Dr. Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk named 2022 Dynamic Womxn of the Year

The Dynamic Womxn Awards program is now in its 9th year. This distinguished program celebrates and honors the incredible womxn who are leaders and role models actively making a difference in our community. Dr. Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk has received many prestigious grants and has authored a number of peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on the impact of natural aging on vision and on neurodegenerative eye conditions using molecular, biochemical, and cellular methods. Despite her busy research career, she continuously mentors several rotating graduate students and PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and others. Her philosophy towards mentoring is to establish core objectives for each trainee and to build foundations for their future career. In June 2020 she has founded the CTVR Women in Vision Research Committee, one of the first women committees at the School of Medicine. As a Founding Chair, Dorota brings focus to the social and cultural challenges from the perspective of early career women. Her mission is to accelerate the change and empower women of all backgrounds to achieve full potential in careers as researchers, clinicians and leaders. In March 2021 Committee organized a screening of the film “Picture a Scientist” which tells the story of three women in science who share the challenges they faced as they advanced their careers. The screening was followed by a panel discussion focusing on the positive actions that should improve the position of women in science. In August 2021 she organized the workshop entitled “Mentorship/Sponsorship/Allyship/Coaching for ALL - Understanding the Difference & Impact on Your Career”. Women in Vision committee also started a mentoring program for women on every career level. In the spring, the Committee in collaboration with the Women in MSTP (students) committee, organized UCI’s first outreach event celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11, 2022. For her commitment to the cause, Dorota was selected as the recipient of the inaugural School of Medicine 2021 Equity and Diversity in Mentoring Award, for leading the Women in Vision Research Program. In addition, Dorota is actively working on encouraging students, especially from underrepresented groups to study Science. Recently she was awarded a Chancellor’s Illumination Award and on April 18, 2022, she successfully hosted the first UCI “VISIONS – dialogue of art and science” event. VISIONS is a unique project aiming to “take science from the lab and make it accessible to the nonscientific world” directed to the undergraduate students. The event attracted a large audience of UCI students and faculty. This past summer, Dorota started Vision Research Summer Internship Program in collaboration with the Chair of Ophthalmology at UCI and Professor of Biology at NC&AT. The program was aimed to introduce young researchers from Historically Black Universities and Colleges (HBCUs) to the careers in translational vision research. First student supported by the program, Sean Kelly Darks joined her lab this summer. Dorota is passionate and openly discusses the problems of gender equity.