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A key building block along this path is the composition of the governing bodies that advise and support the Board of Directors. The BIH has therefore enshrined in its statute that a gender parity distribution of voting rights also applies to positions that are filled through institutional elections. This means that at the BIH, the composition of both the Section Management posts and the Extended Board of Directors will reflect gender parity. This ensures that women and men have an equal say in important decisions. By enshrining gender parity at the structural level, the BIH is setting an example that is being watched with considerable interest by other research institutions.

In late November, elections for the Section Management posts, the Extended Board of Directors and the Women’s Election Committee took place. Voter turnout was 35 percent. Those elected were:  

Section Management, Translational Sciences and Applications (TSA)
Dr. Jennifer Kirwan and Prof. Dr. Ulrich Dirnagl

Section Management, Exploratory Diagnostic Sciences (EDS)
Prof. Dr. Ute Scholl and Prof. Dr. Dominik Seelow

Section Management, Advanced and Personalized Therapies (APT)
Prof. Dr. Julia Polánsky-Biskup and Prof. Dr. Georg Duda

Section Management, Medical and Health Data Sciences (MHDS)
Prof. Dr. Claudia Langenberg and Prof. Dr. Roland Eils

Extended Board of Directors:
Prof. Dr. Birgit Sawitzki, Prof. Dr. Petra Ritter, Dr. Simon Haas and Prof. Dr. Ulrich Dirnagl

Special Election Committee for the Election of Part-Time Women and Equal Opportunities Officers: 
Member Group of Women Professors
Prof. Dr. Sarah Hedtrich and Prof. Dr. Julia Polánsky-Biskup
Member Group of Women Academic Staff
Caroline Stellmach and Melanie Ort

Professor Christopher Baum, Chair of the BIH Board of Directors and Chief Translational Research Officer of Charité, is pleased with the successful conclusion of the elections: “We congratulate those elected and express our thanks to the candidates and voters as well as everyone who was involved in organizing what was a very complex undertaking, especially under pandemic conditions. All three bodies play a central role in the future governance of the BIH and enable different areas of the Institute to be closely involved in high-level decisions.”

Dr. Michael Frieser, Administrative Director of the BIH, adds: “We look forward to working with our colleagues on the various bodies. Together we will shape the BIH in the coming years, so that we fulfill our mission of turning research into health.”