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.
I frequently get questions from friends and colleagues "how do you do it all? Tell me how you do it!". Well, spoiler alert - I DO NOT DO IT ALL. Want to learn some quick and easy academic mom hacks to help make life just a tad easier? Read on! These are some hacks I have followed the last ~6 years or so since starting as a faculty member and achieving tenure, that have helped me achieve the facade of "doing it all".
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreAs a recently promoted Associate Professor with tenure, I am finally in a position of a little bit more power and with the safety of at least knowing I am unlikely to lose my job over telling my own personal #MeToo stories. To the rest of the brave women who have overcome this fear of public retribution, especially those who are not in positions of power, thank you for leading this path. I stand on the shoulder of giants and women who are braver and stronger than I am.
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