DeutschTwo scientists from the DRFZ successfully completed the Leibniz Mentoring program for women
Two scientists from the DRFZ successfully completed the Leibniz Mentoring program for women this year. Dr. Irene Mattiola and Dr. Johanna Callhoff participated in the program that aims to strengthen female scientists on their path to leadership positions. Since May 2020, they developed their skills as leaders in science with the help of their more experienced mentors, collegial consultations and numerous workshops on topics like career development, time management and professional communication. They are looking forward to be part of the Leibniz Mentoring Network now, where the alumnae of the program regularly meet for further exchange.
The president of the Leibniz Association, Prof. Kleiner awarded the certificates to show his support.
Dr. Johanna Callhoff works as a statistician in the health services research group at the DRFZ. In her research she studies health care provision for people with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, aims to identify groups of patients that might be underserved and analyses large datasets to get an overview of the current state of rheumatologic specialized care in Germany.
“The program helped me to realize I have so many skills on top of my scientific knowledge. It made me take a step back from the busy days at work to reflect on my career and the opportunities out there! But I feel that by far the most important part is the network we have built among the mentees and all the informal exchange this network offers.”
Johanna Callhoff´s mentor was Prof. Cornelia Weikert from the Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung
Dr. Irene Mattiola is a postdoctoral researcher in the Charité Liaison-Group “Mucosal and Developmental Immunology” headed by Prof Andreas Diefenbach at the DRFZ. Irene studies the biology of the innate immune system and she is particularly interested in the role of innate immune cells in the regulation of inflammatory disorders, including autoimmune diseases and cancer.
“Being part of the Leibniz Mentoring Program was one of the most stimulating and growing experience of my career. I extended my knowledge on professional communication, time management, career planning and how to better deal with all the uncertainty of our professional life. The workshops, the peer-coaching sessions and the discussions with my mentor helped me a lot in gaining self-confidence and awareness. I learned how self-reflection could be important for a leader and to do not be afraid to ask for help. It was amazing to have the support of my mentor and the other mentees, we celebrated together our achievements and we helped each other during bad times. I warmly recommend to all the woman scientists out there to take this journey, this can definitely change your perspectives and be an empowering experience”
Irene Mattiola´s mentor was Prof. Michela Di Virgilio from the MDC
