Faculty of Medicine

Female Empowerment in Life Sciences (FELS) Network

Who We Are

Female Empowerment in Life Sciences (FELS) is an interdisciplinary association of female scientists with a background in medicine or life sciences, established in September 2021 with the support of the Intra-Faculty Commission for Gender Equality of the Medical Faculty and the Directorate for Teaching and Research.

Our goal is to create a network that supports gender-neutral scientific career development, the implementation of equality for women, and female leadership.

The FELS network was founded during a workshop for female researchers from the institutes and clinics of the Medical Faculty in Bern. The workshop, organized by the Intra-Faculty Commission for Gender Equality (IFKC), took place from September 2–3, 2021. During the workshop, there were opportunities for exchanges among all 19 participants, along with inspiring coaching lectures by Prof. Britta Engelhardt, Prof. Anne Angelillo-Scherrer, and journalist Beat Glogger.

Board Members

Chair
PD. Dr. rer. nat. Anne Gregor
Tel: 031 - 63 20357
Department of Human Genetics
Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland
Anne.gregor@unibe.ch
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9166-6593

Co-Chair
Aleksandra Tuleja MD
Attending physician, division of Angiology
PhD Candidate, Graduate School for Heath Sciences
University Hospital Bern
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7108-418X

Svea Lehmann
Equal Opportunities Coordinator Medical Dean's Office
Svea.lehmann@unibe.ch

Naomi Lange, MD
Graduate School for Health Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland
Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9519-4949

Sarah Bernhard, MD
Division of Angiology, Swiss Cardiovascular Center, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital,
University of Bern, Switzerland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2750-5928

Jarmila A. Zdanowicz, MD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland
Jarmila Anna Zdanowicz (0000-0002-5361-7309) - My ORCID

Prof. Dr. Mona Mohsen
Department of Biomedical Research (DBMR)
University of Bern, Switzerland
Mona.mohsen@unibe.ch
https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0003-3510-9148

Anja Kéry-Candela, MD, MMEc, SSIPM, SGNOR
Young clinical researcher
Specialist in orthopedic surgery, traumatology and paintherapy
Emergency Department, Swiss Trauma Center
Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University Bern, Switzerland
+ 031 632 75 66
anjaelisabeth.kery-candela@insel.ch

Daniëlle Verschoor, PhD
Department of Clinical Research (DCR)
University of Bern, Switzerland
danielle.verschoor@unibe.ch
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6636-9818

Dr. med. Camilla Schürmann
Assistant Physician
University Clinic for Vascular Surgery
Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland
ORCID Link: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6054-7258

Our Goals

Creating a supportive and empowering environment for female scientists
Providing a comprehensive database for members that offers information on stipends, grants, courses, and career-promoting opportunities.
Active promotion of networking and collaboration between female scientists
Peer coaching

Research Day

We are thrilled to announce the FELS Research Day 2025 on March 21, 2025, an inspiring one-day event!

See the Flyer for more details and help us spread the word by sharing openly in your community!

This Research Day focuses on Enhancing Excellence in Research.
Highlights include:

Keynote Lectures by Prof. Britta Engelhardt and Prof. Karolina Kublickiene
Invited talk from Dr. Jeanne Moor
Research highlights from the community selected from submitted abstracts
Panel Discussions: “How can we fix the leaky pipeline? – innovative pathways to inclusive medical science and leadership.”
Interactive Workshops on career development in research: “Design the future: what would make a leadership career more attractive?”

We’ll also be awarding prizes to selected abstracts, recognizing outstanding work and innovation in life sciences and medicine.

We invite everyone; all researchers, students, and professionals from all disciplines to join us in celebrating scientific excellence.

When? 21 March 2025
Where? Anna Seiler Haus, Inselspital
Submit an abstract about your latest (ongoing or published) work via the registration link until 31.01.2025
Register now: https://tinyurl.com/FELSResearchDay

Let’s come together to create a more inclusive and empowering academic environment!
This is an awesome opportunity to present your research, see which exciting things are going on around campus and to grow your network.
We are looking very much forward to your active participation.

Flyer: Link

Participation & Contact Details

FELS is open to female scientists with a background in medicine or life sciences at the University of Bern. The FELS Board currently consists of 9 members and oversees strategic and administrative tasks. Monthly board meetings serve as a forum for discussions and coordination, ensuring effective governance and the seamless execution of the network's initiatives.

Contacts: Anne Gregor or FELS

Social Gatherings

Discover more about FELS by joining us at our monthly networking gatherings. These meetings aim to boost networking and exchange within the group while welcoming potential new FELS members. Location: Pizzeria Ambiente, Bühlstrasse 5, Bern

Time: Every first Thursday of the month, starting at 17:30

News & Activities

1. Expanding our networking and cultivating collaborations with female scientists in various departments at the University of Bern and beyond is a key goal for FELS. We’re excited to announce an enduring collaboration between FELS and the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, marking a new step forward in our long-term networking efforts.

A short Bio about ARTORG:

As an engineering center within the medical faculty, the ARTORG Center is unique in Europe. When it was founded in 2008 as one of the competence centers of the University of Bern, organizational connections were created with various departments at the Inselspital, which still significantly drive ARTORG's innovations today. The ARTORG sees future challenges in healthcare and brings medical technology research with inventiveness, agility and determination from its basics to clinical application. The ARTORG Center sees its diversity with team members from different professional and cultural backgrounds as a strength and actively promotes academic careers for women in medical technology.

https://www.artorg.unibe.ch

2. Since 1996, the Department of BioMedical Research (DBMR) has held a (Day of BioMedical Research). FELS had the pleasure to be part of this important event recently held on 6^th July 2023. FELS actively participated in the event and introduced academic women to the network as well as to its concept and goals. FELS members had great conversation with women from different backgrounds and academic age.