FCSD 2023

At FAU Erlangen's Faculty of Medicine, significantly more women than men are now completing their doctorates. However, as they progress in their clinical and scientific careers, their numbers decline rapidly and continuously, as Prof. Jürgen Schüttler (former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine) recently presented in his Gender Lectures presentation. For this reason, iIMMUNE_ACS and the IZKF's Clinician Scientist Programme invited female doctors and medical students interested in research to the Female Clinician Scientist Day on 27 June 2023, which was very well received. More than 50 participants crowded into the seminar room at the Kussmaul Research Campus or joined online.

Clinician scientist – a career option for women? Prof. Beate Winner (Head of Stem Cell Biology) opened the event with this somewhat provocative question and explained the career path of a clinician scientist between science and clinical practice. Prof. Carola Berking (Director of the Dermatology Clinic) then presented the research funding programmes and clinician scientist programmes at the IZKF and encouraged interested participants to apply for the various funding programmes. The chances of success are very high, especially at the beginning of a clinical-scientific career, and with iIMMUNE_ACS, there is now also a research funding opportunity after specialist medical training. Prof. Miriam Kalbitz (Traumaimmunology) then explained how to set up your own research group, whilst Prof. Maximilian Waldner (Department of Internal Medicine 1, Gastroenterology) provided a clear guide to the process of securing the necessary external funding, complete with helpful tips.

During the subsequent panel discussion (together with Stefanie Morawietz from the ARIADNEmed Mentoring Programme), the audience members in the room and those participating in the chat asked many questions, such as: How can I find support for my research at my own institute? How can I find a suitable laboratory for a postdoctoral stay abroad? What do I gain from participating in the Clinician Scientist Programme? All questions were answered in detail by the panel participants, and the attendees were repeatedly encouraged to pursue their interest in research and, in particular, to take full advantage of the various opportunities for research funding. They can only benefit from doing so! The panel participants will be happy to answer any further questions on the topics discussed in the future.