Bias is a Habit That Can Be Broken

In honor of Women's History Month and International Women's Day, the Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion--in partnership with the Department of Medicine--will be hosting a special Women in Medicine & Science lecture featuring Molly Carnes, M.D., M.S.

During this one-hour session, Dr. Carnes will discuss Bias is a Habit That Can Be Broken.

About Molly Carnes, M.D., M.S.
Dr. Molly Carnes is the Virginia Valian professor of Medicine, Psychiatry and Industrial & Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she directs the Center for Women’s Health Research in the School of Medicine and Public Health and co-directs the Women in Science and Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI) in the College of Engineering.  Dr. Carnes received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and her MD from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She completed Internal Medicine and Geriatrics training at the University of Wisconsin where she also received a Master’s in Epidemiology.

Her research examines how stereotypes perpetuate inequities. Approaching unintentional stereotype-based cognitive processes as habits, she mobilizes behavioral change strategies to help faculty in medicine, science, and engineering “break the bias habit”.  With support from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Carnes has developed and tested interventions that changed faculty behavior, improved department climate, and increased the hiring of female faculty and the retention of male faculty.