Editors’ welcome

Raffaella Demichelis and Maithili Sashindranath
EMCR Pathways Co-editors and EMCR Forum Executive Members

@raffademichelis   @dr_maithili   @EMCRForum

Hello dear EMCR crew! 

We keep thinking about you all as we swing between restrictions, lockdowns and normality, and we hope the stress that comes from it is not disrupting your mental health too badly. While it is not the ideal time to organise big parties, you may be delighted to know that this year we have a huge celebration that involves you all—thousands of EMCRs across Australia—it’s the Forum’s 10th birthday! 

As we cannot gather all together, please sing happy birthday … a bit louder as we cannot quite hear you … still cannot hear you … Yes! We are asking you to be loud as there is a lot to celebrate in reaching this milestone. For the past 10 years the EMCR Forum has taken the role of supporting the careers of EMCRs, through creating connections, organising or supporting various initiatives, advocacy and policy submissions—to name only a few. 

We couldn’t but open this issue with an interview with the Founding Chair of the EMCR Forum, Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea AM. It is really inspiring to read how it all came together and to reflect on her advice on career management. It is also very motivating to see how far the Forum has travelled in the past 10 years, with our current Chair and  some of our former Chairs highlighting how the Forum’s activity has been shaped over the years to focus on the key areas relevant to Australian EMCRs. Finally, Associate Professor Vanessa Wong, Dr Andrew Siebel and Dr Jiao Jiao Li tell their stories of how being members of the EMCR Forum and engaging with activities at different levels has had a positive impact on their careers.

Celebrating our birthday isn’t all we have in this issue! Dr Mohammad Taha shares their reflections on Pride Month, and we go on the job with Dr Cherie Gambley.

Associate Professor Francine Marques and Dr Dean Picone tell us about the Cardiovascular Champions Program, while our wise Agony Aunt has taken time off and left a precious message steeped in her usual wisdom to all our EMCRs!

Last but not least, our amazing Project Manager Laura Navarro summarises what the Forum has been up to in the last few months preparing to launch Science Pathways 2021.

Remember to get in touch if you would like to contribute to any of these sections, have an EMCR group or event you would like to see featured, or have a question for our Agony Aunt.