An offer of the Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne
MhÄK - Mentoring for Habilitating Female Doctors
The MhÄK mentoring program systematically supports female doctors working in science who are pursuing the goal of a university professorship.
The core of the program is the individual contact with a professor (mentor) from your own field. This personal contact provides insights into different career paths and offers the opportunity to reflect on your own career plans with an experienced person.
Targeted support through seminars on the topics of “scientific know-how, career planning and soft skills” as well as peer work in the network are further important components of the program.
Duration: 2 years
Start: annually in January
Time commitment: a total of at least two meetings with the mentor, participation in at least four seminars and three network meetings including introductory and closing events
Participation fee: one-off 150 euros, additional travel costs may be incurred for the meetings with the mentor
Dates and topics of the seminars:
Information will follow.
What you should know
All about MhÄK
Why a mentoring program for habilitating female physicians?
With the MhÄK program, the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Cologne aims to attract excellent young female medical professionals to science. The aim is to counteract the phenomenon of the “leaky pipeline”, i.e. the steady decline in the number of women in scientific positions with increasing qualification levels. This is because the situation at the Faculty of Medicine reflects the national and NRW trend: while over 60% of medical degrees are completed by women, the proportion of habilitations in Cologne is 39% (2023) and around 24% of professorships. We are therefore losing women to science, particularly in the post-doctoral phase. The aim is therefore to inspire more female doctors with scientific potential for research and to provide them with strong support in their scientific careers. As a modular mentoring program, MhÄK takes into account the individual needs and time resources of female doctors.
What advantages does participation offer mentees?
Empowerment: Targeted professional and personal development
Sharpening career paths: developing an individual academic and leadership profile
Strategy development: Understanding and using processes, structures and “rules of the game” in the academic system
Networking: Exchange and support from and with other mentees and profiles
Personal development: strengthening skills and potential
What advantages does participation offer clinics and institutes?
Motivating highly qualified young female scientists to remain in academia
Appreciation and retention of qualified staff with comparatively low resource expenditure
Locational advantages in the competition for the best researchers
Promotion of networking with external researchers
More excellent research in your own institution and faculty
