With the CoPf program, the Faculty of Medicine aims to support excellent female junior researchers in their preparation for top positions in science. CoPf fits in with the existing support programs for female scientists at the Faculty of Medicine. The aim is to counteract the phenomenon of the “leaky pipeline”, i.e. the steady decline in the number of women with increasing qualification levels in scientific positions. Despite the high proportion of women (over 60% of medical degrees and 63% of doctorates at the Faculty of Medicine), only 39% of habilitations and 24% of professorships are held by women. We are therefore losing women for science both after the doctorate and after the habilitation and thus considerable scientific potential. The CoPf program aims to support female scientists “on the last few meters” to a top scientific position.

• Individual coaching: Targeted and personal support on the way to a top position in medicine
• Empowerment: strengthening individual resources for setting and achieving goals
• Promotion of leadership skills in the context of university medicine
• Appointment seminar: Preparation for application situations and negotiations
• Networking: Exchange and support from and with other participants from different disciplines

• 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

• Framework structure as a flowchart
• Three individual coaching sessions with experienced coaches on individual goals, challenges and ways to overcome potential hurdles
• Two seminars on the topics of “Appointment procedures” & “Leadership in medicine”
• Network meetings: Peer network and cross-program network meetings

Leadership in Medicine - A training program for female scientists and physicians at the Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne 

Trainer: Regina Brehm, organizational consulting and coaching

Even in medicine, leadership can no longer be based solely on professionalism. Today, management skills for self-management, employee management and strategic leadership are just as important for the success of female scientists and doctors with management responsibility as professional expertise. This seminar aims to professionalize the participants' self-image as a leader and personality on the one hand and to train individual and situation-specific leadership skills on the other. In addition, participants receive concrete support in making decisions, developing strategies for action and exercising creative power.

Positioning in power arenas. Understanding the rules - acting quick-witted

Trainer: Sabine Scheerer, impulsplus

Communication is a crucial building block in the academic world. Asserting yourself, appearing confident and confident and being quick-witted are among the challenges in one-to-one discussions, on committees, in job interviews, etc. What distinguishes women from men is the naturalness of presenting themselves and confidently representing their own points of view and strengths. Women can learn to assert themselves in this male-dominated world and stand up for their own interests. In this seminar, communication rules are made clear and a goal-oriented approach is trained. The participants are strengthened in their own authentic presence in order to assert themselves in conversation, demand respect and leave a lasting impression.

• Completed habilitation or habilitation-equivalent achievement
• Formal connection to the Faculty of Medicine or University Hospital Cologne over the program period
• Professorship as an individual objective
• Willingness to participate in coaching sessions and seminars & to actively participate in the peer network
• Willingness to participate in the evaluation

The application period for the 2025 program cycle goes until March, 10 2025.

To apply, please complete the application form in the application portal at https://copf-med.uni-koeln.de/ and submit the following documents via the portal

• a current CV in tabular form including details of third-party funding (please indicate whether you are the main applicant or co-applicant or the proportion of your own funding) and courses held
• a current list of publications
• proof of your employment at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cologne or the University Hospital of Cologne