into its leadership roles, Staff Co-Chair Mekal Banyasz, M.P.A., Research Coordinator in the Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence of the Department of Psychiatry and Secretary Liz Fredrickson, Pharm.D., BCPS, Director of Instructional Labs and Director of Alumni Relations, and Assistant Professor in the Departments of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Here is a bit more about our two new leaders:
Mekal Banyasz joined the Department of Psychiatry in June 2019 and serves as the Research Coordinator for the Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence (CJCCoE). She is currently working with the CJCCoE team and partners to strengthen and sustain Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs in Ohio by collaborating with CIT Coordinators and local law enforcement agencies to develop statewide platforms for CIT data collection. Mekal also directly supports budgets and grants management for the CJCCoE. She is passionate about continuous quality improvement and contributes to evaluation of ongoing projects and post-Sequential Intercept Model mapping exercises. Ms. Banyasz received her bachelor’s degree in Society, Ethics & Human Behavior from the University of Washington and a Master of Public Administration degree from the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. She is also active locally and is a commissioner for the Franklin Township Zoning Board.
Liz Fredrickson graduated from the NEOMED College of Pharmacy in 2014. In 2016, she joined the Department of Pharmacy Practice as an Assistant Professor and currently serves as Director of Instructional Labs and Director of Alumni Relations within the Office of Student Success. She is the course director for the compounding lab courses and is actively involved in numerous research projects and within many pharmacy organizations. As a student and current faculty member, she has benefited greatly from strong female mentorship at NEOMED and is excited to serve as Secretary to continue to promote the important mission of this organization.
-Submitted by Jackie Boyle