Balancing kids + academic faculty life

In 2011, I started as a tenure-track faculty member department at a prestigious university having no idea what I was doing. I have always loved writing and always planned to start a blog to document the challenges and triumphs of achieving tenure as a young female in a male-dominated department. And then I had a kid, and then I had another kid, and before I knew it I actually achieved tenure. And then had another kid. In this blog I will write about today, and also recount the best and worse of times as I progressed through my career and continue to figure out how this all works. My background and training is in epidemiology, so I will use my population health lens and attention to data to embrace the topic. Some posts are ALL mama, and some are more academic, but most are a good mix of aca-mama.

A stranger saved me...and my boobs

December 19, 2019 by Rachel Patzer in Parenting, Traveling, Work

I had the cab driver drop me off at the convention center and after paying FIFTY DOLLARS (!!) for that ride, I RAN into the mothers room at the conference. I immediately plugged in. Started pumping. And….very…little…milk. NOOOO! It was like the whole pump was on super low power and I just could not get it to have enough pressure. THE MEMBRANES WERE NOT THE PROBLEM. My pump was just broken. I was ALMOST in tears. My talk started in 10 minutes. I didn’t know what to do. I was 100% CERTAIN I would be leaking as I got up on stage to present to the room of 200+ people on the talk that I had hoped to have the morning to prepare for but clearly had other things to worry about.

"Don't Go Mama!"

November 01, 2017 by Rachel Patzer in Traveling, Work, Parenting

This month I definitely broke my "rules" of traveling and am in the midst of suffering the consequences. I've been to four cities in one month and I just plain feel like bad mom. Just before I left for my last trip, my two-year old son said "No mama, don't go mama!". My heart hurt. Where is my work/life balance?! I wanted to stay home, but it was too late to cancel the two talks I had to give at one of the biggest conferences in my field. And then I swore that from now on I was going to follow my travel "rules" and not let things get out of hand again.