I cannot be what I can’t see – How an idea tackled the lack of senior minority women in university health and medical schools

It was before the pandemic that Professor Nisreen Alwan MBE* from the University of Southampton, started having conversations with women from ethnic minorities working in academic medicine or health.

Nisreen was conscious that many women from an ethnic minority background felt that there wasn’t a level playing field or support for people like them, and there was an obvious gap in role models. And that was borne out when she looked at the figures.

Seventeen per cent of people in the UK belong to black, Asian, mixed or other ethnic groups. If those figures were applied to UK academic professors– you would expect a around 8.5% female professors from ethnic minority backgrounds in UK universities. The actual figure is only 3.6% compared to 9.1% male professors. Most professors in the UK are white and male (60%).

It was then that Professor Alwan looked to create a national mentoring scheme for women from ethnic minorities in academic medicine.

The principle was to match those who identify as women from minority ethnic backgrounds working in academic medicine or health sciences with a mentor from a similar background, or with similar experiences. With the intention of helping those women advance their career and become leaders of the future.

The mentoring initiative (called AIMMS - Academic Intersectionality Mentoring in Medical Schools) was during the COVID-19 pandemic led by the University of Southampton in partnership with the Universities of Cardiff, Exeter, Leicester, Swansea, Leeds, Birmingham, St Andrews, Hull York Medical School, and the Academy of Medical Sciences. Initially supporting women from ethnic minority backgrounds in academic medicine and health sciences, the scheme has expanded from nine to thirteen UK medical schools and is available to  all UK medical schools through its recent adoption by the Medical Schools Council.

Several years later the programme has been evaluated and the results published in the journal PLOS One (April 29, 2025).

Co-authored by Professor Nisreen Alwan and Mirembe Woodrow* with colleagues from partner institutions, the study demonstrates AIMMS Mentoring’s effectiveness in supporting career progression, fostering mentorship relationships, and creating a more inclusive academic environment.

Nisreen said: “We are delighted that the AIMMS Mentoring evaluation revealed that both participating mentors and mentees reported positive personal and professional development. It is so important to support under-represented groups in academic medicine as diversity in leadership is likely to reflect in wider societal benefits particularly in relation to health inequalities.”

AIMMS Mentoring has been recognised as a “gold standard” activity in Southampton’s Faculty of Medicine Athena Swan submission for its role in addressing structural barriers to leadership.

Mirembe added: “AIMMS Mentoring’s uniqueness as a scheme available across all UK medical schools is a great strength as it helps women from similar backgrounds connect and find advice and support.  Our evaluation informed further improvements to the programme, and I can see AIMMS Mentoring going from strength to strength in the future.”

Get Involved

The AIMMS Mentoring initiative is actively seeking both mentors and mentees. If you’d like to take part, visit Academic Intersectionality Mentoring in Medical Schools (AIMMS) | Medical Schools Council  for more details.

*Both Nisreen and Mirembe work for the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration Wessex (NIHR ARC Wessex) which is hosted by the School of Health Sciences at the University of Southampton and by University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust.