Prof. Dr. med. Sylvia Thun, Wissenschaftlicher Beirat Medizinische Informatik mibeg-Institut; © BIH

Sie gehört selbst zu den Spitzenforscherinnen: Die Ärztin und Ingenieurin Prof. Dr. med. Sylvia Thun ist Director of eHealth and Interoperability am Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) Charité & MDC und Vorstand des Wissenschaftlichen Beirats Medizinische Informatik und Clinical Data Management am mibeg-Institut Medizin. Sie hat gemeinsam mit anderen Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern eine Publikation über »Frauen in der digitalen Zukunft der Medizin und Gesundheitswirtschaft« veröffentlicht.

Der Anteil von Frauen in Spitzenposition der medizinischen Forschung und der medizinischen und pflegerischen Gesundheitsversorgung insgesamt ist immer noch beschämend gering, und es ist an der Zeit, zu einem neuen Aufbruch zu kommen.

Dass die Möglichkeiten für Frauen in Forschung und gesundheitlicher Versorgung in leitenden Positionen mitzuarbeiten, oft mit einfachen Regelungen befördert werden kann, zeigen zehn Hinweise des Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign auf, die aktuell in der Harvard Business Review veröffentlicht wurden.

• In the meetings you manage and attend, pay attention to different communication styles. Make sure everyone has the opportunity to speak and nobody is regularly interrupted.
• Give credit where credit is due. Identify and acknowledge where ideas originate. Don’t be distracted by who speaks loudest or last.
• Find out what flexible work options exist within your organization and try one out as a way of demonstrating your support. Speak up if you hear colleagues disparage those who utilize flexible work arrangements.
• Shift regular meetings to begin after 9 AM and end before 5 PM. This will prevent individuals with child or elder care responsibilities from having to make special arrangements to participate.
• Plan your next social or offsite mindfully, avoiding typically male or female venues. Consider lunch or late afternoon activities so as not to exclude people who can’t easily attend after hours
• Don’t make assumptions about what challenges or roles employees might be willing to undertake. Ask them — and then actively support their choices.
• Commit to recruiting and considering at least three qualified candidates for your next job opening who would diversify your team in some substantial way.
• Become a mentor for a high-performing woman (or help her find one who’s a good fit). Mentors (both male and female) play a key role in encouraging and empowering women to advance in their careers.
• Start or join an initiative to tackle gender diversity within your organization at a more systemic level. Unsure where to start? Consider addressing the hiring and/or promotion process, which are typically the most significant contributors to workplace gender gaps.
• Recruit at least one male colleague to join the initiative with you. Research has shown that when men get involved in diversity initiatives, the company makes greater progress toward gender parity.