Activity: Membership types › Membership of network
Introduction Our network is for all women working in and around vision. We have over 350 members so far, from lab-based researchers, to those in clinical practice as well as support staff, nurses and communications professionals - it is completely inclusive. The network is a dynamic and lively place to find new contacts, discover useful information and find support tools. Our Mission We should not exist and work in a world where there is any level of gender inequality. We want to promote diversity, leadership skills, education, and networking. We are doing this through five specific mission focus areas. Mission Statement Our mission statement includes: Promote connections between women working in all fields related to vision. Foster and increase collaborations, encourage mentoring and work to raise the profile of women working in vision across the UK. Ensure gender equality across vision sciences through a network of support and encouragement while tackling the issue head on. We have a number of strategic focus areas in order to achieve these goals, these include: diversity, leadership, education, research and training. Diversity We want to promote all forms of diversity, inclusivity, and support. Our diversity lead is Ms Evelyn Mensah, who is currently a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Central Middlesex Hospital. Find out more about WVUK and Diversity Leadership Provide mentorship, advice and skills to navigate senior management, which may be male dominated, and create senior-level opportunities Education We want to provide education to our members on varied topics, including via: Workshops and mentorship schemes Outreach to schools to ensure women are encouraged to enter STEM professions Connections and networking opportunities Research WVUK aims to: provide networking opportunities for collaborations, and research grants (see Connect) allow members to disseminate research to other interested women Our research co-leads are Dr Eleni Beli and Dr Lola Solebo. Our early-career researcher lead is Bethany Higgins. Training WVUK aims to provide opportunities to upskill: interview skills, how to write a grant vocal coaching networking We're keen to keep expanding our training offering - if there's something in particular that you'd like to see or be trained in, please do get in touch. Communications A key goal is to ensure that WVUK is well known. That way we can make sure that women entering into careers in ophthalmology and related fields can feel supported early in their careers; it is also important that men and other genders are aware of us too. It also means we can encourage more members to join, and be the go-to organization for queries, concerns, issues for women who encounter any level of gender discrimination in their field. Our communications team disseminates our activities and keeps us abreast of opportunities to enhance our reach, promote our members to increase their and our profile.