It’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science and we’re celebrating the inspirational women scientists working across the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group of hospitals. We’re shining a light on the important work they do, particularly in the fight against COVID-19.
Microbiology Department,
The Royal Oldham Hospital
Women and girls have a critical role to play in the field of science and in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been clearly demonstrated since the outbreak of the pandemic with the vital role that women researchers and scientists have played in advancing scientific knowledge on the virus, in developing techniques for testing and in work to create and roll out the vaccine against the virus.
Andrew Stallard, Managing Director of Operations for Diagnostics and Pharmacy across the Northern Care Alliance, said: “We have many inspirational women across the Northern Care Alliance working in a variety of scientific roles and they each have an fascinating story to tell. Many of these women have been at the forefront of our fight against COVID-19, whether that is in our microbiology department, testing samples for COVID, in our pharmacy department supporting the prescription of medicine for patients who can't come to hospital, in our radiology department taking important scans or delivering vaccine jabs to patients in our vaccination hubs. Each and every one of them – like all our NHS and social care staff - have played a vital role in delivering great care for our patients and their families during this challenging time. Their contribution deserves to be recognised.”
International Day of Women and Girls in Science also acts as a reminder that despite the great strides made in recent years to encourage women to pursue a career in science, fewer women tend to choose to work in science compared to other areas of work. According to UNESCO data (2014-2016), only around 30% of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education and less than 30% of researchers worldwide at present are women.
Across the NCA, there are many inspiring women working in the field of science, who are making a vital contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. They work in many different fields including nursing, pharmacy, radiology and microbiology and each and every one of them is making a fantastic contribution.
You can read the profiles of some of the women working in scientific roles across the Northern Care Alliance. These inspiring women have been at the forefront of the fight against the COVID pandemic. Their stories highlight the many varied opportunities available to everyone in the field of science and demonstrate the vital role played by women scientists in caring for our patients.
For more information on careers in healthcare science roles and job vacancies available with the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, please visit our website at: https://careers.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk/job-roles/scientists-technical-pharmaceutical-professionals/