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Advancement of Women in the Biomedical Workforce: Insights for Success
Whitney L Barfield1, Jennifer L Plank-Bazinet, Janine Austin Clayton
1W.L. Barfield is science and technology fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Office of Research on Women's Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. J.L. Plank-Bazinet is health scientist administrator, Office of Research on Women's Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. J. Austin Clayton is director, Office of Research on Women's Health, and associate director for women's health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
Abstract:
Women continue to face unique barriers in the biomedical workforce that affect their advancement and retention in this field. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) formed the Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers to address these issues. Through the efforts of the working group, the NIH funded 14 research grants to identify barriers or to develop and/or test interventions to support women in the biomedical workforce. The grantees that were funded through this endeavor later established the grassroots Research Partnership on Women in Biomedical Careers, and they continue to conduct research and disseminate information on the state of women in academic medicine. This Commentary explores the themes introduced in a collection of articles organized by the research partnership and published in this issue of Academic Medicine. The authors highlight the role that government plays in the advancement of women in academic medicine and highlight the findings put forward in this collection.
