Who we are

The Society for Women in Academic Psychiatry (SWAP) was founded in 2005 to help increase opportunities for female-identifying faculty and staff mentorship in academic psychiatry.

We strive to address sex- and gender-related inequities for individuals in the work place as well as for those we serve. We do this through active engagement, advocacy, education and mentorship.

What we do

SWAP supports a variety of activities each year to address the needs of faculty and trainees in the department. Such activities include:

  • Annual Fall Welcome to welcome new female-identifying faculty, staff and trainees and set goals for the coming year
  • SWAP Grand Rounds Speaker, scheduled annually, who speaks on issues related to gender and sex in mental health care and/or issues related to the healthcare profession
  • SWAP Trainee Event provides education and mentorship around a topic of particular interest to trainees, such as negotiation, work-life integration and career development, to name a few
  • SWAP Faculty Event provides education and mentorship around a topic of particular interest to faculty members, including topics on professional development, diversity/intersectionality and managing workplace issues

Get involved!

If you would like to learn more about the society and our activities, please contact one of the co-chairs.

Puja Chadha, M.D.
Puja Chadha, M.D.
SWAP Co-Chair
plchadha­@ucdavis.edu

On the topic

UC Davis faculty contributed to or authored the following articles on the topic of women in academic psychiatry.


Women in Academic Psychiatry: Inequities, Barriers, and Promising Solutions
Published February 2, 2021

Marcy Forgey Borlik, Sarah M. Godoy, Paula M. Wadell, Lidija Petrovic-Dovat, Consuelo C. Cagande, Aditi Hajirnis & Eraka P. Bath


Society for Women in Academic Psychiatry: A Peer Mentoring Approach

Note: Access to this article is subscription based. If you are affiliated with UC Davis, you can log in and read it at no cost.
Published January 10, 2014
Andreea L. Seritan M.D., Robinder Bhangoo M.D., Sylvia Garma Ph.D., Jane DuBé L.C.S.W., Ju Hui Park Ph.D. & Robert Hales M.D., M.B.A.

This article discusses the establishment of the Society for Women in Academic Psychiatry (SWAP) at UC Davis and the novel approach of junior women faculty providing peer support, mentoring and collaborative events to help improve recruitment, retention and the climate for women in academic psychiatry.