A primary function of the AAI Committee on the Status of Women is to monitor the professional progress and accomplishments of women immunologists. To accomplish this goal, we are undertaking surveys concerning the participation of women immunologists in various professional endeavors. The first survey, which appeared in the May 1999 issue of the AAI Newsletter, reviewed the editorial board composition of ten immunology journals. The survey presented in the Table below reviews the participation of women as speakers at recent national and regional immunology meetings. This information was gathered on selected meetings held since January 2000 except for the New England Immunology Conference held in November of 1999. The information pertains only to major sessions and does not include workshops or poster presentations. However, it is interesting to note that the proportion of women giving workshop presentations (approximately 40%) at the Keystone Symposia meetings exceeded the percentage of women giving plenary lectures. In addition, none of the keynote speakers at the eight Keystone Symposia meetings listed below were women.
|
MEETING |
DATE |
Number Women Total Speakers |
% |
KEYSTONE SYMPOSIA (major sessions |
|
|
|
|
Innate and Acquired Immunity at Mucosal Surfaces |
1/18-1/23 |
4/27 |
15 |
|
Cellular Immunity and Immunotherapy |
1/21-1/27 |
8/37 |
22 |
|
T Lymphocyte Activation, Differentiation and Death |
1/28-2/3 |
10/39 |
26 |
|
NF-kB Regulation and Function: From Basic Research to Drug Development |
2/22-2/27 |
4/32 |
13 |
|
Determinants of Immune Defense Against Microbial Infections |
2/24-2/29 |
7/33 |
21 |
|
Immunophilins:Cellular Functions and Immunosuppressive Drug Targets |
2/24-2/29 |
4/32 |
13 |
|
Mechanisms of Immunologic Tolerance and its Breakdown |
2/24-2/29 |
9/34 |
26 |
|
Cytokines and Disease |
3/31-4/6 |
7/35 |
20 |
FASEB SUMMER RESEARCH CONFERENCES |
|||
|
Neural Immune Interactions in Injury and Disease:Pathways to Therapy |
6/18-6/23 |
13/30 |
43 |
|
Lymphocytes and Antibodies |
6/24-6/29 |
8/42 |
19 |
|
Signal Transduction in the Immune System |
7/8-7/13 |
8/42 |
19 |
REGIONAL MEETINGS |
|||
|
Midwinter Conference of Immunologists |
1/22-1/25 |
6/21 |
29 |
|
25th Annual New England Immunology Conference |
11/6-11/7 |
4/11 |
36 |
|
*The information for some meetings was obtained from the printed programs and may not include last minute changes in speakers. |
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The intent of the current and the former survey is to enhance general awareness among the AAI membership to include participation of qualified women in professional activities. To this end, the AAI Committee on the Status of Women maintains and updates a Potential Speakers and Chairs List which consists of an alphabetical roster containing pertinent contact information for women immunologists as well as a topic roster in which members are organized by research focus. The women included on the list are independent investigators who maintain an active publication record. The Potential Speakers and Chairs List is available in an easily printable version at www.aai.org/committees/women.
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