Grace De Souza, DDS, MSc, PhD, an associate professor with the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry, wants to raise awareness about the impact of gender-based discrimination on the careers of female scientists, which she says is ubiquitous.
Even the language used in reference letters can lead to bias against women, De Souza said, adding that her eyes were opened when she attended a University of Toronto workshop on anti-discrimination and unconscious bias in grant reviews.
That led De Souza to get involved with the Women in Science Network, a subgroup of the International Association of Dental Research (IADR), which has more than 10,000 members worldwide.
“There is a mindset that needs to change. The least we can do is open up a conversation,” said De Souza, who was elected vice president of the network in January and is now holding those conversations on a world stage.
The Women in Science Network formed in 2011 after a review conducted by the IADR showed that, despite gains, women in science continue to face barriers to equal pay, tenure, and grant success. They also receive significantly fewer major recognitions.
Now boasting more than 300 active members from institutions across North America and internationally, the network organizes events throughout the year designed to bring greater awareness to gender barriers such as leadership and propose strategies to dismantle them.
“Historically, we may have seen an increase of women in dentistry, in academia, but not in leadership roles,” said De Souza, who added that the situation may be starting to change in part due to network members’ efforts to improve equal gender representation.
Current and past presidents of the IADR are women, for instance, though only 10 women have been elected to its leadership in its one-hundred-year history. The first took office in 1981, and the second was elected in 1999. The IADR centennial meeting this month will host a mentorship event to help more women step into leadership positions.
A large part of the network’s mandate is to organize events that prompt dialogue on issues of gender. For example, its symposia series deals with topics ranging from harassment in academic institutions to the importance of scientific rigor.
Recognition platforms are another means to improve gender equality, De Souza said. The Women in Science Network, then, hands out awards at the IADR’s annual meetings. It also funds research projects that promote better representation of female scientists.
But while these interventions are important for dentistry’s largest academic research organization, they shouldn’t stop there, De Souza said.
“We are always looking for initiatives to improve the conversation,” she said, and those conversations should continue at the members’ home institutions as well.
As the end of her tenure as vice president in 2021, De Souza will step into the role of president of the Women in Science Network.
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