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Department of Women’s Empowerment & Mentoring

Although women have been admitted[1]to the studies at the University of Innsbruck for more than 120 years and after almost 20 years of statutorily regulated women’s promotion, the structural barriers for women – key word “glass ceiling” – are still prevailing. The phenomenon of the “Leaky Pipeline” – meaning the decreasing presence of women with each step of the scientific career ladder – is particularly apparent especially in the field of Medicine. The gap between the predominantly female students and the percentage of women that can enter the clinical and/or scientific junior careers widens increasingly on the way to habilitation and evidently manifests itself in a still minor percentage of female chairs and female chief physician.

The objective of the Department of Women’s Empowerment & Mentoring is hence to at least diminish this “gap” in the university career trajectory and to sustainably support and systematically promote the academic careers of women by

• improving the career opportunities of women in the field of Medicine and increasing the percentage of female executives at the Medical University of Innsbruck
• promoting academic careers of dedicated female physicians and female junior scientists
• establishing systems of relationships and promoting access to networks for women
• establishing structural conditions that encourage women to increasingly show and use their knowledge, potential and skills.

The services of the Department of Women’s Empowerment & Mentoring focus on the conception, planning, organization and the support of mentoring program guidelines and of specific advanced training offers with the objective of promoting the career and personal development, consulting in and supporting with career planning as well as aiming at horizontal & vertical networking and (self) empowerment for female and male physicians and female and male scientists in the field of Medicine.

_{[1]Since 1990, admission of women to the studies at the (then) Medical Faculty of the University of Innsbruck; in 1921, completion of a course of study of the first female regular degree student at the Medical Faculty of Innsbruck - Dr.}ⁱⁿ _{Ehrentraut Lanner was the first woman, who completed her whole course of study at the Medical Faculty in Innsbruck.}

Helene Wastl Medical Mentoring-Program
Consultation, support and (self) empowerment by experienced female and male mentors, career program for female (and male) mentees for professional and personal development and sustainable networking of female physicians in their specialized training (specialist registrar), female post doctorands, female participants in postgraduate programs (PhD) and female habilitation candidates.

Career promotion, Personal development & Networking
An offer of a comprehensive, interdisciplinary program for workshops and advanced training to systematically promote careers, networking and personal development with regard to gender and diversity aspects for all interested female and male physicians and female and male (junior) scientists of the Medical University of Innsbruck.  

Further information:

Mentoring
Objectives and benefits
Helene Wastl Medizin Mentoring-Program
                   Participation as female Mentee
                   Application
                   Female mentors
                   Helene Wastl
                   Helene Wastl Club