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Activity Details & FAQ

Support Activities for Female Researchers

Background

Since its establishment in 1946, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) served as a university and graduate school for medical and dental students. At TMDU, we are experiencing an increase in the rate of female researchers enrolling in the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences and in the field of biomedical science. Stemming from the university's desire to protect and enrich human life, we believe that it is of great social significance that women take up careers as health care providers and as researchers. TMDU was adopted to implement "support model activities for female researchers" from FY 2008 to 2010, using the Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology provided by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. After the completion of the model activity in FY 2010, the support activity for female researchers continued from 2011 to 2012 as "President Discretion expenses". Since 2013, this activity became permanent.

Purpose and Activity Goals

  1. 1 We (Gender Equality and Career Development Division) promote "environmental improvement" and "awareness raising" of TMDU.
  2. 2 We provide career support and life support for students, researchers, health care staff and administrative staff in order to increase their quality of life.
  3. 3 We provide a rich environment for building both careers and lives, whereby students, researchers, health care staff and administrative staff are fairly evaluated at each stage of their career and receive sufficient support, enabling them to coordinate their duties with life events such as childbirth, child rearing and care-giving.
  4. 4 We provide a gender-equality campus culture that enables a harmonious lifestyle and working environment for both men and women.

To provide work environments that allow coordination with childbirth, child rearing and care-giving

To promote "work-life-balance" for both women and men

To cultivate female researchers who can lead the next generation

To promote diversity and gender equality

Activities


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Activities -Frequently Asked Questions-

I don't know what I should do with my future career.

I am a student in doctoral program. I am feeling a vague anxiety about my future career. I always keep asking myself, "Am I happy if I pursue a research career?" or "Can I really earn a doctoral degree?" I don't have anybody to ask for advice and am really unclear about my future.

I have my future career goals, however I don't know how to take an action to achieve them.

I am a "limited-term" researcher in biomedical science. I would like to get married in the future and continue my research career. However I don't know how to achieve them. My daily work keeps me very busy and don't have enough time to think about.

We provide Career Counseling.

Our nationally-licensed career consultant provides consultation for every faculties, staffs and students (males and females) in TMDU. We deal with concerns such as "future career path", "balancing work/study and life/childrearing/care-giving", "personal relationships in labs or the workplace" and "communication problem with other people. Please feel free to contact us. We also provide coaching for achieving your future goals. *We strict observe the privacy of what is discussed during your sessions.

I can't get time off work when my child develops sudden fever. If somebody takes care of my sick child I don't have to worry about leaving from work.

I am a full-time faculty in nursing department. My one-year-old son attends nursery everyday however he often develops sudden fever. He just developed fever 3 days ago and now in stable condition. If he develops high temperature he is not permitted to attend the nursery. Neither my husband nor I can just get time off work at short notice. As my parents live in countryside I don't have any family or relatives whom I can ask for help. This situation keeps me worried in continuing my career.

We provide "Sick Child Care Service".

We made a corporate contract with Ness corporation for Sick Child Care service. If you have children between the age of 0 month and sixth grade in elementary school, you are eligible to apply for this service. Children must be registered beforehand, and in the event they suddenly develop symptoms such as a fever, the certified baby sitter will be sent out to your residence. For detailed information, please check "Sick Child Care".

There is hardly enough time to spend time with family and do research work.

I am an assistant professor, dedicated in research work. I am also the mother of two-year-old daughter however I am struggling to reconcile working and bringing up of my daughter. My husband is busy at work and leaves early in the morning and gets home late, I have to take her to and from the nursery. On the other hand I have to finish my research paper, and I have to go through many experiments to get research data. I am feeling pressuse of having very little time for experiments and paper-writing as I have to get off work early for picking up my daughter at nursery. I don't know what to do to spare my time.

We provide "Research Support Personnel Assignment Activity".

This program provides research support personnel for researchers who have difficulty in continuing their career due to childbirth, nursing and care-giving, or because of an ailment specific to women. If you are a researcher or a medical staff who are pregnant or engaged in child rearing and care-giving, or who have an ailment common to women, you are eligible to apply. For detailed information, please check "Research Support Personnel Assignment Activity".

I would like to know possible career paths for graduate students in science field.

I am a first year student of master's program. In my future I am not yet sure if I progress towards doctoral degree. I would like to know the possibilities of career paths for graduate students in science field.

I would recommend you to participate in "Career Development Project for graduate students".

Through this activity our graduate students independently work on projects that are necessary to build up their career. So far, they conducted activities such as "Interview with internationally active female researchers", and "Survey on how to balance work and family". We receive positive feedbacks from those graduate students who participated this project saying that this activity was useful in building their career.

© Tokyo Medical and Dental University Gender Equality and Career Development Division.