About Us

WIS Portland began in the fall of 2012 as a group of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) who were motivated by a mutual cause – to create better career training and mentoring opportunities specifically designed for women at our academic biomedical research institution. 

Our first goal was to remedy the lack of information or formal policy for graduate students’ parental leave. With strong support from our faculty mentor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, Dr. Allison Fryer, a formal policy was passed by Graduate Council in the spring of 2013 that describes academic adjustments so that parents can focus on their family for 8 weeks following the birth or adoption of a child. This policy applies to all men and women in OHSU School of Medicine graduate programs.

Feeding off of the energy from this early accomplishment, our group has continued to develop well-attended programming and build relationships with scientists and science lovers throughout the Portland area. We offer programming related to career development, networking, outreach, and advocacy, all with the goal of engaging and strengthening women in STEM professions.