In this popular event, we explored the unique challenges faced by dual-academic couples in STEMM and discuss practical solutions. Our exceptional panel of academic researchers, all parents navigating dual-academic partnerships, shared their experiences and valuable insights. 

Dual-academic couples often encounter the "two-body problem," where both partners seek academic positions but struggle to find jobs in the same location, forcing one (typically the woman) to make accommodations for the other. Today, dual-academic couples represent about 36% of US academic faculty, and this number is rising due to the increasing number of women holding doctorates and pursuing academic careers.

Studies show that outdated gender norms continue to influence career paths within academia, where societal expectations often placing more value on men’s paid work while women support their partners' careers–often at the expense of their own professional growth. However, the narrative is changing and academic research institutions are beginning to address these issues more proactively and implementing inclusive policies to level the playing field

Speakers:

Lisa Ostrin, OD/PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Houston College of Optometry. She received an OD/PhD from the University of Houston College of Optometry and then went to John Hopkins University and UC Berkeley for postdoctoral research. Her lab researches the mechanisms behind myopia onset as well as its treatments.  Dr. Ostrin also teaches gross and ocular anatomy and has authored a book, “Anatomy of the Human Eye: a Coloring Atlas”. Instagram: @theanatomicaleye

Edwin Ostrin, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor in General Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Ostrin completed his PhD at Baylor College of Medicineunder the mentorship of Graeme Mardon, PhD. He then went on to complete internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital and pulmonary/critical care medicine fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. As a physician scientist, he balances his clinical practice as a lung cancer specialist while also conducting research.. 

Ana Pereira, PharmD, graduated with a Master’s in Pharmacy from the University of Lisbon, Portugal. In her early career, Pereira was a community pharmacist in Portugal. Upon moving to the US in 2013, Ana transitioned to biomedical research and started a postdoctoral position at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. After a career break due to childcare, she returned to a postdoc at Yale School of Medicine, which she later had to interrupt again to care for their twin children.

Joao Pereira, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, US. Joao obtained his PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK, and then did a postdoc at Harvard Medical School. His career journey has taken him from academia to industry and back. Dr Pereira is currently Scientific Director of the iPSC NeuroCore of the Department of Neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine, researching iPSC-derived models of neurodegenerative diseases. .