7. Case study: impacting on individuals: maximum 1000 words
Case Study 1: Dr Ann Walker PhD (SAT member)
I joined ICS in 2011 as Senior Lecturer in Cardiovascular Genetics thanks to the support of Professors
Philippa Talmud, Steve Humphries and Aroon Hingorani, having been dissatisfied with academic
working conditions and prospects, particularly for women, in my previous post.
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death, so I feel that I am working in an important area.
My research centres on the influence of iron and iron regulatory genes upon traits which increase the
risk of cardiovascular disease, such as cholesterol levels. This area has been reproducibly implicated by
large and powerful genome wide association studies. To this end I participate in large, collaborative
studies into the genetic basis of iron biomarkers and red blood cell traits.
I am a primary and secondary supervisor of PhD and MSc research students and the external supervisor
of a student working in a genetic testing laboratory who is taking the British Society for
Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Diploma professional qualification.
The Cardiovascular Genetics group in which I work is open and friendly collective with diverse
backgrounds. Many researchers visit the laboratory to gain experience in different techniques to take
back to their home institutes. The practice of different religions may require regular absences from the
laboratory which are accommodated in the working day without any problem.
Research students have weekly meetings and research assistants have monthly meetings. We also
have social gatherings, a weekly Friday afternoon tea together at the end of the working week, and
celebrate all birthdays, with a birthday cake rota so that all members of the group will, at some point
during the year, bake a cake for someone else’s birthday.
Philippa and Steve have helped to develop my teaching career, involving me as a lecturer and personal
tutor in several MSc courses and modules and in the BHF 4 year PhD programme. I am enrolled in the
UCL Arena Senior Fellowship Scheme to enhance my teaching skills and to gain a recognized
qualification in teaching.
I participate in the ICS programme of peer observation of lectures and I am a personal tutor and
mentor, roles I hope to strengthen after taking the ICS mentor training. I joined the interview panel for
a research assistant position in another research group, to help address gender balance on ICS
appointment panels. I am the Departmental Graduate Tutor (Taught Courses) for ICS and from the next
academic year I have been appointed as the Director of the MSc in Cardiovascular Science course.
I have quite elderly parents who live independently in their own home in a rural location. From time to
time they need some assistance with the running of the house and garden, financial and other
paperwork and health-related issues. Because ICS operates the UCL core hours policy, when needed I
can more easily dovetail visits to my parents with working. In crisis times there was never a problem
with flexibility around working.
Overall, since moving to ICS, there is a complete change in polarity from the negative aspects I
encountered previously and I have gained a supportive working environment.
Case Study 2: Dr Chloe Park
I am a biomedical scientist specialising in the application and development of novel tools to study
cardiovascular structure and function. After completing my PhD at the Brunel Institute of Bioengineering I
joined the team of Professor Alun Hughes at Imperial College London. My Post-doctoral research was
funded by a British Heart Foundation grant and allowed me to bring together a distinctive mix of
engineering, physiological and epidemiological skills to cohort-based research. During the end of my postdoc our team moved from Imperial College to UCL. The team was attracted to UCL's strong and influential
cohort-based research history.
At the time of the move I was 8.5 months pregnant and my funding was soon coming to an end. Not only
did UCL take on a person soon to be on maternity leave but my supervisors also applied to the SLMS
Research Board Sub Committee for financial assistance for me via the Wellcome Trust’s Institutional
Strategic Support Fund. Our application was successful and it enabled me to return to work after my
maternity leave. This bridge funding support has also enabled me to prepare research grants and
fellowships to continue my career.
Whilst on maternity leave I was encouraged to apply for a promotion to Senior Research Associate. The
head of department helped me through the process and provided significant support. The Institute's review
committee was happy to support my case and the Faculty review committee granted me the promotion.
Prior to returning to work I visited the office informally to discuss my funding/promotion and my son
accompanied me during these meetings. I also attended the CI support group for women which discussed
breaks for pregnancy, early childcare and the return to work period. Having such a supportive network
made returning to work a trouble-free experience.
My supervisors place enormous importance in supporting women, and in helping mothers to maximise
their career potential while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. On return from maternity leave I went
onto a 60% contract. My supervisors and colleagues always accept my flexible hours and arrange meetings
to accommodate me. I have never felt any pressure to increase my workload/hours; instead I have a
supportive and flexible working environment.
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