Accessibility statement

Gender equality

 

Athena Swan Silver Award graphic

The Department of Health Sciences strives to provide a positive working environment that enables our staff and students to contribute fully to the life of the Department, to achieve their full potential, and to flourish.



The Athena SWAN Charter is based on ten key principles. By being part of Athena SWAN, institutions are committing to a progressive charter; adopting these principles within their policies, practices, action plans and culture.

The Department of Health Sciences recognises the importance of ensuring equality and fairness for all our staff and students. We are proud to have developed an Athena SWAN working group that is promoting a culture of equality within the Department. Within this, we recognise the importance of recruiting, encouraging and retaining women at all stages of their career. The group is striving to ensure that equal opportunities exist in every aspect of Departmental working.

The Department successfully achieved an Athena SWAN Bronze Award in 2013 and 2017, and an Athena SWAN Silver Award in 2022. 

Athena Swan Steering Committee

The Athena Swan Steering Committee is composed of the Chair, (Amanda Perry) Co-Chairs, (Frances Burnell and Julia Hackett), Athena Swan Working Group Leads (as below) and Group Administrator (Karen Ramsden). This group meets every other month to support the collaboration of the working group leads in the progression of the action plan. The Steering Committee monitors the ongoing work of each group and ensures that the action plan is implemented and that data is collected in a standardised manner for the purpose of the Award submission. The Athena Swan Departmental Collaboration has strong links with the departmental Equality and Diversity Committee who engage in supporting elements of the action plan.

The Athena Swan Steering Committee meets monthly to:

  • Review staff and student data to better understand areas of under-representation and to document our progress towards greater equality and diversity.
  • Better understand the lived experiences of staff and students within our department, for example through surveys and focus groups.
  • Devise new actions to support Equality and Diversity and to address areas of concern.
  • Support outreach work that can address areas of under-representation in Health Sciences.
  • Deliver actions to support the career progression of Early Career Researchers, Professional and Support staff and academic staff.
  • Deliver our Athena SWAN action plan working towards gender equality. We currently hold an Athena SWAN Silver Award for this work.
  • Build broad support within the department for E&D initiatives, for example through staff training and community and social events.

Our representatives

Representatives

Our representatives support the work of the ASWG for all members of staff and students within the department. We currently have representatives to support work collaboratively with our Early Career Research Forum, mentoring for staff interested in exploring a PhD, human resources, and professional support staff.

At an external level we also support representation with the University ASW Steering Group, Hull York Medical School and ASW at the Institute of Health Sciences at Leeds University.

For more information contact Amanda Perry (amanda.perry@york.ac.uk)

Athena Swan Working Groups

The Athena Swan Departmental Collaboration comprises of six working groups, each with its own set of actions (and link the attached working group objectives to each one please)

Useful links

Watch our video

Want to find out more about Athena Swan in the Department? Watch our short video by Jo Rose below.

https://youtu.be/HiABLaazIVI