On February 11, 2021, will be hosting a one-hour livestream in honour of the sixth annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The event is being held in partnership with the Durham District School Board, and it will be streamed to students during curriculum time with the aim of sparking curiosity and inspiring the next generation of scientists.
Around the world, women continue to be underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as STEM. To help address this, in 2015 the United Nations made a commitment to achieve gender equality in education and STEM careers. This marked the first International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which gave rise to hundreds of events dedicated to discussing global issues and sustainable solutions.
Krembil’s event will be moderated by Dr. Gelareh Zadeh, Co-Director of Krembil Brain Institute and Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre at UHN. In 2020, Dr. Zadeh became the first female Chair of Neurosurgery in Canada.
Krembil Scientists Drs. Mojgan Hodaie, Valerie Wallace and Sowmya Viswanathan will share their journeys in STEM through TED talk-style presentations and answer questions submitted by students across the region.
“The number one reason women give for not choosing neurosurgery is a lack of role models and mentorship opportunities,” says Dr. Zadeh. “At UHN, we have countless strong, visible role models to show girls that there is a place here for them.”
Click here watch the event, which will be streamed live at 10am on February 11, 2021.
The event recording will be available for teachers wishing to show their classroom the presentations at a later date. For more information, contact Carley McPherson at carley.mcpherson@uhnresearch.ca.