AAN Launches New Directory of Women Speakers

In the experience of Nicole Gonzales, MD, there are three main routes to find expert speakers in neurology: the people she knows, the people her colleagues know, and the people she finds in an online search for manuscripts in the relevant topic. 

Gonzales, a member of the AAN Advancing Women in Academics Subcommittee, found those three mechanisms efficient—but not always equitable. Women face barriers in obtaining leadership roles, pay equity, and other areas in medicine despite entering the field at equal rates to men.

It was with this concern in mind that she began helping the AAN launch the new Women Speakers Directory, which features women , APPs, and researchers along with their areas of expertise. Eligible women who are members of the AAN and are interested in being contacted as speakers populate the directory, and all AAN members can access it.

“Gender disparity in academia is well-known,” Gonzales said. “What is less known is how to make a difference addressing this disparity. The directory is one way to do so. It helps us efficiently consider people that we would normally have not considered for academic opportunities—either because we don’t know them, our colleagues don’t know them, or we didn’t happen to find their academic scholarship online.”

As of its launch in June, more than 500 speakers have joined the directory. Fellow AAN members, who often look for speakers on behalf of their institutions or conferences, can use it to find qualified, relevant candidates—thereby addressing the inequities women academics face in being invited as presenters. While the initial window for speakers to join the directory has closed, the AAN hopes to reopen signups in December and then on an annual basis.

Gonzales’s hope is that a convenient resource like the directory will help neurology professionals like herself find experts who might be overlooked for presentation opportunities—especially when limited search time makes falling back into “old habits” tempting. She said it represents an opportunity for institutions and conference organizers to ensure that their expert speaker lineups better reflect the diverse field of neurology—something that benefits everyone.

“Because it’s called a women’s speaker directory, this may give the impression that only women should pay attention to this opportunity,” she said. “In reality, this is an opportunity for everyone to participate in the work of equity.”

Gonzales, who is also a Professor of Neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said she has already used the directory to suggest book chapter authors and conference speakers. She urged women in neurology to keep an eye out for the next signup period. That advice also applies to their colleagues.

“Your colleague may not realize how important their work is, but we do,” Gonzales said. “A simple nudge may be all it takes to get your colleague on the podium. This is me nudging! Improving the academic environment for some people will make things better for everyone.”