Virginia Kneeland Frantz Society Honors Anne Taylor
During her talk, “A Century of Women at VP&S: Historical Perspectives,” Anne L. Taylor lauded the contributions of the first women trailblazers at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons as setting the foundation for future leaders. Taylor herself, in her nearly 18 years at VP&S, has made an indelible mark on the school and its faculty that future speakers are sure to celebrate.
Taylor, the John Lindenbaum Professor of Medicine at CUMC, vice dean for academic affairs at VP&S, and senior vice president for faculty affairs and career development at CUIMC, will retire from Columbia this June. On March 26, the Virginia Kneeland Frantz Society, a group she and other women faculty founded to serve, support, and celebrate careers of women faculty at CUIMC, honored Taylor’s work in faculty professional development at the event.
Under the leadership of Taylor and the Office of Academic Affairs, which oversees the society, the percentage of women among VP&S faculty has grown to 50%, with growth occurring across departments.
Taylor presented an overview of women leaders at VP&S spanning from 1917, when women were first admitted to the school, to the present day. She discussed process changes that she and her team have implemented during her 17 years at Columbia that have improved the representation and inclusion of women. Changes have included reorganizing faculty academic tracks, modifying appointment and promotion processes, working with key stakeholders across campus to develop inclusive policies that support faculty needs, implementing mentoring and coaching programs, and launching the CUIMC Office of Faculty Development and Engagement and the CUIMC Office of Professionalism.
These changes—designed to support all faculty to advance in expertise, productivity, recognition, and satisfaction—have been especially impactful for women, and have resulted in increased percentages of women faculty at VP&S among all academic ranks. When compared to national averages, VP&S has a greater percentage of women at each academic rank. Women now also hold more leadership roles, including positions as deans, department chairs, and division directors. They also have greater representation on the elected VP&S faculty council and other decision making committees.
“It is not just the size of the faculty in representation, women are moving forward in rank, and that has a profound impact on opportunities for leadership, honors and awards, and on increasing recognition,” Taylor said.
One area where women have not advanced as proportionately is award of tenure, Taylor added, noting that although the percentage of tenured women faculty at VP&S has increased between 2006 and 2023, the increase was the smallest among all academic ranks. Taylor discussed ongoing career development challenges facing women, including the larger burden of caregiving responsibilities that fall to them outside of work. She noted that this trend was heightened and spotlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to lasting effects such as decreased manuscript authorship and research grant awards among women faculty.
“There’s work that still needs to be done around barriers to women scientists. We need to come together to sort through the reasons, and then develop solutions,” Taylor said.
Following her presentation, Taylor answered questions, moderated by James McKiernan, interm dean of VP&S, and provided ample sage advice. When asked about strategies women faculty should use to advocate for themselves, she responded, “Think about your own passions, what you really enjoy doing, and then where the limitations are. And then look for ways to address those. It takes a lot of self-reflection, but it also takes support from others, and that’s what our program and professional development are about. Providing many different strategies—because not everyone needs the same type of support—to move faculty forward in their careers.”
The VKFS Steering Committee members then presented Taylor with the VKFS Legacy of Excellence in Mentorship Award and announced that the honor will now be named the Anne L. Taylor VKFS Legacy of Excellence in Mentorship Award.
In addition to her professional achievements, Taylor is an accomplished cellist, and the night began and ended with string quartet performances by four student members of the VP&S Musicians’ Guild. The musicians performed works by Florence Price, an African American woman composer whose music was largely disregarded during her life, but recently rediscovered to acclaim. The instruments were made by Virginia Apgar, a VP&S faculty member from 1938-1959 who was a pioneering anesthesiologist and researcher as well as a lifelong violinist and luthier. The story of these instruments represented the ethos of the event: celebrating the achievements of remarkable and multi-dimensional women faculty of VP&S and the ways in which the school has better supported women over time, in large part thanks to the tireless work of Anne Taylor.