On 11 October the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health hosted a lunchtime session to celebrate the work the University is doing for equality and diversity as part of Black History Month 2017. The event focused on the benefits of mentoring, particularly for under represented groups, such as women and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff. The varied audience included both men and women from different roles across the University.

The networking lunch allowed colleagues to mingle before listening to talks on mentoring by Suzy Firkin and Staff Development Advisor, Denise Fieldhouse, followed by panel discussions. Suzy is a Principal Consultant for the WISE campaign whose mission is to recruit, retain and promote women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) roles. Suzy and Denise discussed the true meaning and importance of mentoring.

The panel of BAME and female staff broached how mentoring has helped them, both by being mentored and having mentees. This opened the floor to contributions from other staff, many of whom had not appreciated the merit of mentoring until the session.

Hema Radhakrishnan, Associate Dean for Social Responsibility, commented on the event: “It was remarkable to see a wide range of staff from Professional Support Services and academic backgrounds represented at the event and everyone got something out of the session. Suzy Firkin was very engaging and made everyone think about the support structures required for career development.”