The NIH program aims to recruit up to 15 investigators from diverse backgrounds each year and to provide the investigators with mentoring and other professional development activities.
With stories of sexism and the lack of diversity running rampant in the life sciences industry, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is responding to that through its Distinguished Scholars Program.
The scholars program aims to build a more inclusive community by reducing the barriers to the recruitment and success of women and minority researchers. The program aims to recruit up to 15 investigators from diverse backgrounds each year and to provide the investigators with mentoring and other professional development activities that foster research and career success, the federal agency said on its website.
According to Chemical & Engineering News, about half of the biomedical PhDs awarded in the United States went to women and about 12% were awarded to minorities. However, of the more than 1,000 researchers employed by the NIH, 24% are women and only 5% were part of a minority group in 2018. Because of that disparity, the NIH launched its scholarship program last year.
Hannah Valantine, the NIH’s chief officer for scientific workforce diversity, told Chemical & Engineering News that the number of women and minorities receiving PhDs in biomedical science is increasing, but that has not translated into increased hiring. Valantine said the NIH wanted to do something about that. Last fall, the first 13 members of the Distinguished Scholars Program were named.
“The DSP program is unique in its focused recruitment of early-stage investigators, which is the major point where we lose underrepresented groups from scientific careers. By rewarding researchers for their involvement in mentoring initiatives, the program is designed for institutional transformation,” Valantine said in a statement at the time the first 13 recipients were announced.
Those picked for the Distinguished Scholars Program receive four years of research funding support of up to $2.35 million, as well as the mentorship and leadership training.
Among the first class of the DSP is Cuban-born Eric Calvo, who is now a Stadtman tenure-track investigator at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The objective of Calvo’s research is to “understand the mechanisms of vector-host and vector-pathogen interactions at the biochemical and molecular level.” By gaining this understanding, Calvo hopes the research will lead to the development of new control strategies to reduce or eliminate vector-borne diseases.
Another member of the first class is Sherine El-Toukhy. Born and raised in Cairo, her research is aimed at improving minority health and reducing health disparities through digital public health interventions. El-Toukhy is a Stadtman tenure-track investigator at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
Sadhana Jackson is now an assistant clinical investigator within the Neuro-Oncology Branch of the National Cancer Institute. This member of the inaugural DSP said the NIH is “an unparalleled place to do research.” Jackson’s current research focuses on the complexity of the blood-brain barrier and its relationship to malignant glioma treatment resistance.
NIH Advisor Louise McCullough said the DSP will provide invaluable insight. What the NIH learns through the program can help universities and research centers recruit and keep a more diverse workforce as well, McCullough told Chemical & Engineering News.
Greater diversity can be important for companies too. Earlier this year, a report published by McKinsey & Company titled “2018 Why Diversity Matters” found that the companies that ranked in the top 25% for gender diversity and top 35% for racial diversity were more likely to have better financial returns than companies that were less diverse. That report prompted BIO to implement a program to promote diversity among member companies. Last year, Pfizer released an ad that celebrates diversity in its employment. The commercial includes a mixed-race child, a Muslim woman in a hijab, as well as other images of diversity. The people in the commercial are all Pfizer scientists and were featured as part of the company’s “Driven to Discover” campaign.
