Forum for Women in Sleep Research - European Sleep Research Society

Aims

The European Sleep Research Society (ESRS) Forum for Women in Sleep Research is a task force for both early career and senior women scientists that are interested in maintaining their existing scientific activity, and developing further.

The Forum aims to:

Provide an open forum through e-mail communication and during get-togethers at ESRS meetings
Support female researchers
- create local support groups for women scientists in different countries
- arrange seminars to provide information on women’s career development and possibilities
- encourage women to choose science as their career, and encourage young women scientists to establish independent research careers
- assist women scientists to obtain research funding
- create a senior researcher network, where a young scientist can choose a mentor
Encourage scientific research pertaining to issues concerning women’s health including normal sleep and sleep disorders.

Join the Forum

Persons who wish to be included in the mailing list are requested to send their email address to the Forum Co-ordinator, Raphaelle Winsky-Sommerer:
r.winsky-sommerer@surrey.ac.uk.

Website links of interest

European Platform of Women Scientists: http://www.epws.org/

European Commission Women in Science: http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/index.cfm?fuseaction=public.topic&id=27

EU Marie Curie Actions: http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=D6884ECF-CBD4-1AA2-0C9815BB0658CAF3&period=2016

Committee

Reports

Previous Meetings

Madrid, September 1998

Dresden, October 1999

Istanbul, September 2000

Reykjavik, June 2002

Prague, October 2004

Innsbruck, September 2006

Glasgow, September 2008

Lisbon, September 2010

Paris, September 2012

History

The ESRS Forum for Women in Sleep Research was founded by Irene Tobler, Tarja Porkka-Heiskanen and Myriam Kerkhofs. The idea for the Forum evolved from the women’s discussion group Women in Sleep and Rhythm Research (WiSRR) which met each year at the Association of Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) congress. Many colleagues had not attended the sleep meeting in the USA, therefore a women’s discussion group was initiated at meetings of the ESRS.

During the ESRS Business Meeting in Istanbul in 2000, president of the ESRS Michel Billiard proposed that the Forum become a working group within the framework of the ESRS. This marked the official acceptance of the Forum by the business meeting. Since this time, meetings of the Forum have been included in the official program of each ESRS Congress.

At first announcement, the Forum was given the title of Forum for European Women in Sleep Research. Today the Forum is known as the ESRS Forum for Women in Sleep Research to open participation to all women researchers operating within Europe and beyond.