Women's Professional Pods Program (WP3)

Our Mission

To create an intentional space for professionals in medicine and science to enhance their networks and support systems while providing them with action-oriented skills focused on career advancement. 

Program History 

This program was developed by Dr. Jeannette Wolfe and her steering committee. She is the 2023 Joy McCann endowed Professor of Women in Medicine at UMass Chan. She's used this platform to develop a unique space to connect talented professionals, help them create new professional opportunities, and accelerate their careers. 

WP3 Connect. Create. Accelerate. 

Who is Eligible for Participation

This program is geared to the advancement of women in medicine and science however it is open to any professional who has an academic appointment at one of the three UMass Chan Medical Campuses. In addition, it is open to other health care clinicians such as Advanced Practice Providers.

Time Commitment

This program is designed to optimize value while minimizing time commitment.  Program participation requires approximately 4-6 hours per year. 

How it Works

Each medical campus will run a series of pods, each pod containing approximately fifteen individuals. Participants will be placed into pods based on their specialty, career point, and preference for meeting time and place (i.e., meeting at the hospital during lunch or at a pod member's home after work).  If scheduling permits, we will encourage participants to meet outside of the hospital to allow more time for discussion and exploration of that meeting's focused theme.

Each pod will run longitudinally and contain professionals from various career points and specialties. This is done purposefully to place participants outside of their typical networks and enhance inter-disciplinary relationships while also fostering organic peer coaching and bidirectional mentoring. Due to the personal nature of this program, we are only offering in-person pods at this point. 

How Often Do the Pods Meet

Each pod will meet three times a year during pre-designated "Podweeks". Each Podweek will have a specific professional development theme and will kick off with a short podcast featuring experts from different UMass Chan medical campuses. This theme will be further explored during the pod meeting through an action-directed small group activity. 

How to Enroll

The first step to be placed into a pod is to complete the survey. New pods will be created during specific enrollment periods as numbers permit. Otherwise, we will place interested individuals into pods as spaces become available.  

Enroll Here

Podcast