WISMAC Initiatives
Part of WISMAC’s mission is to help advance the careers of rising scientists and physicians at UT Southwestern. To do this, we endeavor to connect trainees and junior faculty and physicians with opportunities, resources, and information.
Career Development
The Office of Faculty Development provides links to videos and information on workshops designed to explain the promotion and tenure process and the requirements for each academic track: the clinician, clinician educator, clinical scholar, tenure accruing and research tracks.
There is also a detailed description of the university’s criteria for promotion and Tenure for each track (FAC-351), which includes a link to FAC-301 that provides detailed information about tenure, including the time allotment for accomplishing this and the opportunity to extend this time period.
Promotion & Tenure Salary Equity (PDF) Mentoring & Networking
Menstrual Hygiene Products
WISMAC created this program to promote health equity for all UTSW students. The financial burden of tuition, housing, textbooks, and other essentials is already high—menstruation should not be another barrier to education. MHPs, like toilet paper and hand soap, are basic necessities, not luxury items.
A survey conducted by WISMAC student representatives in August 2024 found that among 105 UTSW medical students, 38% had to leave a mandatory school event because they lacked access to MHPs. This highlights the urgent need for accessible and free menstrual products to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment.
The Pilot Program
To address this issue, WISMAC medical students partnered with:
- Dr. Sherry C. Huang, Vice Provost and Senior Associate Dean for Education
- Holly G. Crawford, Executive Vice President for Business Affairs
- The Offices of Student Affairs and Student Empowerment & Engagement (for logistical support)
Together, they launched a three-month pilot program (January–April 2025) to provide free MHPs across campus. Moving forward, WISMAC aims to expand access to North, East, and West campuses and ensure the program’s long-term sustainability.
This initiative is a critical step toward normalizing menstrual health discussions and supporting all students in their educational journey at UTSW.
The WISMAC medical student representatives leading the free MHP initiative include Abhi Deverakonda (Class of 2027), Naitra Ramchander and Celine Wei (Class of 2028), Munevver Duran (Class of 2026), and Hareena Sangha (Class of 2025), along with Shweta Sridhar (Class of 2024). They have been supported by WISMAC medical student advisor, May Lau, M.D.
Alliance of Woman Scientists for Female Graduate Students and Postdocs
The Alliance of Women Scientists (AWS) at UTSW is a group of women in STEM who provide networking opportunities, career seminars, and workshops focused on promoting and supporting female trainees. Our monthly seminars feature female speakers in a variety of careers: teacher, professor, entrepreneur, industry, consulting, core director, and administration to name a few. We actively seek women who are URMs (Underrepresented Minorities) to come speak to our trainees.
In addition, AWS believes good leadership strives to provide a better future through mentorship, outreach, and science communication. We partner with a local all-girl’s STEM high school, Irma Rangel to mentor female students and inform them about potential STEM careers via monthly career panels. We promote #WomenInScience and all AWS activities through our Twitter account @AWS_UTSW.
If you have any questions, you can contact the graduate student, postdoctoral, or MSTP WISMAC representatives via email.
Travel Awards
Every year WISMAC provides travel awards to two graduate students, postdoctoral trainees or clinical fellows to attend scientific meetings. WISMAC has recruited almost 60 judges to assess the posters in both clinical and basic science areas.
