Developing Future Leaders in Nephrology - Project Summary/Abstract
Women and underrepresented minorities are poorly represented among the leadership in science and medicine,
a trend that also applies to nephrology. The reasons for this discrepancy are multifactorial and include limited
opportunities for junior nephrology professionals to network and learn leadership skills from successful men and
women in academic medicine. Women in Nephrology (WIN) has a long history of providing Professional
Development Seminars (1999-2014) and leadership lectures (2015-present) to the nephrology community. WIN
will use its extensive network of leaders and mentors in nephrology to organize a one-day conference on
“Developing Future Leaders in Nephrology” planned for September 24, 2021 in Birmingham, AL at the University
of Alabama at Birmingham. This WIN-sponsored leadership conference for junior nephrology
professionals will foster networking with senior leaders, provide strategies for overcoming barriers to
effective leadership, such as imposter syndrome and unconscious bias, a platform for attendees to
present their research and obtain constructive criticism, and opportunities to harness social media to
promote leadership branding in academic medicine. The goal is to provide men and women, particularly
those from underrepresented minorities, with tools to succeed in leadership. The agenda will include leaders in
academic medicine, pharmaceutical industry, and private practice and opportunities for junior professionals to
form valuable contacts with other peers across the country. Importantly, this conference directly responds to
Goal 4, “Promote training and careers to develop a well-trained, diverse, and robust workforce to advance
science for the health of women”, of the Office of Research on Women’s Health 2019-2023 Trans-NIH Strategic
Plan for Women’s Health Research. In addition, it reflects the Scientific Workforce Diversity Office’s “effort to
diversify the national scientific workforce and expand recruitment and retention”. These are critical needs for
junior nephrology professionals that have not been fully realized by societies and industry.
