Journal of Science Policy & Governance
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Volume 20, Issue 02 | May 16, 2022
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Paper Competition Third Place Winner
Policy Position Paper: Family Support Policy for Pharmacy, Medical, and Graduate Students
Lora L Daskalska (1), Benjamin S O’Brien (2), Thiago Arzua (2), Brianne K Bakken (3)
Corresponding author: ldaskalska@mcw.edu |
Keywords: health policy; pharmacy, medicine; STEM; leave of absence; financial aid; lactation
Executive Summary
For many graduate and professional science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students, family support policies are inadequate or non-existent. This gap hinders students’ family planning ability, makes degree completion more challenging, and disproportionately impacts women. Suitable and accessible family support policies are necessary to progress STEM institutions toward equity, maintain themselves as competitive, and support changes in student demographics. With that goal in mind, the Council for Women’s Advocacy (CWA), a group of physicians, professors, administrators, and students at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), developed policies addressing these critical needs. They were approved by leadership and included in the 2021-2022 All Student Handbook. This language can serve as a framework to build on for other STEM institutions. The policies include 1) course and program accommodations for parental leave, 2) childcare financial aid, and 3) lactation support.
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Background header image courtesy of Times Higher Education
Lora L. Daskalska is a Ph.D. candidate in the Public and Community Health program at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her work focuses on child health, including access to mental health care. She is passionate about addressing health disparities through structural change and plans to continue this work post-graduation. She holds a B.S. in Biology and certificates in Global Health and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Benjamin O’Brien is a 5th year graduate student in the Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy department at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He studies human cytomegalovirus infection using human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cerebral organoid and neural progenitor cell models which mimic early brain development. Ben hopes to graduate within the next calendar year and pursue a science policy fellowship with the government or another private organization.
Thiago Arzua was born and raised in Curitiba, Brazil, and is now a postdoctoral scientist at Columbia’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute in New York. Before that, he completed his Ph.D. in neuroscience at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and a Bachelor’s in biochemistry at the University of South Florida.
Brianne K. Bakken, PharmD, MHA is an Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Bakken is a member of the Midwest Pharmacy Workforce Research Consortium, which produces the National Pharmacist Workforce Study, a systematic nationwide survey of pharmacists that is conducted every five years. Bakken is also the principal investigator for the Wisconsin Pharmacy Workforce Study. Bakken has published workforce reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and delivered podium presentations highlighting important pharmacy workforce issues and trends, including gender and racial diversity, discrimination, harassment, workload, burnout, leadership aspiration, and ambulatory care practice, among others.
Benjamin O’Brien is a 5th year graduate student in the Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy department at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He studies human cytomegalovirus infection using human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cerebral organoid and neural progenitor cell models which mimic early brain development. Ben hopes to graduate within the next calendar year and pursue a science policy fellowship with the government or another private organization.
Thiago Arzua was born and raised in Curitiba, Brazil, and is now a postdoctoral scientist at Columbia’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute in New York. Before that, he completed his Ph.D. in neuroscience at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and a Bachelor’s in biochemistry at the University of South Florida.
Brianne K. Bakken, PharmD, MHA is an Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Bakken is a member of the Midwest Pharmacy Workforce Research Consortium, which produces the National Pharmacist Workforce Study, a systematic nationwide survey of pharmacists that is conducted every five years. Bakken is also the principal investigator for the Wisconsin Pharmacy Workforce Study. Bakken has published workforce reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and delivered podium presentations highlighting important pharmacy workforce issues and trends, including gender and racial diversity, discrimination, harassment, workload, burnout, leadership aspiration, and ambulatory care practice, among others.
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ISSN 2372-2193
ISSN 2372-2193