School of Health & Wellbeing

A sense of belonging, and the confidence to be ourselves within our work or study environment and in our interactions with others, is a key element of workplace wellbeing. IHW's Athena SWAN website now includes a page aimed at supporting inclusiveness, celebrating diversity, reducing stigma, and fostering a culture where all colleagues feel welcome and safe. 

In March 2021, we finalised our "Belonging" webpage, and are now delighted to share it with HAWKEYE readers. 

An important function of the page is to signpost information about IHW activities and initiatives designed to ensure that everyone who works or studies here is (and feels) included and supported e.g. 

• Our Athena SWAN LGBTQ+ group
• Our Athena SWAN older workers group
• Our Athena SWAN equality, diversity and inclusion twitter feed
• Our British Sign Language cafés
• Our work on raising awareness of invisible disabilities
• The appointment of an institute ethnicity champion and disability champion

Also included are links to related articles that have appeared in IHW's monthly newsletter, HAWKEYE, some of which feature staff or students telling their own personal stories, as part of our SHW voices feature e.g. 

• I'm not sure of this world I'm working in
  In May 2020, Mental Health and Wellbeing researcher Suzy Syrett described the experience of adapting to remote working during the early days of the pandemic
• In that moment, I suddenly felt that I too could not breathe 
  In July 2020, as part of a Black Lives Matter edition of HAWKEYE, MSc in Global Health student Rayana Mohammed, in collaboration with fellow MSc student Hooran Khattak, wrote about the devastating impact of the killing of George Floyd, and possible ways forward as we seek to manage our own feelings and help bring about change 
• We have reached an age where we know that a PhD is not the main priority in life
  In November 2020, Health Economics and Health Technology Assessment (HEHTA) researchers Nicola McMeekin and Janet Bouttell – also founder members and co-chairs of the IHW Athena SWAN older workers group – reflected on their experience of changing career paths and studying for a PhD later in life
• I thought love could not be a thing in this world
  In January 2021, former HEHTA researcher and co-founder of IHW's Athena SWAN LGBTQ+ working group Rafael Venson shared the experience of coming out

We hope that you will enjoy browsing our new page and find it a welcome addition to the IHW Athena SWAN website. 

View our "Belonging" webpage

All our Athena Swan webpages are "works in progress" which we regularly review and will continue to develop. If there are ways in which you think we could improve our "Belonging" webpage, please let us know.

If you would like to be a future "SHW voice" do get in touch with SHW Admin. 

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First published: 14 March 2018