Advancing women’s leadership in global health research: news, resources and funding

Diverse perspectives are essential to advancing science, especially in global health. Women in particular face additional, unique barriers in the field of global health research, and must have equal opportunities to highlight their expertise, voice their opinions, influence the direction of research, and hold leadership positions.

NIH supports and encourages equitable roles for women in scientific research worldwide. The NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers helps bolster women in scientific research. Across NIH, women now lead 11 of the 27 Institutes and Centers. And NIH is committed to balanced gender representation at scientific meetings and high-level conferences, including ending the tradition of all-male speaking panels. Fogarty leadership and staff enthusiastically support this effort.

Providing work environments free of harassment is critical to making sure women can fully contribute to and participate in biomedical research. NIH is committed to taking action to change the culture of science to end sexual harassment. The Advisory Committee to the NIH Director (ACD) Working Group on Changing the Culture to End Sexual Harassment is holding NIH accountable for demonstrating progress. NIH has outlined harassment and discrimination protections in NIH training applications for the extramural research community, and has released guidelines for organizations receiving NIH funding.

Other organizations are leading the effort to advance gender equity in health leadership. The annual Women Leaders in Global Health Conference brings together established and emerging leaders from across sectors and cultures. Women in Global Health works with other global health organizations to help them achieve gender equality in their spaces of influence. 

Top News & Resources

• Bohnet Discusses Gender Bias in the Workplace
  NIH Record, April 14, 2023
• Grantees share approaches to reduce sexual harassment
  Jan / Feb 2022 Global Health Matters
  
• New Policy Action Paper highlights feasible policy interventions for addressing the under representation of women in global health and care leadership
  WHO departmental news, June 8, 2021

• Women advocate for leadership roles in global health during 2020 Women Leaders in Global Health Conference
  Nov / Dec 2020 Global Health Matters

• NIH helps LMIC institutions combat sexual harassment
  Nov / Dec 2020 Global Health Matters

• Commentary: Where are we in bridging the gender leadership gap in academic medicine? by Dr. Hannah Valantine, NIH chief officer for scientific workforce diversity
  Academic Medicine, October 2020
• Issue on Women and Academic Medicine
  Academic Medicine, October 2020
• Challenges for the female academic during the COVID-19 pandemic
  The Lancet, June 27, 2020
  
• Gender-Transformative Leadership: A Participatory Toolkit for Health Workers
  Jhpiego, July 2, 2020
• NIH closes sexual harassment loopholes in guidelines governing its grantees
  May / June 2020 Global Health Matters
• New steps to help ensure safe work environments for NIH-supported research
  NIH Office of Extramural Research blog post, June 11, 2020
• Editorial: Combating sexual harassment, authored by NIH leadership
  Science, June 11, 2020
• Gender gap narrows in research and innovation but inequality persists, report shows
  Elsevier news, March 4, 2020
• Report: The researcher journey through a gender lens
  Elsevier, March 2020
  

Women in Leadership at NIH

• Dr. Nina Schor named NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Research
  NIH news, November 3, 2022
• Monica Bertagnolli begins work as 16th director of the National Cancer Institute
  NCI/NIH news, October 3, 2022
• Webster-Cyriaque Selected as Deputy Director, NIDCR
  NIDCR news, November 18, 2021
  
• NIH names Dr. Rena D’Souza as director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
  NIDCR/NIH news, August 13, 2020
  
• NIH taps Dr. Lindsey Criswell as director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
  NIAMS/NIH news, August 6, 2020
• NIH taps Dr. Shannon Zenk as director of the National Institute of Nursing Research
  NINR/NIH news, July 1, 2020
  

Related Fogarty News and Information

Profiles of Women Scientists from Fogarty's Global Health Matters newsletter

• Cultivating oral health research within and beyond Thailand's borders: Q&A with Dr. Waranuch Pitiphat
• Employing user-centered design to fill gaps in mental health treatment: Q&A with Lola Kola
• Q&A with National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Deputy Director Dr. Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque
• Fogarty fellow Dr. Ashley Karczewski researched how antiretroviral treatment (ART) influences protective peptides in saliva
  
• Using sociology to tackle AIDS in Indonesia: Q & A with Dr. Judith Levy
• Former Fogarty Fellow Abigail Link evaluates meningitis causes among patients in Uganda
• Profile: Former Fogarty fellow Siana Nkya tackles sickle cell disease in Tanzania
  

NIH News and Resources

• NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers
  
• NIH Woman Scientist Advisors (WSA) from the NIH Office of Intramural Research
• NIH Anti-Sexual Harassment
• For NIH awardee organizations and those who work there
• Notice of Clarification Regarding Harassment and Discrimination Protections in NIH Training Applications (NOT-OD-19-056), released January 2019
• Advisory Committee to the NIH Director (ACD) Working Group on Changing the Culture to End Sexual Harassment

Other Online Resources

• Women Leaders in Global Health (WLGH) Conference
  
• WomenLift Health
  
• Women in Global Health
  
• Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD)
• PhD Fellowships for Women Scientists from Science and Technology Lagging Countries

• Early Career Fellowships for Women Scientists from Science and Technology Lagging Countries

Other organizations and events:

• Women in Medicine from the American College of Physicians
• Women Physicians from the American Medical Association
• Women in Medicine Summit
• Women in Medicine
• Committee on Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine
• Value gender and equity in the global health workforce from WHO 
  

Updated April 17, 2023