Welcome back!
Our new home It has been a while since I wrote a blog post for aKIDemic Life – as for many of you, I’ve found COVID has put lots of things on pause. Now, thanks to a great partnership with IAMAS (International Association of Maternal Action and Scholarship),...
Using Instagram to Help the Next Generation of Doctors and Scientists
This month’s post is from Jerusha Mather, one of the inaugural Australian Academy of Science STEM Women Changemakers – a group of women ranging from start-up founders to organisational advocates, who are using their knowledge, experience and networks to share...IAMAS Town Hall: Motherf#@%ing Covid: Work, Kids and You
Motherhood is feeling pretty hard right now. Four seriously AMAZING women are here to help. Think of them as the Mama Avengers flying in to help us fight for sustainable motherhood. This interactive Q&A will focus on:• naming (and getting!) the support we need at...IAMAS Public Statement Regarding Covid-19 and Mothers
IAMAS Public Letter Regarding COVID-19 Crisis May 1 is International Workers Day. This year, Mother’s Day, an event that started as mothers’ protest against war, falls on May 10. That these two events are so close is fitting, particularly with millions of mothers...
Dilemma: Being a Role Model While Maintaining Privacy
“You can’t be what you can’t see” — Marian Wright Edelman I talk to many academics about the importance of great role models. Seeing someone go before you and successfully juggle work and family life can be really inspiring, providing a source of advice and...
Your Mental Health: Being a Parent at a Time of Crisis
Every now and again I get an email in my overflowing inbox that makes me sit up and pay attention: this week I received a newsletter from PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia). I read the following two paragraphs and it struck a chord: “Climate change,...
Thank You for 2019 and Watch Out 2020!
2019 has been a pretty big year for aKIDemic Life, with the launch of the website, the creation and curation of great new content to help parents and carers working in academia, and recognition by Nature Journals as one of the short-listed candidates for Inspiring...
Interview with Shep Chidarikire on Mental Health, Academia and Parenting
Today we interview Shep Chidarikire, a lecturer and nurse in mental health, working in Tasmania, Australia. He discusses the mental health challenges of being an academic and a parent, and the importance of creating an organisational culture that removes the stigma...