AIHA will launch the Women in Industrial Hygiene Community, a career resource and mentoring environment for women in industrial hygiene and related fields, during AIHce EXP 2018 in Philadelphia, Pa. AIHA members of the Women in IH Working Group began developing this new community last year following an open forum on the topic that received overwhelming interest at AIHce EXP in Seattle. More than 200 AIHA members participated in the forum and voiced their desires to have a dedicated environment for promoting career development and leadership skills and for sharing information relevant to women in the industrial hygiene profession.

It might be easy to think that the Wo

men in IH Community is being formed in response to the current political climate, which is rife with stories of women in the workplace who are being harassed, discriminated against, and receiving unequal pay. While these are very important issues in our society today, the Women in IH Community is focused on promoting technical and management skills; researching and raising awareness of health risks and other issues specific to women in the workplace; and fostering collaborative efforts among individuals regardless of race, creed, or gender.

Over the next year, the Women in IH Community will host a series of virtual town-hall-style meetings to discuss a wide range of topics of interest and value. These meetings are intended to promote an open dialogue and lead to insightful, helpful advice and solutions to the issues at hand. The community also plans to conduct outreach via Catalyst, AIHA’s online community platform; webinars; and articles and blog posts such as this one. The community hopes to collaborate with several of AIHA’s volunteer committees on common interests. For details on these activities, please contact us to join the Women in IH Community group on Catalyst.

Finally, the Women in IH Working Group is most excited about the events we have planned for AIHce EXPin Philadelphia. An open forum is scheduled for Monday, May 21, at the conference center. Following our presentation, participants will have an opportunity to network with the community members, learn more about the community’s mission, and volunteer in areas that interest them. The working group has also developed two interactive educational sessions that will be held on Tuesday, May 22: “Leadership Journeys to Success” and “Develop Your Professional Brand.” While these sessions are geared toward women's challenges, they are open to everyone. We feel that all members would benefit from and enjoy these sessions. Locations, times, and other details related to these events will be available in the conference program and app, so make sure you look them up and mark your calendars.

The Women in IH Working Group is excited for the launch of this new community and looks forward to seeing all of you in Philadelphia!