About Us

The Women in Health Sciences (WIHS) Committee at UC San Diego is dedicated to creating a fair and equitable environment for women and to promoting networking and career development. WIHS encourages women to lead and move their careers forward by hosting biannual events that provide opportunities to network and learn from other women in the field about advancing their careers and becoming leaders within Health Sciences. Membership is open to all, and current members include non-faculty and people of varying gender identities.

Founded in Spring 2014 by Christina Sigurdson, DVM, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology; Dorothy Sears, PhD, Associate Professor, Departments of Medicine and Family Medicine & Public Health; Beth Printz, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Pediatrics; and Wendy Campana, PhD, Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Program in Neurosciences, the committee grew out of the founders’ participation in the AAMC Mid-Career Women Faculty Professional Development Seminar, which inspired them to bring those leadership skills back to UC San Diego. In collaboration with Vivian Reznik, MD, MPH, Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs, the Women in Health Sciences Committee was created with the goals of professional development, mentorship, and recognition of women within the various UC San Diego Health Sciences communities.