We know that women are well represented within the general populations of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in the biomedical sciences, but fewer than 25 percent of the applicants and recipients of NIH research grants are female (see data). Why is it that so few women go on to become members of the faculty at institutions of higher learning? Are there ways that NIH and our research partners can do more to facilitate the transition from post-doc to a faculty appointment for our colleagues?
The National Academies report Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering addresses such issues. The report concluded that unconscious bias and institutional barriers still prevent women from reaching their full academic potential in science and research careers. Such barriers pose an enormous threat to the scientific talent pool and, ultimately, the future of scientific enterprise. I am firmly committed, as is NIH as a whole, to identifying and removing obstacles to women in biomedical careers, and I would like to highlight several recently launched extramural NIH initiatives to help women join and stay in the scientific workforce.
The NIH convened a Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers, to develop strategies and solutions to promote the advancement of women in biomedical fields
- We have held Workshops such as “Women in Biomedical Research: Best Practices for Sustaining Career Success” and “National Leadership Workshop on Mentoring Women in Biomedical Careers“, designed to provide attendees with tools to improve or initiate mentoring programs in their organizations; to design methods for mentoring women in private and public biomedical research sectors; and to build leadership strategies for success in the global biomedical research environment
- NIH has reissued the Research Supplements to Promote Reentry into Biomedical and Behavioral Research Careers Program, with expanded eligibility for post-doctoral scholars
- We have increased the period of parental leave that institutions can offer to individuals supported by the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards.
- We have released an RFA to stimulate research and analyze causal factors and interventions to promote and support the careers of women in biomedical and behavioral research
We acknowledge that there are sometimes practical considerations in implementing changes that enable advancement for women in biomedical science careers, and doubtless some efforts will require substantial institutional commitment. Flexibility regarding scheduling, for example, may carry with it certain administrative costs, but it is undeniably a strong benefit for a parent of young children. To assist with an effort such as this, for example, NIH has issued an FAQ on Policies related to Parental Leave and Child Care for grantee institutions.
In other cases, however, change may be a matter of simply revising practices to meet the needs of all. The overarching goal of such initiatives is to acknowledge and promote the development of women in the scientific fields and to reduce possible impediments to the recruitment, retention, reentry, and advancement of women scientists within NIH and throughout the extramural research community. To keep the community abreast of these and other initiatives, the Working Group provides a monthly e-Newsletter and e-mail updates to subscribers.
Promoting diversity of the research workforce helps ensure that we include all the best and brightest in addressing all the health-related research needs of our nation. We must work together to encourage the participation of women and to ensure that the careers of women and other underrepresented groups are not delayed by internal bias and barriers. I see this as nothing short of a national imperative to stem the loss of stellar researchers to ensure better health for the nation.
— Norka Ruiz Bravo, Ph.D.
OER Director and NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research
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