I WANT TO WELCOME EVERYONE TODAY TO THIS SYMPOSIUM. THIS IS A JOINT SYMPOSIUM THAT WAS PUT ON BY--IS BEING PUT ON œADVISORS HERE AT NIH AS WELL AS THE BETHESDA CHAPTER OF AMERICAN WOMEN AND SCIENCE, AWS, I WANT TO SPEAK BRIEFLY ABOUT THE WOMEN'S SCIENTIST ADVISORS THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1993 BY THEN HEAD OF NIH DR. BERNEA DINE HEALY AND OUR MISSION IS TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO PROMOTE WOMEN SCIENTISTS HERE AT NIH IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOUR WSA REP IS FOR THE INSTITUTE YOU'RE IN, IF YOU'RE FROM THE NIH, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO REACH OUT TO THAT REP, AND FIND OUT WHO IT IS, I'M DEBBIE HINTON BY THE WAY AND WE WILL PUT YOU IN TOUCH WITH YOUR REP AND WE WILL FIND WAYS TO WORK WITH WSA IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. THIS SYMPOSIUM CAME ABOUT BECAUSE THERE WAS--THERE HAS BEEN A BIG HUNGER, I THINK IN THE PAST 2 OR 3 YEARS FOR WOMEN TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO MOVE UP IN THEIR CAREERS IN SCIENCE. THE NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN PIs AT NIH HAS NOT PRECCABLY CHANGED SINCE THE TIME I GOT HERE. SO I ARRIVED AT NIH IN 1982. THE NUMBER OF WOMEN PIs AT THAT TIME WAS IN THE UPPER TEENS. WE ARE NOW AT 22%. SO YOU CAN SEE THERE'S NOT BEEN A LOT OF GROWTH THERE AND PARTICULARLY IN THE UPPER LEADERSHIP POSITIONS THERE'S NOT BEEN A LOT OF GROWTH. I'M SURE THOSE WHO COME FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS COME THE OTHER WAY. SO THE IDEA HERE IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN PROMOTE OURSELVES AND WE WANT TO ALSO BROADEN THIS TO EVERYONE WHO WAS AN UNDERREPRESENTED GROUP IN SCIENCE BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST WOMEN WHO ARE UNDERREPRESENTED. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER ETHNICITIES AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT DIVERSITY IS WHAT MAKES US GREAT AND DIVERSE THINKING AND POINTS OF VIEW, IN SCIENCE IS WHAT GENERATES THE ENERGY FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD AND MAKE GREAT DISCOVERIES. I ESPECIALLY WANT TO THANK JEN PATTERSON WEST WHO WILL SPEAK NEXT FOR THE AWS, AND SHE A POST DOC IN MY LAB AND I AM VERY, VERY LUCKY TO HAVE HER AND IN ADDITION SHE'S DONE A GREAT DEAL OF THIS WORK PUTTING THIS TOGETHER AND SHE IS THE PERSON WHO MADE THIS AWESOME BROCHURE, WHICH I HAVE NO IDEA HOW YOU DO THIS SORT OF THING SO I WANT TO ESPECIALLY THANK JEN FOR THAT. SO JEN, GO AHEAD. >> HELLO. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. SO BRIEFLY I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE AWS, SINCE THEY WERE NICE ENOUGH TO DONATE THE FOOD AND COFFEE WHICH WE NEVER GET HERE AT NIH, SO I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THEM FOR THAT BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR THE COMMUNITY, SO AWS IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT CHAMPIONS WOMEN IN STEM AND EMPLOYMENT SECTORS SO NOT JUST POST DOCS, NOT JUST TRADITIONAL ROUTE, WE TRY TO HAVE A VOICE FOR EVERYONE. WE ARE WORKING FOR POSITIVE SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION, AWS STRIVES THAT ALL WOMEN CAN ACHIEVE THEIR LOCAL POTENTIAL, THEY PROVIDE CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL EVENTS THAT ALLOW THEM TO GROW INDIVIDUALLY WHILE NETWORKING WITH OTHER WOMEN IN STEM. AWS BETHESDA HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN THE DIVERSITY SPACE AND INITIATING CONVERSATIONINGS WITH ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS TO TALK ABOUT BROADENING STEM AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN THE STEM PIPELINE AND DISCUSSING CHALLENGES, AND THE STRATEGIES THAT ORGANIZATIONS CAN ADDRESS TO IMPLEMENT THESE CHANGES. SO FOR INSTANCE WE PARTNER WITH METAMIEWN AS MANY OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS HAVE MET WITH REPRESENT SENTATIVES TO GO AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT WOMAN'S ISSUES AND THEY CAN DO THAWZ WE'RE A NONPROFIT WHICH WE CAN'T DO USING OUR OTHER HATS. BUT THE PURPOSE OF TODAY'S SYMPOSIUM IS TO DIG A LITTLE DEEPER INTO WAYS THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND ADMINISTRATION CAN HELP ADVANCE A SCIENTIFIC CAREERS OF WOMEN AND UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS. EACH OF OUR SPEAKERS WILL TAKE A FEW MINUTES, MAYBE 20 MINUTES TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND SPEAK ABOUT THEIR EFFORTS AND EXPERIENCE ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE. SO AS NOT TO DELAY OUR DISCUSSION. LET ME INTRODUCE OUR FIRST SPEAKER WHICH IS DR. KATHRYN DR. KATHRYNZOON, SHE WAS RECENTLY APPOINTED TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF EMERGENT BIOSOLUTIONS AND THE NIH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, SHE'S ALSO A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF EARTH AND LIFE STUDIES ADVISORY BOARD AND PREVIOUSLY SHE WAS THE INTERIM DIRECTOR OF OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND SUPPORT AND COMPLIANCE AS WELL AS DIRECTOR OF VISION OF INTRAMURAL RESEARCH AT NIAD. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. [ APPLAUSE ] >> OKAY, WELL, THANK YOU ALL. IT'S A GREAT PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT BREAKING THROUGH THE PETRI DISH LID WHICH IS AN INTERESTING METAPHOR RATHER THAN THE GLASS CEILING SO IT'S A GOOD TITLE FOR THIS PRESENTATION. IN LOOKING AT GOING FORWARD AND REALLY FOCUSING TODAY MY REMARKS, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IS SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF MOVING FORWARD IN A DIVERSE WORKPLACE BUT ALSO DISCUSSING LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY AND LEADERSHIP POSITIONS. SO WITH THAT I WOULD LIKE TO START OUT WITH 1 OF MY IDOLS, RUTH BADER-GINSBERG, AND RUTH HAS THE QUOTES WHICH I THINK IS REALLY RATHER APROPOS WHICH IS FIGHT FOR THE THINGS YOU CARE ABOUT BUT DO IT IN A WAY THAT YOU WILL LEAD OTHERS TO JOIN YOU. AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO TAKE HEART. BECAUSE 1 IS OUR FEELINGS AND WISHES TO SUCCEED IN OUR CLEARS BUT SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES NEED MORE THAN 1 PERSON AND MAKE THEM SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT EACH OF US AND WHETHER YOU'RE IN ANY CAMP, I THINK GETTING PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT PEOPLE BRING TO THE TABLE IN TERMS OF VIEWS AND POINTS OF VIEWS IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND MAKING BETTER DECISIONS AND BETTER LEADERS, SO WITH THAT I'M GOING TO START. AND MOST OF US IN THE ROOM HAVE A FAIRLY DIVERSE CAREER PATHWAY. THESE JUST SYMBOLIZE, TOO, SOME ARE MD-Ph.D.s WHO ARE DOING MOAGHT BUT MOST ARE STUDENTS HERE AT NIH IN THE Ph.D. PIPELINE GENERALLY GO DO A POST BACK AFTER THEY GRADUATE, BECOME GRADUATE STUDENTS AND THEN POST DOCS AND THEN THE SPECTRUM OF WHAT THEY MIGHT DO TO FOLLOW COULD BE TEACHERS, REGULATORS, RESEARCHERS, ENTREPRENEURS, AND OTHERS AND LIKEWISE WITH M. D.s, IT'S MEDICAL SCHOOL, RESIDENCY, FELLOWSHIPS AND AGAIN THEY HAVE THE SAME DIVERSITY BUT THEY ALSO ARE PHYSICIANS AND OBVIOUSLY, IF THEY ARE BOTH, THEN YOU COLLAPSE YEAR 2 AND THEY BECOME BOTH. BUT THE REAL QUESTION IS, HOW DO WE GET TO BE A BIOMEDICAL LEADER BECAUSE YOU CAN GET IN THIS PARADIGM AND THEN NOT MOVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL. SO THIS--THE FOCUS OF MY TALK TODAY IS REALLY TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOME OF THE ISSUES AND QUALITIES THAT I THINK ARE IMPORTANT TO GO FROM THE STEP A TO STEP B. SO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY NOT KNOW THESE PENGUINS, THOSE ARE PENGUINS OF MADDA GAS CAR AND THEY'RE QUITE EVIL. [LAUGHTER] BUT THEY MANAGE TO DO THINGS THAT BREAK THE MOLD AND GET THINGS DONE IN VERY UNUSUAL WAYS. SO MAYBE DYNAMITE MIGHT NOT BE THE FULL SOLUTION TO BREAKING THE PETRI DISH COVER BUT THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT IT. SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS IN ACTUALLY DOING THIS. WELL OBVIOUSLY DRAINING AND EVERYBODY--TRAINING AND EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM HAS BEEN WELL TRAINED OR IS UNDER GOING TRAINING AND THAT IS KEY, YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR SUBJECT AND YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IN ORDER TO BE A GOOD LEADER AS WELL AS A GOOD SCIENTIST, A GOOD LAB CHIEF, A GOOD SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR, A GOOD ADMINISTRATOR. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOUR CREDIBILITY IS 0. SO I THINK THAT GOES. MENTORSHIP, HAVING GOOD MENTORS IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL AND PEOPLE SOMETIMES UNDERVALUE THIS. SPEND TIME, FINDING PEOPLE WHO WILL BE GOOD MENTORS TO YOU AND THIS IS AT ANY STAGE IN YOUR CAREER FROM BEING A GRADUATE STUDENT TO BEING A POST DOC EVEN IN TERMS OF WHO AND WHAT YOU ARE IN YOUR POSITION, HAVING MENTORS WHO HAVE SUCCEEDED IN THEIR CAREERS, THAT GIVE YOU ADVICE ON HOW TO GET TO THE NEXT STEP IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT AND YOU CAN HAVE MORE THAN 1 MENTOR. YOU MAY HAVE A SCIENTIFIC MENTOR, YOU MAY HAVE A MENTOR FOR HELPING YOU THROUGH SOME OF LIFE'S CHALLENGES, TOTALLY SEPARATE FROM THE SCIENTIFIC PART OF IT TO YOU KNOW MANY, MANY OF US DURING MANY MEN AND WOMEN HAVE CHALLENGES IN FINDING CHILDCARE OR FINDING OPPORTUNITIES TO REALLY EXCEL IN THINGS OUTSIDE THEIR SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES BUT ALL OF THOSE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUCCESS OF YOUR CAREER WHICH BRINGS TO THE NEXT POINT WHICH IS NETWORKING. AGAIN, TOTALLY OFTEN UNDERVALUED. WHEN YOU GO TO SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES, WHEN YOU JOIN SOCIETIES, WHEN YOUR NAME GETS KNOWN, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT IN PEOPLE KNOWING WHO YOU ARE AS WELL AS KNOWING WHAT YOU DO AND THE NETWORKING THAT YOU HAVE SO YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU TAKE CARE THAT YOU SPEND THE TIME MEETING PEOPLE. WHEN YOU HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET FAMOUS SCIENTISTS, WHEN YOU HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET PEOPLE OF IMPORTANCE, YOU SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. THEY'LL RECOGNIZE YOUR FACE, YOUR NAME, YOU TALK TO THEM ABOUT YOUR WORK, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT AS YOU GO TO THE NEXT STEPS IN YOUR CAREER THAT YOU'RE NOT UNKNOWN AND THAT IS REALLY WHAT I THINK A VERY CRITICAL FACTOR. ETHICS AND INTEGRITY. I BELIEVE THIS IS SO IMPORTANT IN ANY SCIENTIFIC FIELD. YOU MUST BE CREDIBLE. YOU MUST HAVE ETHICAL STANDARDS. WITHOUT THAT, YOUR WHOLE PERSONA, YOUR WHOLE SUCCESS CAN BE JEOPARDIZED AND I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING--TAKING SHORT CUTS IN THIS AREA IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. YOU REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU PAY ATTENTION TO THAT. CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION IS SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE TRAINE TO DO BUT SOMETIMES IT TAKES AN EXTRA HELP IN THIS AREA BECAUSE HOW YOU APPROACH PROBLEMS IN WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN ADD TO SOMETHING, WHETHER YOU'RE A SCIENTIST WHERE AT THE BENCH WHERE YOU'RE ALWAYS HAVING TO THINK ABOUT NEW APPROACHES AND BEING CREATIVE BUT SOMETIMES IN ADMINISTRATION AND NONLAB BENCH JOBS, YOU NEED--YOU NEED TO BE CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE AT SOLVING PROBLEMS BECAUSE WHETHER OR NOT YOU NEED TO REORGANIZE AN ORGANIZATION, WHETHER OR NOT YOU NEED TO TAKE SOME STEPS TO MAKE CHANGE IN AN ORGANIZATION, HOW YOU DO THAT IS NEVER A ROGUE THING. YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT NEW APPROACHES. IF SOMETHING'S NOT WORKING, YOU DON'T HIT YOUR HEAD AGAINST A BRICK WALL. YOU HAVE TO SAY OKAY, STEP BACK, HOW CAN I APPROACH THIS IN A DIFFERENT WAY, WHETHER IN SCIENCE, TRYING TO TREAT A PATIENT WITH A DISEASE, WHETHER YOU'RE TRYING TO REALLY SOLVE AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROBLEM, ALL OF THOSE NEED THAT CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION. EXTERNAL AWARENESS, I CALL THIS THE OPPORTUNITIES OF THREAT ANALYSIS. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. IF YOU DON'T TAKE STOCK OF WHERE YOU CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AN OPPORTUNITY OR KNOW WHERE THE DANGER IS FROM A THREAT, YOU CAN GET BLIND SIDED AND BE PUT IN THE POSITION WHERE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE PROGRESS. YOU NEED TO BE AWARE OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT, BOTH AT A POLITICAL LEVEL AND HOW THAT EFFECTS YOU, AT THE BENCH LEVEL, HOW THAT EFFECTS YOU AND THEN YOUR DAILY LIVES. AND I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING PERIODICALLY, WE SHOULD SIT DOWN AND TALK ABOUT AND IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND SO WE UNDERSTAND WHERE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES ARE AND WHERE THE THREATS ARE. BEING FLEXIBLE IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PROPERTY IN ADVANCING AND SCIENTISTS, SOMETIMES WE GET SO FOCUSED ON 1 THING THAT WE SOMETIMES DON'T THINK BEYOND THOSE BOUNDARIES AND THOSE PARAMETERS AND IF YOU STEP OUTSIDE A LITTLE BIT OF THOSE PARAMETERS, YOU ALL OF A SUDDEN CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO DO THINGS, ANOTHER OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE FOR YOU. SO THAT FLEXIBILITY IS REALLY VERY IMPORTANT IN ADVANCING. RESILIENCE, I TELL YOU, YOU HAVE TO BE TOUGH. YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T GIVE UP, YOU MUST KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BOTTOM LINE AND WHAT YOU WANT AND FAILURE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. SO I THINK RESILIENCE IS KEY. STRATEGIC THINKING. WE DON'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE LAB TALKING ABOUT STRATEGIC THINKING. HOWEVER, IT'S FUNDAMENTAL TO EVERYTHING WE DO. AND HOW WE ADVANCE IN SCIENCE. IF WE DON'T HAVE A STRATEGIC VISION ON HOW WE WANT TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B, YOU CAN'T LEAVE IT TO CHANCE. YOU NEED TO SET OUT THAT VISION AND HAVE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES TO HELP YOU MEET THOSE, MEET THAT VISION AND I THINK STRATEGIC THINKING IS REALLY VERY MUCH INTEGRATED WITH THE VISION AS SPECT. SO SOME OF THE QUALITIES OF LEADERSHIP THAT I PUT DOWN HERE THAT I'VE EXPERIENCED IS DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, DEVELOPING OTHERS. IT'S IMPORTANT AS A LEADER, NOT TO JUST DEVELOP YOURSELF, IT'S IMPORTANT TO DEVELOP EVERYBODY AROUND YOU AND THAT WAY, YOU KNOW EVERYBODY RISES, ALL BOATS WILL RISE IF 1 DOES THAT. TEAM BUILDING. ALMOST NOTHING IS DONE ANYMORE BY A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL. THE MORE WE LEARN ABOUT TEAM BUILDING AND PUTTING TEAMS TOGETHER, WORKING WELL WITH PEOPLE IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO MAKING ADVANCES IN ANY CAREER PATH THAT YOU WISH TO TAKE 1 OF THE THINGS I ALWAYS FELT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT IS LISTENING TO PEOPLE AND LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE WHO WORK WITH YOU AND UNDER YOU BECAUSE THEY GIVE YOU IDEAS, THEY TELL YOU WHERE THE PROBLEMS ARE. IF YOU DON'T LISTEN, THEN YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE CORRECTIONS. SO THAT IS REALLY FUNDAMENTAL. THE OTHER THING IS TO MAKE DECISIONS. SOMETIMES PEOPLE HAVE A REAL HARD TIME MAKING DECISIONS. SOMETIMES YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE THE WRONG DECISION. IF YOU MAKE THE WRONG DECISION, LEARN FROM IT, BUT YOU MUST MAKE DECISIONS AND FIRST YOU GET ALL THE FACTS YOU CAN, BUT YOU MUST MAKE A DECISION. TAKING RESPONSIBILITY, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S VERY APPARENT IN OUR CURRENT ENVIRONMENT BUT THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. TAKING RESPONSIBILITY NOT ONLY FOR GOOD DECISIONS BUT THEIR IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR WHAT YOU DECIDED. AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY--CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE IN A LEADERSHIP POSITION, YOU WILL SPEND TIME ON CONFLICT MANAGEMENT. I WILL TELL YOU THERE'S NO WAY TO AVOID IT. WHETHER IT BE IN A LAB, IN A HIGHER POSITION, WHETHER YOU BE IN INDUSTRY OR ACADEMIA. IT HAPPENS. LEARN HOW TO MANAGE IT BECAUSE IT'S QUITE CRITICAL. AND THEN I WOULD SAY, NO MATTER WHAT AREA YOU'RE IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS REALLY IMPORTANT. LEARNING HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MANAGER IN A LEADERSHIP POSITION IS KEY TO BEING SUCCESSFUL. PEOPLE NEED TO HAVE TRUST AND FAITH THAT YOUR DECISION MAKING IS GOING TO BE GOOD FOR THE ORGANIZATION AND GOOD FOR THE PROGRAM. SO HAVING TO THINK ABOUT IT IN THOSE TERMS IS VERY VALUABLE. SO THIS IS HOW I GOT TO WHERE I WAS--I AM NOW, ACTUALLY. I WENT ON RPI, I WAS 1 OF 23 GIRLS THAT FOUGHT 4000 GUYS SO IT WAS AN INTERESTING TIME WHEN I WENT TO RPI AND I WAS THE ONLY GIRL CHEMISTRY MAJOR WHICH WAS QUITE CHALLENGING, I CAN WILL IT YOU, NOT SO MUCH FROM THE MEN STUDENTS I WOULD SAY, BUT THE PROFESSORS WERE FREAKED OUT. YOU KNOW. [LAUGHTER] IT WAS AN INTERESTING TIME BUT THAT WORKED, I GRADUATED AND THEN I CAME--WENT TO HOPKINS UP IN BALTIMORE AND I WENT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS AND THERE ROGER HARRIET AT THE TIME WAS THE CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT AND MY THESIS ADVISOR WAS A GUY NAMED JOHN SKOKA. JOHN CAME FROM PHILADELPHIA, REALLY A TOUGH LITTLE GUY AND 1 OF JOHN'S ADVICE TO ME, I CAN'T SPEAK IN A PUBLIC FORUM BECAUSE IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE BUT I WILL PARAPHRASE. HE BASICALLY SAID, TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN SCIENCE, YOU NEED TO FOCUS AND SPEND TIME ON IT, TO MAKE YOUR MARK. AND I THINK THAT WAS REALLY GOOD ADVICE AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I KNOW AS A SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR, WE ALWAYS TALK TO OUR TENURED TRACKS AND SAY, YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T GO THIS WAY. YOU KNOW SOMETIMES YOU CAN FOLLOW A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT LEADS BUT YOU REALLY HAVE TO DIG DEEP AND UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND FOCUS AND BE SUCCESSFUL SO THAT WAS A GOOD EXPERIENCE. AND THEN, I REALLY--I WORKED ON HOMOFLOUS INFLUENZA WHEN I WAS A GRADUATE STUDENT AND AT THAT TIME I WAS AT HOPKINS, I WORKED WITH HOMOFLOUS, AND PAM SMITH WHO WAS A THESIS ADVISOR AND SHE WAS WITH KEN WILCOX AND THEY DISCOVERED THE FIRST RESTRICTION ENZYME WHICH WAS QUITE EXCITING BECAUSE I WAS STUDYING DNA UPTAKE IN HOMOFLOUS INFLUENZA AND IT WAS QUITE AN EXCITING TIME TO BE ON THE FOREFRONT OF THAT TECHNOLOGY BUT I HADN'T QUITE DECIDED WHAT I WANTED TO DO FOR A POST DOC. I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND WHAT I--WHAT I TALK TO MY CHAIRMAN OF THE DEPARTMENT, HE SAYS OH WELL I'M AT THE NATIONAL ACADEMY AND I KNOW CHRIS AN THENSON AND HE'S DOWN AT NIH AND DO YOU WANT MOOY TO CALL HIM AND SEE IF YOU COULD TALK TO HIM AND SEE IF HE HAS SOMETHING OPEN? SO AT THAT TIME I SAID SURE. SO I WENT DOWN AND HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO CHRIS ANTHENSON AND HE WAS AMAZING. THE PROBLEM WAS IMPOSSIBLE. WE WERE WORKING ON--TO WORK ON PURIFYING INTERFERON WHICH IF YOU DON'T KNOW BACK IN THE 70S WAS--PEOPLE WEREN'T EVEN SURE WHAT IT REALLY WAS AND SO, HE SAYS, WELL, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS 2 OR 3 YEARS AND I MANAGED TO PURIFY MY O GLOBEIN A COUPLE OF TIMES AND SEQUENCE THAT BUT REALLY HADN'T GOTTEN TO FIND INTERFERON. SO, AS A POST DOC AND STAFF FELLOW, I WORKED REALLY HARD ON THE PROBLEM AND TOOK 4 YEARS TO PURIFY INTERFERON. FOUR YEARS. AND FINALLY WE PURIFIED IT AND I WENT OUT TO CAL TECH TO WORK WITH MIKE AND LEROY WHO HAD JUST DEVELOPED THIS NEW MICROSEQUENCING TECHNIQUES. SO I WENT OUT TO CAL TECH TO GET THE FIRST 20 AMINO ACID SEQUENCES FOR THE INTERFERON ALPHA, EARNEST YOUNG,--EARNEST KNIGHT WHO WAS AT DUPONT, WAS DOING [INDISCERNIBLE] AND THEN AT YALE THEY WERE DOING MOUSE SCIENCE AND THAT INFORMATION THEN LED TO THE CLONING OF THE FIRST INTERFERONS WHICH WERE RECOMBIN ANT PRODUCTS SCH WAS PRETTY EXCITING AND BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT. THAT WAS GREAT AND I WAS SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THAT. SO THEN, YOU KNOW WHY DID I GO TO THE FDA? HERE I WAS AT NIH. WE HAD DONE ALL THESE WONDERFUL THINGS, WELL IT TURNED OUT THAT FDA WAS NOW BEING BOMBARDED BY INDUSTRY WITH THESE NEW CYTOKINE AND GROWTH FACTOR PRODUCTS AND THEY WERE--THEY REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH EXPERTISE IN THIS AREA SO, I HAD A COUPLE OF FRIENDS WHO WORKED IN BUILDING 29 AND RUTH KERSHTEIN WHO IS NOW AT NIH, SHE SAID OH CATHY, IF YOU DON'T KNOW SHE WAS THE DEPUTY DREBLGHTOR OF NIH--DIRECTOR OF NIH AND MARRIED TO AL RABSON WHO WE'RE HAVING A SYMPOSIUM FOR AT THE END OF THE MONTH AND RUTH SAYS YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT THIS. SO I WENT OVER TO FDA AND I WOULD JUST SAY, THIS IS WHERE SERENDIPITY COMES INTO PLAY. BECAUSE AT THAT TIME, THERE WAS A VOID AND KNOWLEDGE IN THIS IN FDA AND I WAS ABLE TO NOT ONLY BECOME A PI, A BECAME A LAB CHIEF, BY THEN I BECAME A DIVISION DIRECTOR AND FIEPALLY THAT THIS POINT IN TIME THIS WAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT AREA IN THE CENTER FOR BIOLOGICS THAT I WAS SELECTED TO BE THE CENTER DIRECTOR FOR THE FDA FOR BIOLOGICS. AND I HELD THAT POSITION FOR 10 YEARS AND THEN I DECIDED, THIS IS NOT A POSITION TO RETIRE FROM, BECAUSE I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE BLOOD SUPPLY, ALL THE BIOTECHNOLOGY AND ALL VACCINES IN THE UNITED STATES AND 1 OF THE THINGS I LEARNED AND AS YOU CAN SEE FROM SOME OF THE DYNAMICS GOING ON THIS WEEK, I WAS ALWAYS DOWN ON THE HILL HAVING TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS. AND THE 1 THING PEOPLE NEED TO REALIZE, IF YOU ARE EVER ASKED GO AND TESTIFY IT'S ALL THEATER, YOU KNOW? AND SO THE MAIN THING IS KEEPING COOL, ANSWER THE QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW THOSE KIND OF--ONLY THE FACTS SIR OR MA'AM AND THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT IN DEALING WITH THE HILL. SO I REALLY ENJOYED MY TIME AT FDA, IT WAS VERY CHALLENGING BUT WE GOT GOT A LOT DONE, WE APPROVED A NUMBER OF BIOCHECK PRODUCTS AND A NUMBER OF REALLY IMPORTANT VACCINES AND KEPT THE BLOOD SUPPLY, ACTUALLY WHEN I GOT THERE, IN THAT POSITION, WE WERE STILL HAVING A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH HIV AND IMMUNE O GLOBUE LYNNS AND THINGS LIKE THAT SO WE HAD TO CLEAN UP ALL THE BLOOD SUPPLY WITH RESPECT TO DEVELOPING NEW TESTS FOR SOME OF THE HEPATITIS VIRUSES, ET CETERA AS WELL AS HIV. SO IT WAS A CHALLENGING TIME BUT GLAD I DID IT AND THEN I SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW I ALWAYS WANT TO COME BACK TO NIH BECAUSE I WAS ON CAMPUS AND REALLY I SAID, YOU KNOW I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO END MY CAREER BACK AT NIH AGAIN. SO I CAME BACK AND BECAME THE PRINCIPAL DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR CANCER RESEARCH FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AND I REALLY ENJOYED THAT AND I SAID, THEN I GOT APPROACHED BY JOHN LO MONTAIN, WHO IS THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF NIAID, AND HE SAID YOU SHOULD COME OVER HERE. WELL IF YOU EVER MET JOHN, HE WAS VERY CONVINCING. SO I SAID OKAY, I'M GOING TO COME ON OVER AND EVENTUALLY I WAS APPOINTED THE SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR AND DIRECTOR OF INTRAMURAL RESEARCH AT NIAID AND I ACTUALLY REALLY--THAT WAS MY DREAM JOB. I HAVE TO TELL YOU, THAT WAS--I TOLD TONY FAUCI, I SAID TONY THIS IS MY DREAM JOB, SO I'VE DONE THAT AND DID THAT FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS AND I REALLY ENJOYED IT AND FINALLY, I WAS ABOUT TO RETIRE AND THE RED TEAM REPORT CAME OUT, WHICH I'M SURE A NUMBER OF YOU HAVE HEARD OF, IF YOU HAVEN'T, DON'T WORRY, YOU WILL. BUT I WAS ASKED BY DR.COLLINS TO HELP SET UP AN OFFICE OF RESEARCH SUPPORT AND COMPLIANCE BECAUSE WE HAD A LOT OF OVERSIGHT FROM THE HILL AT THAT TIME AND IT WAS IMPORTANT TO SHOW THAT WE WERE RESPONDING TO THAT. SO, I HELPED OUT AND THEN I SAID, YOU'LL NEED TO FIND SOMEBODY ELSE BECAUSE I'M RETIRING. AND THUS, I DID AND BECAME A MERIT. I'M STILL VERY INVOLVED WITH MENTORING OF WOMEN'S SCIENTISTS AND OTHERS WHO COME TO ME. I EVEN HELP OUT MENTORING SOME OF THE NEW SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORS WHO ARE WOMEN COMING IN. SO HOPEFULLY, THAT WILL BE USEFUL AND ENJOYED A COUPLE OF BOARDS AND KEEPING ME BUSY. SO THIS IS REALLY SORT OF MY WORD--WHAT WOULD YOU CALL IT, CLOUD, MY WORD CLOUD FOR WHAT 1 NEEDS TO THINK ABOUT IN BEING SUCCESSFUL AND I PUT THE FEARLESS GIRL AND THE BULL ON THE STOCK MARKET BECAUSE OFTEN TIMES, I FEEL LIKE THAT AND FEARLESSNESS IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR. YOU CAN'T--YOU CAN'T BACK DOWN BUT EACH OF THESE THINGS, I WILL PUT THEM UP THERE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER BUT EACH 1 OF THEM IS SO IMPORTANT IN LOOKING AT HOW YOU DEAL WITH THINGS AND I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT A FEW. RULES OF CIVILITY DEVELOPED BY GEORGE WASHINGTON, EVERYBODY NEEDS A COPY OF THESE. EVERYBODY. I POINT OUT A FEW. SOME OF THEM ARE A BIT ARCHAIC LIKE GENTLEMAN UNCOVER YOUR HEADS INDOORS BUT IF YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THESE THINGS THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY ON POINT. DO EVERYTHING WITH RESPECT FOR OTHERS. JUDGE NO 1 BY RACE, RANK OR PROPERTY BUT CHARACTER, NEITHER FLATTER NOR MAYBE SPORT OF ANOTHER, TELL THE TRUTH EACH TO YOUR OWN HURT, AIM HIGH AND CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WISELY, I MEAN TALK ABOUT BEING POINT ON, RIGHT, DO YOUR BEST AND OFFER NO EXCUSES, IN ADVERSITY, STAND, FIGHT, PREVAIL, NEVER RELENT. UNDER NO PRETENSE SPEAK A SELF-CONGRATULATORY WORD, JEST NOT CONCERNING THINGS OF GREAT IMPORT, DEFEND ALWAYS AND ONLY THE FREEDOM TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND KEEP ALIVE THE CELLESTIAL FIRE CALLED CONSCIENCE. I WILL SAY IN THE WORDS OF WINSTON CHURCHILL, SUCCESS IS NOT FINAL, COURAGE IS NOT FATAL, IT'S THE COURAGE TO CONTINUE THAT COUNTS. SO THANK YOU. [ APPLAUSE ] >> WE ARE IMLG--GOING TO DO QUESTIONS AT THE END WITH THE PANEL SO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, WRIETD THEM DOWN. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS HANNAH VALATINE, AND SHE'S A SENIOR INVESTIGATOR AT THE NHLBI, NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACH TO DIVERSITY AND RECIPIENT OF THE PATH FINDER AWARD FOR DIVERSITY IN THE SCIENTIFIC WORKFORCE. SHE WAS CURRENTLY LEADING THE NIH EFFORTS TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY THROUGH INNOVATION ACROSS THE NIH FUNDED BIOMEDICAL WORKFORCE THROUGH A RANGE OF EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACHES. THANK YOU. >> GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY AND THANK YOU TO WSA AND ALL THE ORGANIZERS FOR THIS NOTE. I DON'T HAVE ANY SLIDES TODAY. I AM DOING THIS WITHOUT. AND SO, THIS IS JUST A FANTASTIC EVENT AND MUCH NEEDED ESPECIALLY AT THIS TIME, SO I WILL JUST SAY, TELL YOU A BIT ABOUT WHO I AM, MY HISTORY, AND THEN TALK A BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE EFFORTS THAT WE'RE UNDERTAKING HERE TO CHANGE THE CULTURE. SO, I WAS BORN IN A LITTLE PLACE, A COUNTRY IN WEST AFRICA CALLED GAMBIA AND MY FAMILY LEFT THERE WHEN I WAS AT THE AGE OF 13 TO GO TO LONDON AND THIS WAS AT THE HEIGHT OF THE MID60S OR THE HEIGHT OF RACIAL TENSION. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW CHALLENGING IT WAS TO MOVE FROM AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE I WAS PART OF A MAJORITY GROUP TO FIND MYSELF IN LONDON IN A SCHOOL, AT HIGH SCHOOL AS A TIME WHEN 1 LEAST WANTS TO BE DIFFERENT, BEING THE ONLY STUDENT OF COLOR THERE. AND FEELING THAT SENSE OF NOT BELONGING WHICH GOES TO THE CORE OF MANY OF THE ISSUES THAT I HOPE WE WILL BE DISCUSSING TODAY AND TRYING TO SURVIVE WITH ALL OF THAT, THAT FEELING OF NOT BELONGING AND SO, MY ACADEMICS SUFFERED TREMENDOUSLY SO THAT AT THE AGE OF 18 LEAVING HIGH SCHOOL, I HAD NO ASPIRATIONS AT ALL TO GO TO UNIVERSITY. I WENT TO WORK IN BIOCHEMISTRY IN A MICROBIOLOGY LAB AND THERE REDISCOVERED SCIENCE AND WENT BACK ON THE TRAJECTORY. SO I REALLY BELIEVE THAT SENSE OF NOT BELONGING COULD HAVE REALLY UNRAILED BY CAREER, AT LEAST THAT'S MY STORY AND I'M STICKING TO IT. THE REALITY WAS, IT WAS THE SWINGING 60S WITH FREEDOM AND THE KINGS ROAD AND THE BEATLES AND ALL OF THAT STUFF WHICH I WAS AT THE FOREFRONT OF PARTAKING SO THAT MIGHT HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THAT LITTLE DETOUR IN MY CAREER. BUT AFTER THAT I WENT TO UNIVERSITY AND DECIDED TO DO BIOCHEMISTRY AND THEN WENT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL AND DID ALL MY TRAINING AS A CARDIOLOGYST IN LONDON. AND HAVING COMPLETED MY TRAINING, ACTUALLY, WHILE I WAS IN TRAINING THERE WERE CERTAIN EXPERIENCES THAT WERE QUITE IMPORTANT. SO AS A MEDICAL STUDENT DOING ROTATIONS AND SUBEYES, IT CAME TO ME DURING MY SURGICAL SUBI, AND THERE WERE NO WOMEN AT ALL IN SURGERY IN LOND AN AT THAT TIME--LONDON AT THAT TIME AND 1 DAY WE'RE DOING A WARD ROUND, IT WAS THE CLASSIC, THE WHITE MALE FIGURE AND WE'RE ALL TRAILING AROUND AFTERWARD AND WE'RE SITTING DOWN FOR AFTERNOON TEA, THE CONSULTANT SAYS TO ME, AND WHERE ARE YOU FROM? AND I SAY, I SIT BACK AND I SAID FROM THE GAMBIA AND HE, HMM. AND WHAT'S THE GAMBIA FAMOUS FOR AND I SAID SUN, SAND AND SEX. AND WITH THAT, HE WAS SORT OF TAKEN ABACK AND AFTER THAT I COULD DO NO WRONG. BECAUSE THAT WAS THE HUMOR AND THAT WAS THE KIND OF SPEECH THAT WAS THE NORM FOR THAT SURGICAL ARENA. SO WHEN I FINISHED MY TRAINING, I WAS INVITED TO GO BACK AS THE SURGICAL RESIDENT AND I SAID, OH NO, NOT SURGERY, NOT FOR ME. BUT I SAY THAT BECAUSE HAVING THE WHERE WITH ALL TO SAY THE RIGHT THING AT THE RIGHT TIME IS VERY EMPOWERING AND SOMEBODY HAS PUT IT ALTOGETHER NOW, JOAN WILLIAMS IT'S CALLED BIAS INTERRUPTERS AND WE CAN TALK MORE ABOUT THAT. SO I FINISHED MY TRAINING IN CARDIOLOGY AND WENT TO STANFORD UNIVERSITY IN--TO DO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS JUST GOING TO BE 2 YEARS AND THEN I WOULD GO BACK TO ENGLAND TO FINISH MY--MY CAREER AND GET A CONSULTANT POSITION AND ALL OF THAT, SO I WENT TO STANFORD AND I HAD GREAT, GREAT MENTORING, THE KIND THAT I WOULD SAY IS PROBABLY NOT SO OFTEN FOUND. IN LONDON I HAD ALREADY HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS, A LOT OF SUCCESS IN PART AGAIN BECAUSE OF THIS SUPPORT OF MENTORING, ACTUALLY MENTORING THAT GOES BEYOND MENTORING AND IS SOMETIMES CALLED SPONSORSHIP ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT TO BE THE CASE AT THAT TIME. AND IT TOOK THE FORM OF THE CONSULTANTS AT THE LEADING HOSPITALS WHERE I TRAINED LIKE BRONTON, WHEN I WAS GOING ON FOR THE NEXT POSITION, NOT ONLY WRITING A RECOMMENDATION BUT CALLING THEIR COLLEAGUES AT THE OTHER HOSPITAL TO SAY, YOU HAVE TO TAKE THIS GIRL. THEY USED TO CALL US GIRLS IN THOSE DAYS. THAT'S OKAY. I GOT THE RECOMMENDATION AND THAT'S HOW I MOVED THROUGH THE RANKS BECAUSE AT THAT TIME THERE WERE LITERALLY 2 WOMEN CARDIOLOGYSTS IN ENGLAND. TWO. AND MY COLLEAGUES USED TO SAY IT --TO ME, YOU'RE CRAZY, YOU'RE WOMAN, YOU WANT TO DO CARDIOLOGY, YOU MUST OUT OF YOUR MIND. BUT BECAUSE OF THE SUPPORT I HAD WITH MENTORING, I WAS ABLE TO RISE THROUGH THE RANKS AND GET THE RANK POSITIONS OF TRAINING AND SO AT STANFORD THAT CONTINUED, SOME OF MY GREATEST MENTORS WERE MEN, NORMAN SHAMWAY FOR EXAMPLE, HE WAS PARTICULARLY SUPPORTIVE OF WOMEN IN CARDIO THORACIC SURGERY. I WASN'T IN SURGERY BUT HE WAS TREMENDOUSLY SUPPORTIVE. WROTE ALL OF MY RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDING MY 200 THICK DOSSIER TO ALLOW ME TO BECOME A CITIZEN IN THIS COUNTRY. AT THE FRONT PAGE WAS HIS WRITING MAKING THE CASE THEY WAS SO UNIQUE AND THERE WASN'T ANOTHER PERSON IN THIS COUNTRY TO DO THE JOB. THAT KIND OF SUPPORT. AND AGAIN, I SAY THIS BECAUSE WE NEED TO MOVE BEYOND JUST MENTORING WHEN WE CREATE THIS INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH TO INCORPORATE THE IMPORTANCE OF SPONSORSHIP. SO I HAD GONE TO STANFORD FOR WHAT I SAID WOULD BE 2 YEARS, TOOK OUT MY BTA, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS BEING TOUR AMERICA, BECAUSE AT THAT TIME IT WAS MUCH MORE BENEFICIAL TO DO CARDIOLOGY TRAINING IN THIS COUNTRY BECAUSE IT WAS THAT MUCH MORE IN ADVANCE THAN IN ENGLAND. FORTUNATELY OR MAYBE UNFORTUNATELY, I THINK TIME WILL YET TELL THAT 2 YEARS TURNED INTO 32 AT STANFORD WHERE I ROSE THROUGH THE RANKS GETTING TO THE POSITION OF FULL PROFESSOR ULTIMATELY AND IT'S EXTRAORDINARY, ISN'T IT? YOU SPEND ALL THIS TIME LEARNING TO DO A CERTAIN THING AND GETTING THE SKILLS FOR IT AND THEN SUDDENLY YOU HAVE THESE OPPORTUNITIES THAT PROMOTE YOU OUT OF THE ZONE THAT YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT TO SOMETHING WHICH YOU JUST DON'T HAVE THE SLIGHTEST CLUE AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED AFTER I GOT MY PROFESSORSHIP, THE DEAN AT THE TIME ASKED ME TO SET UP AN OFFICE OF FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP IN THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND THAT WAS IN ABOUT 2005. AND THERE BEGAN MY JOURNEY INTO THIS DIRECTION. BUT THE 1 THING THAT I ACTUALLY INSISTED UPON WAS THAT I COULDN'T DO THAT WORK ON ITS OWN. I COULDN'T DO IT FULL-TIME. I HAD TO BE CONTINUING TO DO THE THINGS THAT I LOVED TO DO AS WELL AS THIS WORK MEANING MY RESEARCH. SO I CONTINUED DOING MY RESEARCH IN ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION WHICH IS NOW--HAD IS TO DO WITH GETTING AHEAD OF THE DIAGNOSIS OF REJECTION BEFORE THE ORGAN IS ENTIRELY DAMAGED SO THAT WE CAN GET BETTER OUTCOMES FOR PATIENTS. SO ULTIMATELY WHEN DR. COLLINS INVITED ME TO CONSIDER THIS POSITION, IT WAS JUST IDEAL BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO WANTING SOMEBODY TO COME AND SORT OF COORDINATE THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION EFFORTS HERE, THERE WAS THAT OTHER ELEMENT THAT REQUIRED THAT I CONTINUE TO DO MY RESEARCH. AND IT WAS QUITE FORTUEITOUS BECAUSE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, BEFORE THAT, WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH THE BIOENGINEER AT STANFORD WE CAN COME UP WITH THIS RATHER EXCITING WAY OF MONITORING PATIENTS THAT GREW OUT FROM THE IDEA THAT ESSENTIALLY AN ORGAN TRANSPLANT IS A GENOME TRANSPLANT. AND SO THAT AS THE ORGAN BEGINS TO DAMAGE, GET DAMAGED THROUGH REJECTION, YOU CAN PICK UP FRAGMENTS OF THE DNA IN THE PATIENT'S CIRCULATION, RATHER AKIN TO THE PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS APPROACH AND A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THEN. SO THAT'S WHAT I DO, AND THAT'S WHY TODAY I'M WEARING THESE CLOALGTS AND NOT MY--CLOTHES AND NOT MY SMART SUITS AND THINGS THAT I USUALLY WALK AROUND IN BECAUSE FRIDAY IS MY LAB DAY AND I GO THERE THAT'S WHEN I CAN REALLY DESTRESS AND THINK ABOUT SCIENCE AND ENJOY THE ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING OF THE STUDENTS IN MY LAB AND THEN MOVING ON. SO HERE I AM LEADING THIS EFFORT. AND I CAN SAY, WITHOUT A DOUBT THIS WORK FULLY EMBEDS THE NEED FOR A TEAM APPROACH. AND THIS IS WHY THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE PEOPLE AND MULTIPLE GROUPS INVOLVED IN IT AND DOING AN EXTRAORDINARY WELL AND I FELL BLESSED TO BE WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU IN THIS SORT OF COORDINATING ROLE. SO, JUST A FEW MUNUTES ABOUT WHAT WE ARE ACTUALLY DOING. YOU KNOW I'VE BEEN DOING THIS WORK FOR NOW OVER 10 YEARS AND I WOULD SAY THAT MANY OF OUR APPROACHES TO DIVERSITY ARE HINGED AROUND THE INDIVIDUAL. THERE ARE INDIVIDUAL APPROACHES TO MENTORING, INDIVIDUAL APPROACHES TO DEVELOPING SKILLS BUT WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, YOU HEARD THE--YOU'VE HEARD THE COMMENT, FIXING THE WOMEN, I THINK THE TIME HAS NOW COME TO FIX THE INSTITUTIONS AND I'M HAVING A DELIBERATE PIVOT TO CREATE INSTITUTIONAL APPROACHES TO ENHANCE DIVERSITY IN THE SCIENTIFIC WORKFORCE AND BEFORE I GO INTO SOME OF THOSE, LET ME SAY THAT A LOT OF THE DRIVER TO THIS, CATHY IS ALREADY ALOUDED TO, IS THAT IT IS TAKING SUCH A LONG TIME TO REACH GENDER EQUITY. IF YOU LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS AROUND HERE IN THIS INSTITUTION AND EVERYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH, WOMEN ARE VASTLY UNDERREPRESENTED AND THIS IS 1 PARTICULAR ARENA WHERE 1 CANNOT EVOKE A PIPELINE. WE'VE HAD GREATER THAN 50% OF WOMEN RECEIVING PHDs IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES FOR GREATER THAN 15 YEARS. AND YET, THEY ONLY MAKE UP ABOUT 30% OF THE APPLICANT POOL AND ABOUT NOW 38% OF THE TENURED TRACK AND ONLY 23% NATIONALLY FOR THE TENURED TRACK. WHY IS THAT? SOME PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO ARGUE THAT THESE WOMEN ARE JUST SMART. THEY'RE MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES NOT TO GO AFTER IT. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT. I REALLY THINK THAT THE--WE CANNOT SAY THAT UNTIL WE FIX THE CULTURE, UNTIL WE HAVE A [INDISCERNIBLE]. I THINK WHAT'S HAPPENED IS WOMEN ARE LOOKING IN AND SEEING THE CULTURE, SEEING A CULTURE THAT WAS CREATED OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, DESIGNED FOR PARTICULAR GROUP, BY A PARTICULAR GROUP AND THAT HAS NOT CHANGED OVER TIME. THAT'S--THAT IS THE PROBLEM, SO WOMEN SAID OKAY, WHY SHOULD I JOIN THAT? SO I DON'T THINK WE GIVE UP AND SAY, WOMEN ARE JUST MAKING OTHER LIFE CHOICES, I THINK WE TRY TO FIX THE CULTURE. HOW DO WE DO IT. CREATING--YOU WILL OFTEN HEAR PEOPLE SAY, THE CULTURE IS SO DIFFICULT TO CHANGE. IT TAKES A LONG TIME, IT'S TRUE BUT THERE ARE ELEMENTS THAT COME TOGETHER TO MAKE THAT CULTURE AND WE CAN BEGIN [INDISCERNIBLE] SO CREATING A CULTURE OF EQUITY, A CULTURE THAT LOOKINGS AT DATA, VALUES DATA AND ACTS UPON THE DATA. WE KNOW WHAT THE DEMOGRAPHICS ARE SO WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT? IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THAT, THE INTRAMURAL PROGRAM LED BY MICHAEL GOT ETS MAN HAS NOW CREATED A CENTRAL EQUITY COMMITTEE LED BY [INDISCERNIBLE]. WHAT IS THAT DOING? WELL, SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORS [AWAY FROM MIC ] 1 AT A TIME TO THIS COMMITTEE TO PRESENT EQUITY AND DIVERSITY METRICS THAT WE TRIED TO IDENTIFY, DEMOGRAPHICS, RESOURCES, SALARY, SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND MANY OTHERS AND WHERE THERE ARE GAPS THERE ARE] AWAY FROM MIC ] SO THAT WHEN THEY ARE REVIEWED IN A COUPLE OF YEARS, WE HOPE THAT THE GAPS WILL BE NARROWED OR CLOSED. NOTICE, I SAID HOPE. WAWE HAVEN'T DONE IS--WHAT WE HAVEN'T DONE IS TIE ALL THAT TO OUR REWARD SYSTEMS. NOTICE I SAY REWARD NOT [INDISCERNIBLE]. THEY USED TO GIVE OUT REWARDS FOR MANY YEARS BUT AWARDS DON'T WORK, WE WANT REWARDS. SO WE HAVEN'T FIGURED THAT OUT. I SEE CINDY OVER THERE, WHO IS ALSO PART OF THIS GROUP. I'M HOPING YOU WILL HELP US FIGURE OUT WHAT THOSE REWARDS MIGHT BE. THE COMMITTEE IS ALSO DISCUSSING LEADERSHIP, RIGHT? YOU KNOW YOU LOOK AT THAT REPRESENTATION OF THAT, THAT'S VERY [INDISCERNIBLE]. YOU HAVE TO GO THERE. SOME OF THEM, SOME OF THE LAB AND BRANCH CHIEFS IN THOSE POSITIONS [AWAY FROM MIC ] YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY FOR TURNOVER AND CHANGE AND BRING BACK INVIGORATION AND WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. SO CHANGING, HAVING A SYSTEM THAT CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT THESE ISSUES THAT CREATES A REPORT CARD THAT DOESN'T SIT ON THE SHELF BUT FOR WHICH ACTION OCCURS AND IT'S TIED TO THE REVIEWS. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT AICIAL-ETHNIC DIVERSITY, [AWAY FROM MIC ] AND MANY WANT TO NL THAT AGAIN THIS IS RELATED TO A PIPELINE. JUST FIX THE PIPELINE [AWAY FROM MIC ] OVER 12% OF THE RECIPIENTS OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH PHDS THAT ARE RELEVANT TO NIH ARE GOING TO SCIENTISTS WHO ARE FROM RACIAL AND ETHNIC UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, THAT IS TO SAY] AWAY FROM MIC ] OVER 12%. GUESS WHAT'S THE PERCENTAGE THAT'S BEING HIRED IN [AWAY FROM MIC ] 2 SYSTEMS ARE ENTIRE LIE DISCONNECTED. WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO RECONNECT THEM. THE WAY WE'RE DOING THAT HERE IS CREATE [AWAY FROM MIC ] --NOT CHOSEN BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE OR ETHNIC IDENTITY BUT BASED ON THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE A TRACK RECORD OF [AWAY FROM MIC ] BUT IT IS NOT ENTIRELY RACIALLY UNDERREPRESENTED AND THAT COHORT HAS IN IT [AWAY FROM MIC ] AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. WE HAD A SIMILAR PROGRAM AT STANFORD AND IT SEEMED TO DO VERY WELL, WE HAD OUR FIRST MEETING OF THIS WITH DR. COLLINS A COUPLE OF NIGHTS AGO, IT WENT VERY WELL AND I'M VERY CONFIDENT THAT BY HAVING THAT COHORT WHO WILL REALLY EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTORING WILL SEND A MESSAGE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY. I THINK THAT IS GOING TO BE THE HARBINGER OF CULTURE CHANGE HAS IT HAPPENED AND HAPPENING A LOT MORE RAPIDLY. THE OTHER WAY THAT WE'RE ENHANCING DIVERSITY IS THROUGH THE TRANS-NIH SEARCHES WHEN YOU BROADLY ADVERTISE [AWAY FROM MIC ] AND IN FACT WHAT MICHAEL GOTTESMAN HAS SHOWN US IS THAT THE NUMBERS OF WOMEN OR THE PERCENTAGES OF WOMEN THAT ARE BEING HIRED INTO THE TENURED TRACK EXCEEDS THE PERCENTAGE. AND EVEN THAT WILL TAKE [INDISCERNIBLE]. AND WHAT WE ADDITIONALLY NEED TO BE DOING IS IS HIRING INTO THE TENURED TRACK FOR WOMEN SO AS TO RAPIDLY BUILD UP THAT [INDISCERNIBLE] AND THEN FINALLY, 1 THING THAT I HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT AND THAT IS NOT MUCH TALKED ABOUT AT NIH IS WORK LIFE INTEGRATION OR CAREER FLEXIBILITY. SO THERE IS THIS MYTH OUT THERE THAT THERE'S 1 PATH UPWARDS TOWARDS [AWAY FROM MIC ] SO WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE THAT WITHIN OUR CULTURE. AND I DID WORK AT STANFORD THAT LED US TO BELIEVE THAT THIS LACK OF FLEXIBILITY FOR FACULTY HAS LESS TO DO WITH THE AVAILABILITY OF POLICIES BECAUSE MANY, MANY WOMEN AND MEN DON'T [AWAY FROM MIC ] --STRUCTURAL CHANGE AND WE HAD A PROGRAM CALLED THE ACADEMIC BIOMEDICAL CAREER CUSTOMIZATION WHICH WAS--IN WHICH WHEN YOU--WHEN YOU STEP FORWARD TO DO THOSE EXTRA DUTIES THAT ARE NOT REALLY RECOGNIZED [AWAY FROM MIC ] AND WE SAW SOME REALLY GOOD RESULTS AFTER THAT THAT'S JUST BEEN PUBLISHED IN ACADEMIC MEDICINE. SO I HAVEN'T REALLY FOCUSED A LOT ON THAT, I THINK THIS IS ANOTHER AREA THAT IS IMPORTANT TO ADVANCING WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP AND WE SHOULD BE THINKIN ABOUT IT. YOU WILL NOTICE MANY OF YOU HEARD ME TALK I REALLY DON'T OFTEN TALK ABOUT THIS AREA OF CAREER FLEXIBILITY, IN PART IT'S IN RECOGNITION OF MY HUSBAND'S COMMENT BECAUSE HE OFTEN SAYS THAT I HAVE NO BUSINESS AT ALL TALKING ABOUT CAREER FLEXIBILITY OR WORK-LIFE BALANCE BECAUSE I HAVE NONE. [LAUGHTER] SO INSTEAD I DECIDED WHEN I DO HAVE PRESENTATIONS I JUST SHOW PICTURES OF THE FAMILY AND I DON'T TALK TOO MUCH BECAUSE HE THREATENED TO COME AND THROW ROTTEN TOMATOES AT ME BECAUSE HE SAYS I REALLY SHOULD NOT BE TALKING AND HAVE NO CREDENTIAL TO TALK ABOUT IT BUT I TALK ABOUT A LOT OF STUFF THAT I DON'T HAVE CREDENTIAL SO I'LL STOP THERE. [ APPLAUSE ] >> THANK YOU DR. VALANTINE, FOR YOUR INSIGHTFUL INSPIRATION, OUR FINAL SPEAKER IS NESRINE, TAHA, AND FOUNDER AND CEO OF FOUNDATION OF AMERICAN ADVANCE SHE HELPS WOMEN ENTER THE CAREER MARKET AFTER RELATIVELY LONG CAREER BREAKS. [ APPLAUSE ] >> HI, EVERYONE. IT'S AN HONORER--HONOR TO BE HERE WITH ALL OF YOU. IF SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME BACK IN 1984 WHEN I JUST COMPLETED MY URPD GRADUATE DEGREE AND LANDED MY DREAM JOB THAT I WOULD BE HERE AT NIH IN 2018 DISCUSSING PROBLEMS THAT WOMEN HAVE IN ADVANCEMENT, I WOULD HAVE SAID THAT PERSON MUST HAVE BEEN JOKING. THERE WAS NO REASON THEY WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP. I HAD JUST RECENTLY GRADUATED WITH HIGH HONORS IN A CLASS WHERE I WAS 1 OF 4 MECHANICAL ENGINEERS, MY GRADES WERE BY FAR A LOT HIGHER THAN MY MALE COLLEAGUES. I LANDED MY FIRST DREAM JOB WITH BEKTAL POWER CORPORATION THROUGH AN INTERVIEW, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE DIDN'T HAVE A NAME FOR AT THE TIME AND WITHIN A YEAR, I HAD--SO BEKTAL WAS SETTING UP A SUBSIDIARY OVERSEAS WHERE THEY WERE DOING CONSTRUCTION FOR POWER PLANTS AND WITHIN A YEAR I BECAME THE PUBLIC FACE OF THE COMPANY, I WAS THE ONLY FEMALE ENGINEER THAT JOINED THE TEAM AND TRAVELED OVERSEAS, WE TRAINED OTHER PEOPLE, DID THE ENGINEER DESIGN FOR POWER PLANTS AND IN ADDITION TO MY WORK, I BECAME THE PUBLIC FACE OF THE COMPANY LIKE WITH ALL THE EMERGENCYING PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS. AND I JUST HAVE NO REASON TO NOT BELIEVE THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL. I ALL GOT TO BE 1 OF 2 PEOPLE WHO MET THE MIN OF THER OF ENERGY THERE AND I DID A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE POWER PLANT WE WERE CONSTRUCTING AND SHOWED THEM ALL THE PIPING INSTRUMENTATION DIAGRAMS AND I MADE IT TO THE REGIONS MOST WIDELY RED NEWSPAPER BECAUSE I MET THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND IT WAS JUST GREAT. A YEAR LATER I FELL IN LOVE, GOT MARRIED AND I STARTED MY FAMILY. TWO OF WHICH ARE THE YOUNG LADIES OVER THERE THAT HAVE JUST JOINED US TODAY AND AS MY THIRD CHILD WAS BORN, MY MENTOR AND I HAD AN INCREDIBLE MENTOR AT THE TIME, ADVISED ME TO TAKE A BIT OF A CAREER BREAK. AGAIN I HAD NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT YOU KNOW ONCE I REENTERED THE WORKFORCE AGAIN EVERYTHING WOULDN'T JUST BE PERFECT BUT WHAT I DIDN'T REALIZE WAS HOW QUICKLY THINGS CHANGE AND HOW JUST A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF CAREER BREAK CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN YOUR CAREER IF YOU DON'T PLAN IT. SO I HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO GET MY Ph.D. AND I APPLIED TO STUDY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE AND WHEN I ALSO WENT TO ENGLAND, I FELT THAT THINGS WERE QUITE DIFFERENT BECAUSE I WAS THE ONLY Ph.D. STUDENT THERE WITH 3 KIDS. AND WHAT I REALIZED WAS THAT WE BRING A LOT OF LIKE OUR OWN FEARS TO THE TABLE AND THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO ACT ON OUR FEARS AND THEY BRING LIKE THEIR PREJUDICES, AND UNINTENTIONALLY AND SOMETIMINGS INTENTIONALLY AND THEY BEGIN TO STEREOTYPE US AND THAT CAUSES LIKE A LOT OF PROBLEMS AND THAT HOLDS US BACK. AND SO,--SO 1 OF THE THINGS THEY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IS HOW OUR SELF-PERCEPTION AND HOW WE VIEW OURSELVES HAVE THAT IMPACT HOW OTHERS VIEW US AND HOW THAT IMPACTS LIKE OUR PROGRESSION AND OUR SUCCESS. I HAD ALWAYS HEARD THAT WHEN YOU'RE A MOM, YOU CAN'T--AND I WAS ACTUALLY TOLD MANY TIMES WHEN YOU'RE A MOM, YOU CAN'T BALANCE LIKE EVERYTHING, WHY DO YOU WANT TO GO BACK AND GET A Ph.D., HAVE YOU YOUR CHILDREN, THAT'S A Ph.D. ENOUGH AND OFTEN TIME I WAS I WAS TOLD THAT BY WOMEN AND'S MEN AND WOMEN I FOUND--THAT'S WHAT I FOUND DIFFICULT. THAT SOMETIMES WE THINK OUR MALE CLEEKS DON'T PROVIDE US WITH THE SUPPORT, SOMETIMES IT'S ALSO THE WOMEN AND I THINK WE NEED A HUGE CHANGE AND WE NEED TO PULL EACH OTHER OUT. SO I'M GOING TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND TALK TO BUT WHAT I FEEL CONSITUTES THE STEPS THAT WE TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL SO 1 VERY IMPORTANT THING IS HOW--JUST KNOWING YOUR FIELD, KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, DO YOU WANT TO BE, YOU KNOW A RESEARCH SCIENTIST AT NIH, DO YOU WANT TO BE AN INDUSTRY, WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE? THEN ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING IS LIKE, KNOWING YOUR WORTH BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES LIKE WITH WOMEN, WE DON'T KNOW OW WORTH. I'M GUILTY OF THAT WHEN I TOOK A CAREER BREAK, I LEAPT BACK INTO THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY THAT I GOT. I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO LIKE RESEARCH MY MENTORS OR YOU KNOW RESEARCH THE POSITION AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S NOT RIGHT. YOU NEED TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND KNOW YOUR VALUE. EACH IF LIKE DR. VALANTINE SAID YOU'RE NOT TAKING THE TRADITIONAL CAREER PATH TOWARDS THE TOP. ANOTHER ALSO VERY IMPORTANT THING I WILL SHARE WITH BOTH THE SPEAKERS TODAY IS MENTORSHIP. THAT IS SO VERY IMPORTANT AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT IN A WHILE. AND THEN, THE SYSTEM--THE SYSTEM THAT WE OPERATE WITHIN, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. IT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE OVERNIGHT, WE ALL NEED TO REENGINEER IT TOGETHER. PART OF YOURSELF IS ALSO LIKE KNOWING YOUR WEAKNESSES. YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT ARE THE THINGS, THE FEARS THAT YOU BRENG TO THE TABLE SO THAT YOU CAN OVERCOME THEM AND SO THAT THEY'RE NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF. WE DON'T OPERATE IN A VACUUM, WE'RE ALWAYS INFLUENCED BY THE PEOPLE AROUND US AND HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT US AND HOW THAT EFFECTS OUR SELF-CONFIDENCE. AND AGAIN DON'T EVER LIKE UNDERSELL YOURSELF ESPECIALLY WHEN REENTERING THE WORKFORCE. THEN 1 OF THE MOAFORT IMPORTANT THINGS IS THE MENTOR. YOU ALWAYS WANT TO HAVE A MENTOR THAT'S LIKE A SOLID LIKE FOUNDATION FOR YOU, NOT THE MENTOR THAT I'VE HAD. I PUT THIS IN A--THIS IMAGE UP BECAUSE I HAD A MENTOR THAT I REALLY, REALLY LIKED THAT HE WAS ALWAYS AFRAID OF HIS BOSS SO WHEN I HAD LIKE A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW, HE WAS NOT ABLE TO SUPPORT ME AND CONVEY THAT TO HIS BOSS AND HE LITERALLY PHYSICALLY LIKE, YOU KNOW GOT UP, RAN OUT OF THE ROOM AND SAID I'M NOT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AND I ENDED UP HAVING A SUCCESSFUL CONVERSATION. YOU KNOW I STOOD MY GROUND AND EXPLAINED WHY I THOUGHT THIS WAS IMPORTANT OF COURSE AFTER LISTENING AND WHAT I WAS SUGGESTING DID MOVE FORWARD AND THAT WAS GREAT. SO NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A MENTOR THAT HAS YOUR BACK THAT ADVOCATES FOR YOU, WRITES YOUR REFERENCES AND LIKE HELPS PUSH YOU FORWARD. THAT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. THE SYSTEM, WE OFTEN THINK OF IT AS A BLACK CONTROLLER OF BANK THAT'S NOT GOING TO--BLACK BOX THAT WILL NOT CHANGE AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT. I THINK THAT AS SPEAKERS HAVE SHARED TODAY, IT WAS DESIGNED FOR MEN AND IT WAS NEVER REDESIGNED FOR US WHEN WE ENTERED THE WORKFORCE SO WE'RE STILL STUCK WITH PEOPLE THAT WELL, SHE HAS A HUSBAND THAT WILL PROVIDE FOR HER, SO WHY DOES SHE NEED THAT SALARY OR THAT PROMOTION? THE FACT IS THAT NOT ALL WOMEN ARE MARRIED, THERE ARE SOME SINGLE MOMS, WE COME IN DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES, SO YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T LET PEOPLE, YOU KNOW DEFOON OUR SUCCESS FOR US. --DEFINE OUR SUCCESS FOR US. BUT IN DOING THIS, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL THAT WE NEED TO SUPPORT 1 ANOTHER AS WOMEN AND SET OURSELVES ASIDE FROM OUR MALE COUNTERPARTS AND I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT THAT'S THE WAY TO GO. I THINK WE SHOULD DO EVERYTHING HAND IN HAND BECAUSE WE COMPLEMENT THEM AND WE SUPPLEMENT THE WORK THEY'RE DOING. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, IS IT POLITICAL CORRECTNESS OR IS IT JUST AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE EQUATION? MY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THAT A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS WANT TO PUT WOMEN AT LIKE THE FOREFRONT OF THE PICTURES THAT THEY PUT OR YOU KNOW ADD A PICTURE OF SOMEONE WEARING A HIJAB SO THEY CAN SHOW IT'S A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE ORGANIZATION, BUT THAT'S NOT REALLY THE ONLY THING THAT CONSITUTES DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, WE REALLY HAVE TO BRING PEOPLE TO THE TABLE AND SCIENCE IS NEVER AN INCLUSIVE AND EXCLUSIVE CLUB AND EVERYONE 1 OF US BRERNGS SOMETHING TO THE TABLE SO WHEN I WAS DOING MY RESEARCH, 1 OF THE THINGS THAT INFLUENCED MY RESEARCH WAS THE FACT THAT MY SON HAD A GENETIC EYE CONDITION AND I BECAME INTERESTED IN NANO TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE I WANTED TO FIND SAFE WAYS TO DELIVER GENETIC MATERIAL TO THE RETINA AND THAT BECAME--SO THAT SHAPED MY SCIENCE AND MY RESEARCH INTERESTS AND I'M SURE THAT THAT APPLIES TO LIKE A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT. LIKE YOU KNOW EVERYBODY BRING SOMETHING TO THE TABLE, EVERYONE HAS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE, JUST LIKE OUR UNIQUE DNA AND THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE HOW WE ADVANCE AS SCIENTISTS AND AS A SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY. SO TO SUMMARIZE, WHAT I SAID, YOU NEED 3 ELEMENTS TO BE SUCCESSFUL, PART YOU, PART YOUR MENTOR AND PART THE SYSTEM, AND WE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM WITHOUT ADVOCACY. I WILL TELL YOU WHAT I'M DOING RIGHT NOW IN A FEW MINUTES AND THAT WILL EXPLAIN THE ADVOCACY PART, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO BRING WOMEN TOGETHER AND HAVE ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS AND HOW COLLABORATIVE, LIKE SOLUTIONS TO THE SITUATION. IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO HAVE AGREEMENTS WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS SO WE CAN HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE CHANGE THEY'RE PROMISING WE WILL HAVE, THERE AREN'T A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES, PEOPLE ALWAYS THINK IT'S ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL, YOU NEED TO LIKE GET YOUR BACHELOR'S DEGREE, GET YOUR Ph.D. AND THEN GET IT BEFORE A CERTAIN AGE AND THEN SOMETIMES THAT'S NOT REALLY THE LIFE EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE AND WE NEED TO LIKE FIND WAYS TO INCORPORATE EVERYONE AND SO, BECAUSE OF MY 2 DAUGHTERS THAT ARE ALSO LIKE INTERESTED IN STEM, I AM DETERMINED TO LIKE MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND HOW THE--FROM NOW, AND MOVING FORWARD LIKE PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN AND SCIENCE ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY AND--HERE WE'RE LUCKY TO BE AT NIH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WOMEN AND STEM, IT'S ACROSS THE BOARD, IT'S WHEN THEY TAKE A BREAK AND REENTER THE WORKFORCE, THE SYSTEMS NOT THERE, SO IN RETAIL FOR EXAMPLE, THE TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING EVERYTHING AND IT CHANGES PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO REENTER THE WORKFORCE, I'M STARTING WITH STEM AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN EXTEND IT TO OTHER WOMEN AND KEEP ON HELPING 1 ANOTHER. SO WITH THE FOUNDATION OF AMERICAN ADVANCEMENT, I WORK A LOT ON ADVOCACY WITH COMPANIES, I STARTED PRIMARILY WITH BIOTECH COMPANIES AND ENGINEERING COMPANIES WHERE I GO IN FOR MEETINGS AND I TELL THEM ABOUT THE PROBLEMS WOMEN ARE FACING, NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT WOMEN ARE HAVING PROBLEMS RETURNING TO WORKFORCE OR BALANCING CAREER LIFE, ESPECIALLY ON CAPITOL HILL. ONE OF THE THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT BRINGING THEM TO THE TABLE IS LIKE AFTER HAVING A MEETING ON CAPITOL HILL BECAUSE OF THE FEW FEMALE SENATORS THAT WE HAVE, YOU NEED TO INCLUDE THE MEN AT THE TABLE TO BE ABLE TO LIKE MOVE FORWARD AND TO BE ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. SO, WE'RE ALSO CREATING SPECIALIZED TRAINING PROGRAMS, IN CONJUNCTION WITH COMPANIES SO THAT WOMEN RETURNING TO THE WORKFORCE ARE ABLE GET THE SPECIALIZED TRAINING WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME RETURN TO THE WORKFORCE. I'M WORKING WITH DIFFERENT UNIVERSITIES AT THE MOMENT. UNIVERSITIES IN ENGLAND TO LIKE HAVE FUNDING SPECIFICALLY FOR OLDER WOMEN AND MOMS THAT ARE RETURNING TO THE WORKFORCE. I FEEL THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE THERE IS A LACK OF SPONSORSHIP FROM UNIVERSITIES FOR OLDER WOMEN RETURNING. AND YEAH, AGAIN THE AGREEMENTS WITH INDUSTRY THAT WE'RE HAVING. SO I WOULD LIKE TO DO 1 LITTLE THING BEFORE I CLOSE, I WOULD LIKE YOU ALL TO PLEASE STAND UP. LET'S ALL DAB AHOLD OF THE PETRI DISH LID AND THROW IT TO THE BACK OF THE ROOM. [LAUGHTER] OKAY. SO I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT THE PETRI--PLEASE SIT DOWN, I'M SORRY. SO I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT THE PETRI DESH LID OR THE GLASH CEILING ARE REAL, I JUST FEEL THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE LIKE YOU KNOW PLACE OVER OUR HEADS TO SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM SOMETIMES WHAT IS A TOXIC LIKE OR WHAT WE PERCEIVE AS A TOXIC ENVIRONMENT AND I LEAVE YOU WITH 1 THING, ONLY THOSE WHO WILL RISK GOING TOO FAR CAN POSSIBLY FIND OUT HOW FAR 1 CAN GO. SO DON'T EVER LET ANYONE LIMIT YOUR ADVANCEMENT, DON'T LET ANYBODY TELL YOU YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING. REACH FOR THE STARS AND WE'RE ALL HERE TO HELP REACH--EACH OTHER AND THANK YOU. [ APPLAUSE ] THANK YOU MRS. TAHA. SO NOW WE WILL MOVE TO THE PANEL DISCUSSION, SO IF WE CAN HAVE OUR SPEAKERS COME TO THE TABLE TO TAKE QUESTIONS. THERE'S MIKRZ SO YOU CAN COME FORWARD BUT TO START I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS PREPARED IN CASE PEOPLE NEED TO--OKAY, GOOD. IN CASE PEOPLE NEED TO GET THE COURAGE TO GO FORWARD. SO, WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE, CAN YOU SHARE SOME EXAMPLES OF POLICIES AND--I KNOW HANNAH HAS ALREADY DONE SO THAT HAVE ALREADY MADE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE OR THAT YOU'VE SEEN MAYBE ON SOMEBODY YOU'VE MENTORED? OR SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK WOULD MAYBE A POLICY SPECIFICALLY THAT'S DEAR TO YOUR HEART? I SAID HANNAH HAD ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IT BUT MAYBE FOR THE OTHERS? OH, SORRY. CAN YOU SHARE EXAMPLES OF POLICIES THAT BENEFITED YOU OR THAT YOU'RE SPECIFICALLY ADVOCATING FOR AT THE MOMENT? >> AT THE MOMENT, I'M WORKING WITH THE TEAM ON CAPITOL HILL AND INDIANAPOLIS TO TRY TO HAVE A POLICY TO ALLOW WOMEN TO RETURN TO THE WORKFORCE SO THAT LIKE MOMS IF THEY ARE STRUGGLING, THEY HAVE A PRIORITY TO RETURN TO THE WORKFORCE AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT. >> SO I THINK THERE'S A COUPLE OF ASPECTS THAT I FEEL IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF WHERE I'VE SPENT MY TIME. ONE IS DIRECTLY WORKING WITH TENURED TRACK WOMEN IN EARLY TENURED WOMEN TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS. AND SOME OF THAT IS INDIVIDUAL BASE BUT SOME OF IT IS ACTUALLY BRINGING IN INDIVIDUALS TO SPEAK TO OUR GROUPS SO THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT IT TAKES OR WHAT IT TOOK FOR VARIOUS INDIVIDUALS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR CAREERS AND LEARN FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES. SECTDLY, I THINK--SECONDLY, I THINK FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF NIH, OVER THE YEARS BEEN VERY INVOLVED IN RECRUITING WOMEN AND TO SCIENTIFIC POSITIONS. PROBABLY NOT VERY WELL KNOWN IS CONTROLLER OF BANK IN 1992 WHEN I BECAME THE DIRECTOR OF CEBR, AT THAT TIME WE WERE STILL PART OF THE NIH SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORS SO I WAS ACTUALLY 1 OF THE FIRST SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORS AT NIH BESIDE THE NURSING EN--STRATEGIESITUTE SO IT'S PRETTY FUN TOW GO BACK AND LOOK AT THESE PICTURES, I HAD THIS PINK JACKET AND I STOOD OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB, BUT YOU KNOW, IN 1 ASPECT, YOU KNOW IT REALLY WAS A TIME OF CHANGE AND I FOUND THAT WHILE COLLEAGUES WERE NOT QUITE USED TO HAVING SOMEBODY SPEAK UP AT THESE MEETINGS, THEY LEARNED THAT I WASN'T AFRAID TO SPEAK UP AND THAT'S 1 THING I THINK PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND, IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, JUST BECAUSE SOMEBODY AT THE TABLE MIGHT NOT AGREE WITH YOU, YOU NEED COURAGE TO GIVE YOUR OPINION. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE HOSTILE, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE FIRM AND YOU NEED TO SAY, WHAT I THINK AND I--I DO THINK THAT WOMEN ARE NOT ALWAYS TRAINED TO DO THAT. WE TEND TO BE MORE QUIET AND TEND NOT TO SAY VERY MUCH. BUT THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT WORKS IN A WORLD OF MEN. ONE NEEDS TO SPEAK UP AND THAT'S WHAT IS EXPECTED AND YOU KNOW AND SOMETIMES SOMEBODY WILL TAKE FUN OF YOU AND YOU MAKE FUN OF THEM BACK. SO IT'S--[LAUGHTER] --IT'S WHAT HANNAH SAID, IT'S REALLY BEING, HAVING THE COURAGE AND NOT BE AFRAID OF WHAT SOMEBODY MIGHT THINK OF YOUR OPINION BUT YOU'RE ENTITLED TO YOUR OPINION. >> SO JUST BUILDING ON THAT, I THINK THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT I'D LIKE TO UNDERSCORE BUT ALSO TO POINT OUT THAT THERE IS THIS PHENOMENA OF VIOLATING THE SOCIAL NORMS AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS, THERE IS A STEREOTYPE THAT YOU JUST POINTED OUT CATHY FOR WOMEN'S BEHAVIOR AND WHEN YOU VIOLATE THAT BY SPEAKING UP OR BEING INSISTENT, YOU ARE THEN PENALIZED FOR IT SO WE WALK A VERY FINE ROPE HERE I THINK. SO THAT'S ABOUT THAT. AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT 2 OF THE MOST IMPORTANT POLICY ISSUES THAT I'M INVOLVED WITH AT THE MOMENT, 1 IS TO DO WITH WHAT I MENTIONED ABOUT THAT MIDDLE LEVEL LEADERSHIP AND HOW WE DIVERSIFY THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS THE HINGE POINT OF THE CULTURE AND IT'S THE HINGE POINT OF SO MANY ISSUES HERE. THE OTHER IS, AROUND SEXUAL HA HASSMENT AND THERE HAVE BEEN-SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL NEW POLICIES PUT INTO PLACE THAT I THINK CAN BE ADOPTED ELSEWHERE AND I--WE'RE WORKING ON A SURVEY THAT HOPEFULLY WILL BE ADOPTED NATIONALLY TO NOT ONLY ASSESS THE [INDISCERNIBLE] BUT I THINK EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY TO IDENTIFY THOSE ELEMENTS [INDISCERNIBLE] THAT ACTUALLY PREDISPOSE TO THIS. IN FACT, WE ALREADY KNOW A LOT OF THEM FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMY'S REPORT AND IT GOES RIGHT BACK TO THE LACK OF WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS. SO WE'LL DO ALL THE SURVEY BUT WE CAN ACT NOW. >> I WANTED TO ADD 1 COMMENT TO [INDISCERNIBLE] AND THAT'S THAT I THINK WE NEED TO CREATE THE SPACE FOR WOMEN TO BE ABLE TO--WHEN THEY HAVE A PROBLEM TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS CAN IT WITH OTHER WOMEN. WHEN I WAS WORKING AT NIH A FEW YEARS AGO, I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE WSA AND I THINK JUST KNOWING ABOUT HAVING A GROUP OF WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP WHERE YOU CAN LIKE REACH OUT TO THEM AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS LIKE HAVING OTHERS BELIEVE YOU. >> THANK YOU. >> IF I COULD JUST REITERATE, THAT MIDLEVEL MANAGEMENT POSITION OF LAB CHIEF IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND THE FACT THAT AT NIH WE HAVE NOT REALLY ROTATED OVER GIVEN OPPORTUNITY WITH TERM LIMITS HAS KEPT A CULTURE OF MALE--YOU KNOW I'M JUST BEING TOTALLY UPFRONT MALE DOMINANCE IN OUR ENVIRONMENT. AND SO, I KNOW THAT NIH IS RIGHT NOW BRINGING UP THE ISSUE OF WHETHER OR NOT LAB AND BRANCH CHIEFS SHOULD BE ROTATED. I FOR 1 WOULD SUPPORT THAT A HUNDRED%. --A HUNDRED PERCENT. >> [ APPLAUSE ] >> NEXT QUESTION. >> THAT WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE MY QUESTION. WHAT ARE SOME--WHAT ARE SOME STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING THIS RIGHT? THE APOSSITY OF WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS BECAUSE THE REALITY IS THAT THE PEOPLE WHO WOULD IMPLEMENT THOSE STRATEGIES ARE PREDOMINANTLY THE LEADER WHO IS ARE MALE WHICH MEANS THEY'RE GOING--SOME OF THEM WILL HAVE TO RELINQUISH THEIR LEADERSHIP POSITION. SO THERE'S AN INHERENT CONFLICT THERE. SO WHAT ARE STRATEGIES THAT WILL CONVINCE PEOPLE THAT THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE? >> I THINK A LOT OF THIS RELATES, THE STRATEGY IS LEADERSHIP BUY IN AS WELL AS BUY IN FROM MALE ADVOCATES. THEY HAVE TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION AND PUSHING THIS FORWARD AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER ISSUES WHERE WE PUT IN DEFINITIVE POLICIES. THERE ARE ALL KINDS--YOU KNOW RESEARCH INTEGRITY, YOU KNOW ANIMAL CARE. YOU KNOW YOU WILL BE DRAGGED UNDER THE CARPET IF YOU VIOLATE THOSE POLICIES, SURERY WE CAN PUT IN POLICIES ABOUT THIS. >> I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A BIT OF A COMMENT THAT AS SOME OF YOU HAVE--FIRST OF ALL THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR GIVING OUTSTANDING EXAMPLES BUT ALSO FOR THE FINE WORK YOU'VE BEEN DOING. IT'S SO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. THE COMMENT I WANT TO MAKE IS THAT THE POINT WAS THAT WAS MADE IS WHEN WE HAVE DIVERSITY IN LEADERSHIP SCIENCE REALLY ADVANCES AND WE CAN BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND WHATEVER AREA THAT WE'RE WORKING IN, IT IS A PROBLEM FOR ALL OF US AND JUST LOOKING AROUND THIS ROOM, I'M JUST A BIT DISAPPOINTED THAT BOTH GENDERS ARE NOT ADEQUATELY REPRESENTED HERE BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A WOMEN'S PROBLEM AND I THINK IT SPEAKS TO THE FACT THAT MORE POLICIES ARE NEEDED BUT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO BRING THAT LEADERSHIP GROUND. I MEAN I THINK SOMETIMES IT DOES FEEL LIKE YOU COULD BE DOING ALL THE RIGHT THINGS, EVERYTHING THAT WAS ON YOUR SLIDE, CATHY THAT--AND YOU CAN STILL STRUGGLE. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT. THANK YOU, AGAIN. >> SO I THINK THAT SPEAKS TO THE INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH. THE INSTITUTION MUST TAKE THIS ON AS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES. THAT'S IT. >> DOES ANYBODY MIND IF I MAKE AN OBJECTION? FOR THOSE LOOKING AROUND THE ROOM AND SEEING NO MALES, NEXT TIME WE HAVE AN EVENT LIKE THIS, CONVINCE A MALE TO COME WITH YOU. SO THEY CAN ACTUALLY SEE THEMSELVES IN THIS POSITION. IT WILL BE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS US COMING SO IF YOU CONVINCE A FRIEND, BRING A MALE. >> I WOULD JUST SAY, I HAVE TO SAY MY EXPERIENCE THE GENERATION OF NEWLY TENURED INDIVIDUALS MALE AND FEMALE ALL RECOGNIZE, MAYBE NOT A HUNDRED% BUT MANY RECOGNIZE THE DUAL ROLE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN AND THEIR ADVANCEMENT IN SCIENCE. I THINK THERE'S ALSO A GENERATIONAL ISSUE HERE, QUITE FRANKLY AND THAT SPEAKS TO WHY WE NEED TO BREAK THE MOLD WITH RESPECT TO THE INTERMEDIATE LAYERS OF THOSE SEDITION MAKERS BECAUSE MANY OF THESE HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME AND SINCE IT'S PREDOMINANTLY MEN AND THEY FEEL SUCCESS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BY VIRTUE OF THEIR DECISIONS AND CHOICES, THAT HAS BY DEFINITION LED TO LESS WOMEN AS PART OF THE EQUATION. SO TO BREAK THIS, YOU NEED TO INTRODUCE MORE WOMEN INTO LEADERSHIP POSITIONS BECAUSE THAT INCREASES THE SCOPE AND DIVERSITY AND THE RECOGNITION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT. AND SO, I FEEL PRETTY STRONGLY THAT--AND YOU CAN'T WAIT FOREVER. I MEAN I JUST--I JUST THINK WE WAITED A REALLY LONG TIME AND THE TIME IS NOW TO REALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. >> I JUST WANTED TO ADD 1 EXAMPLE. YOU ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT STRATEGIES. INTEL HAD THE SAME ISSUE UP UNTIL ABOUT 8 YEARS AGO AND THEY REALLY HAVE MADE A GREAT STRIDE IN INCREASING WOMEN AT LEADERSHIP AND THEY DID 2 IMPORTANT THINGS THEY TIED IT TO THEIR REWARD SYSTEMS, HUGE BONUSES WERE TIED TO WHAT WAS SUCCESSFUL AND THEY CREATED A CHAMPION GROUP OF MEN WHO WERE CHAMPIONS FOR THIS WORK TO GO ON. >> YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO ADD 1 MORE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO THAT, WITH OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS A LOT OF THE CHAMPIONS WE HAVE ARE ACTUALLY LIKE MEN AND A LOT OF OUR ADVISORY BOARD AS WELL ARE MEN SO THERE ARE A LOT OF MALE ADVOCATES, I JUST FEEL THAT PERHAPS, WELL YOU ALSO GAVE THE EXAMPLE OF INTEL BUT I FEEL IT DEPENDS ON THE INDUSTRY YOU'RE IN SO I THINK IN INDUSTRY,IT'S I BIT MORE EASIER THAN GOVERNMENT BECAUSE LIKE CHANGE COMES--YOU KNOW IT'S EASIER TO IMPLEMENT CHANGE AND HAVE A REWARDS SYSTEM WITH THE GOVERNMENT, IF IT'S BEEN LIKE THIS FOR A LONG TIME, IF WE'VE ALLOWED PEOPLE TO BE IN CERTAIN PLACES FOR LIKE A PROLONGED TIME, IT'S--YOU KNOW IT'S THEIR RIGHT BECAUSE THAT'S THE CURRENT SYSTEM, SO TO IMPLEMENT CHANGE, IT WILL TAKE TIME BUT I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD DESPAIR BECAUSE TOGETHER AGAIN IT'S A COLLABORATIVE PROCEDURE TO LIKE BRING ABOUT CHANGE. THANK YOU. >> HI, THANK YOU. I ALSO WANT TO ADD THAT IT'S VERY HEARTENING TO SAY THAT PEOPLE ARE BRINGING THAT SYSTEMIC CHANGE TO CHANGE INSTITUTIONS AND I'M WONDERING IF SINCE NIH IS A MAJOR FUNDING INSTITUTE, ARE THERE ANY POLICIES WE CAN PUT IN PLACE HERE TO BRING THESE SYSTEMIC CHANGES OUTSIDE TO INTO UNIVERSITIES? THANK YOU. >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT I WAS BEING HIRED TO DO UNTIL I FOUND OUT THE RUGES AND REGULATIONS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS AND ALSO THE WILLING ISSUES THAT ARE AROUND THESE WHICH I'M SURE THAT YOU CAN'T HIRE BASED ON THE IDENTITY GROUP AND ALL, WHICH IS ALL TRUE, BUT I THINK WE DO NEED TO LOOK AND SAY WHAT ARE THE LEVERS THAT NIH SPECIFICALLY HAS THAT CAN ENCOURAGE THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS OUTSIDE, BUT IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO WAG A FINGER AT THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS WHEN WE LOOK INSIDE AND SEE HOW WE ARE. SO I GOT A BIT--YOU KNOW I BIT HUMBLE REGARDING THAT APPROACH BUT IMAGINE--IMAGINE IF 2 PERCENT OF THE INDIRECT COST GOING TO EACH OF THESE INSTITUTIONS WENT TO THIS EFFORT? >> SO I GUESS I HAVE A QUESTION THAT LEADS INTO A COMMENT OR VICE VERSA. A COMMENT THAT LEADS INTO A QUESTION. I WOULD ARGUE THAT THE PETRI DISH LID THAT WE FACE IS NOT IN OUR HEADS BECAUSE I FOR 1 HAVE HIT MY HEAD AGAINST IT MULTIPLE TIMES AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED BOTH SEXUAL AND GENDER HARASSMENT JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE I WORKED AND THE GENDER HARASSMENT HAS BEEN MUCH MORE PREVALENT EVERYWHERE SO THEN THAT LEADS TO MY QUESTION WHICH IS, IT'S 1 THING TO STRENGTHEN SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICIES WHICH REALLY, REALLY NEEDS TO BE DONE BUT IS IT POSSIBLE TO INCLUDE GENDER HARASSMENT AS WELL BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO WOMEN BECAUSE THEY'RE WOMEN AND IT'S NOT THIS EXPLICIT DIRTY PICTURE TEXT OR HORRIBLE COME ON. IT'S A LOT MORE LIKE THE LAB TECH WHO COMES IN AND SAYS HEY GIRLS IF YOU WANT TO GET YOUR CROSSES DONE, YOU HAVE TO DO THIS, HEY GIRLS SEE YOU LATER, EVERYTHING FROM THERE TO SEEING YOUR MALE COLLEAGUES WHO MAYBE HAVE JUST AS BAD RESEARCH RESULTS AS YOU DO BUT THEY'RE GETTING THE EXTENSIONS ON THEIR POST DOCS THAT YOU'RE NOT GETTING. >> BUT LET ME JUST SAY 1 THING, READ THE NATIONAL ACADEMY'S REPORT BECAUSE THEY MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT GENDER HARASSMENT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND UNTIL WE GET IT WE WON'T BE MAKING A CHANGE. IT IS A FORM OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT YOU KNOW 60% OF WOMEN EXPERIENCE GENDER HARASSMENT AND THAT'S WHAT WE THEED TO FOCUS ON CHANGING NOT THE SEXUAL ASSAULT--I MEAN WE OBVIOUSLY NOT WANT TO HAVE THAT BUT UNTIL WE CHANGE THE GENDER HARASSMENT WE WON'T EFFECT THAT. THAT'S THE MESSAGE. BOTTOM LINE. >> THE NEW POLICY THAT'S COMING OUT AT THE NIH IS SAYING IT WILL NOT JUST BE SEXUAL HARASSMENT, IT WILL BE HARASSMENT AND INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR AND THAT IS GOING TO ADDRESS ALL OF THESE FORMS OF BULLYING ESSENTIALLY THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AND THERE WILL BE EXAMPLES OF WHAT CONSITUTES EACH 1 OF THOSE BUT THIS WILL ADDRESS ALL OF THOSE. >> [INDISCERNIBLE]. >> I JUST WANT TO MENTION THAT SINCE I HAVE ALL OF YOU HERE IN THE ROOM, WHEN THIS ANTIHARASSMENT POLICY THAT COMES OUT WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO, IT WILL BE A ROLL OUT BUT IT WILL TAKE PUSH THAT POLICY FORWARD AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE SPECTRUM, WHETHER YOU ARE ALREADY TENURED HERE OR YOU'RE POST BACK HERE OR A STUDENT OR AN INTERN, IT WILL TAKE EVERYONE KNOWING WHAT THAT POLICY IS AND BEING SURE THAT IT IS BEING GIVEN SERIOUS CONSIDERATION AND IT'S DUE WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT AND IF YOU FEEL IN YOUR INSTITUTE THAT IT IS NOT BEING GIVEN THAT YOU NEED--I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO SPEAK OUT YOUR WSA REPRESENTATIVE SO THAT THAT INFORMATION CAN COME BACK TO US BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO BE SPEARHEADING THE EFFORT FROM OUR END FROM THE GROUND UP TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS POLICY IS TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY. >> I'LL ALSO JUST SAY, I HAVE A COMMENT AND THEN A QUESTION, I AM ALEX AND I'M WITH THE WOMEN AND SCIENCE AND NATIONAL AKD--SALLY ME, THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT REPORT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, SO I WANT TO ADD TO DR. VALANTINCEREBELLUMS' COMMENTS SO IT IS THE MOST COMMON FORM OF HARASSMENT, GEND SERIES POINTS NOT THE DIFFERENT FROM SEXUAL HARASSMENT, BUT IT IS THE SAME THING AND WE NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND AS A TOTALLY SEPARATE COMMENT, THE NATIONAL ACADEMY ON WOMEN, THEY'RE DOING PROG ELECTRIC LIGHTINGS IN THIS ROUND, A LOT OF WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT TODAY WITH NIH SUPPORT AND 1 OF THE NEW STUDIES WE'RE LAUNCHING IS ON SORT OF PROMISING PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT AND ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN IN DIFFERENT FIELDS OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE'S DIFFERENCES BY MEDICAL SCIENCES PROBABLY NOT A PIPELINE PROBLEM AS WE KNOW BUT MAYBE IN OTHER FIELDS AND SORT OF IS AN ENGINEERING, THERE'S NOT MANY WHO GO INTO ENGINEERING AT YOUNGER AGES BUT DR. VALANTINE TALKED ABOUT NOT JUST LOOKING AT INSTITUTIONINGS, BUT --I AGREE BUT IN REGARDS TO THE NEW STUDY, THERE'S RESEARCH ABOUT THE BARRIERS TO WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE AND WE KNOW THERE ARE A& LOT OF WAYS WE CAN FIX THOSE BARRIERS BUT INSTITUTIONS HAVE BEEN SO SLOW TO IMP REMENT THEM SO DO HAVE YOU INSIGHT AS TO WHAT THE BARRIER IS EXACTLY? AND WHY INSTITUTIONS ARE SO SLOW TO RECK NIZ THIS AS A CRUCIAL PROBLEM? AND 1 THAT SEES DIVERSITY AS SACRIFICING QUALITY IF WE START DOING DIVERSITY INCLUSION WORK AND MAYBE MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT WE'RE MAKING SCIENCE BETTER BY HAVING RECOGNIZING DIVERSITY INCLUSION? SO JUST THOUGHTS ON THAT WOULD BE GREAT. >> I WANTED TO ADD THAT SO I'M ALSO THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS IN THE BALTIMORE WASHINGTON D. C. CHAPTER AND BOTH THE SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS AND THE FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN ADVANCEMENT ARE GOING TO HAVE A TRAINING IN DECEMBER THAT'S GOING TO HELP WOMEN ADDRESS ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE THAT RELATE TO--SOMETIMES LIKE THE VARIOUS TYPES OF HARASSMENT. THIS WAS ALL INITIATED BY--A DISCUSSION WE HAD WITH SOME WOMEN IN THE NAVY WITH I'LL SHARE 1 OF THE PROBLEMS THEY HAD, A LOT OF THEM, YOU KNOW Ph.D.s, VERY WELL QUALIFIED WOMEN AND WHENEVER THEY'RE IN A MEETING, THEIR SUPERVISORS FEEL THAT THEY WILL BE THE 1S TAKING THE NOTES AND THAT OFFENDS THEM BECAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE THERE SHOULD BE A NOTE TAKER, IT SHOULDN'T BE THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONLY WOMEN IN THE ROOM SO WE'RE ADDRESSING A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ISSUES AND I'LL TRY TO SEND YOU THE INFORMATION AND THEN CAN YOU PASS IT ON TO EVERYONE ELSE IF YOU WOULD BE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING. >> SO LET ME JUST COMMENT ON THAT LAST QUESTION AND I THINK IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT 1 BECAUSE IT POINTS TO THIS PENITIOUS RESISTANCE TO THE BUSINESS CASE. SO LET'S LOOK AT INDUSTRY. UNEQUIV COLSTUDY BY MCKENZIE INDICATING THAT WHEN BUSINESSES HAVE MORE WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS, THEY MAKE MORE MONEY, EASY. RIGHT? HOW MANY WOMEN ARE LEADING THE HELM IN BUSINESSES? SO THERE IS A RESISTANCE TO THE BUSINESS. SO THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION, I THINK IS THAT IN SCIENCE, THERE IS THE SAME RESISTANCE THAT HAS BEEN DRIVEN BY THE CULTURE THAT WAS CREATED 200 YEARS AGO FOR THAT GROUP. I THINK THAT'S WHAT IS AT THE CORE OF IT. >> I WOULD JUST LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT AND YOU KNOW MY--I WAS SPEAKING WITH HANNAH BEFORE THE FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY WHEN I WAS AT CBER BECAUSE OF THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE TO CREATE AN ORGANIZATION WITH NEW LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AND WHEN I--WHEN I DID THAT, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT AT LEAST 50% WOMEN IN THOSE LEADERSHIP POSITIONS. IT CHANGED THE ENTIRE DYNAMICS OF THE ORGANIZATION. WE HIRED MORE WOMEN. WE PROMOTED MORE WOMEN. WE WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM. IT DIDN'T EXCLUDE MEN BUT WE WORK MUCH BETTER AS A TEAM AND IT REALLY REFLECTS IF YOU LOOK AT THE MOST RECENT ARTICLES ON WOMEN AS BOSSES, THEY MAKE MUCH BETTER BOSSES AND YOU KNOW PEOPLE LIKE--YOU KNOW I CAN'T SAY THAT FOR EVERY WOMEN BUT IN GENERAL IT'S VIEWED THAT WOMEN MAKE BETTER BOSSES. AND YOU KNOW, I THINK HAVING THE DYNAMICS OF HAVING THAT DIVERSITY MAKES EVERYBODY BETTER. IT IMPROVES THE WOMEN AND IT IMPROVES THE MEN AND I THINK TOGETHER IT MAKES A BETTER ORGANIZATION. SO, I DO THINK WE REALLY NEED TO FOCUS ON GETTING TO THAT NEXT STEP, SO GOOD LUCK. [LAUGHTER] >> WE'LL TAKE 2 MORE QUESTIONS. >> SO I KIND OF WANT TO GO BACK TO THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY BUT I FIRST WANT TO MAKE THE POINT THAT THE DATA IS OBVIOUSLY CLEARLY CONVINCING AND WE KNOW THE PROBLEMS AND THERE ARE GOOD WAYS TO YOU KNOW WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO ACHIEVE IN ORDER TO GET DIVERSITY AND I THINK THAT'S ALL STRAIGHT FORWARD, THE REAL PROBLEM IS THE EXISTING CULTURE AND HOW HARD IT IS TO CHANGE IT. YOU KNOW IF YOU USE THE NIH AS AN EXAMPLE, LAB CHIEFS FOR THAT HAVE BEEN LAB CHIEFS FOR LONGER THAN I'VE BEEN BORN BUT 1 OF THE KEY ISSUE SYSTEM BECAUSE OF THIS GENERATIONAL CONFLICT AND ALSO SOCIETAL CONFLICT IS THAT IN A WAY IT HAS TO GO BEYOND THE GENDER AND EVERYTHING ELSE TO BE JUST CONSIDERED AN EQUAL CAPABLE PERSON IN WHATEVER CONTEXT YOU'RE DEALING WITH SO PEOPLE DON'T GIVE YOU SOMETHING BECAUSE YOU'RE A WOMAN OR THE OTHER WAY AROUND AND IT'S BASICALLY RESPECT ABOUT THIS PERSON, THE QUALITIES OF THIS PERSON, YOU LOOK BEYOND THAT THIS IS A WOMAN YOU'RE DEALING WITH AND I THINK THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY IS IMPORTANT AND WOULD BE REALLY CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HOLD THIS UP, WE'VE BEEN EXTREMELY PATIENT AND I UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS OF A REWARD BUT IT'S NOT OKAY THAT AN EXTRA MURAL INVESTIGATOR CAN GET HIS NIH FUNDING REMOVED FOR I IOAC VIOLATIONS BUT NOT HARASSMENT, AND I THINK THE WHOLE METOO MOVEMENT IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT. WE ARE PEOPLE AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE TREATED VERY EQUALLY. THEY HAVE TO BE NOT JUST REWARDS TO PROMOTE A BETTER CULTUR BUT SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT DO THE RIGHT THING YOU KNOW IN GENERAL. THAT'S JUST BEING TOLD, YOU'RE NOT IMPORTANT. ALL RIGHT. WE KNOW HOW THIS WENT WITH THE HEARINGS AND ALL OF THAT, BUT IT'S REALLY AN IMPORTANT TIME RIGHT NOW FOR PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT THAT. IT GOES BEYOND THE SEX AND GENDER. THERE ARE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AT SOME POINT FOR THINGS TO CHANGE, I THINK. >> SO LET ME JUST QUICKLY COMMENT AND I WOULDN'T PROFESS TO HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS AND UNDERSTAND EXTRA MURAL. I FIND IT--ALL OF THOSE POLICIES BUT WHAT I DO UNDERSTAND IS THAT NIH DOES NOT YET HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO WHAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING TO BE ABLE TO TAKE AWAY. WE DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO EVEN ASK, INSIST ON THESE CASES BEING REPORTED TO NIH. >> [INDISCERNIBLE] >> YES, SO THERE'S A LOT OF WORK GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES RIGHT NOW TO ACTUALLY GET THAT AUTHORITY AND SET UP THE SYSTEMS TO GET THAT AUTHORITY. BUT YOU'VE HEARD A LOT OF IN THE NEWS OF HOW NSF HAS--YOU KNOW BUT THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT AUTHORITY. AND YOU KNOW I CAN TELL YOU THAT OUR LEADERS HERE ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT AND REALLY COMMITTED TO HAVE MORE SAY IN IT SO WE KNOW AND-- >> [INDISCERNIBLE] >> YEAH, WE'RE NOT EVEN--WE DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ASK THE INSTITUTIONS TO REPORT TO US. IT'S EXTRAORDINARY. >> [INDISCERNIBLE]. >> I THINK IT'S BOTH THE POLICY--IT'S THE RESPONSIBILITY AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND THOSE ARE REALLY KEY AND IF THOSE ELEMENTS ARE NOT PART OF THE GRANT MECHANISM THEN YOU NEED TO MAKE CHANGES. AND I THINK THAT NEEDS TO-- >> SO YOU'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT HERE TODAY, FIRST OF ALL THANK YOU FOR COMING HERE AND SHARING PERSPECTIVES AS MUCH AS EXPERIENCES AND--CAN WE DO ABOUT WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT HERE TODAY AT THIS POINT? >> SO GETTING BACK TO AVAIL YOURSELF TO PUT YOURSELF IN POSITION FOR LEADERSHIP BUT I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THIS IS NOW THE TIME FOR THE INSTITUTIONS TO STEP IN. AND 1 OTHER THING THAT I WOULD WARN AGAINST IS THE TAX--IT'S NOT YOUR JOB TO GO AND YOU KNOW SET UP A NEW PROGRAM, A DIVERSITY THING, LET THE OTHERRINGS DO IT. WHAT I DIDN'T TELL YOU THAT I DID NOT GET INTO THIS SPACE UNTIL AFTER I WAS TENURED AT STANFORD. SO A LOT OF STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, YOU KNOW ASK ME, JUST SPEAKING AT AN INSTITUTION, WHAT SHOULD WE DO? AND THEY CREATED THIS MENTORING, THEY'RE DOING ALL OF THIS WORK AND I SAY, THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO IS TO MAKE SURE YOU GRADUATE, YOU'RE AT THE TOP OF YOUR CLASS, THAT'S THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR DIVERSITY WHILE YOU'RE IN THE TRAINING FIELDS. >> YEAH, 1 OF THE THINGS THAT I DON'T THINK WE'VE DONE AND MAYBE HANNAH YOU CAN COMMENT ON THIS IS HAVE A SAFE SPACE FOR THE LEADERSHIP TO HEAR ABOUT THE PROBLEMS. OFTEN TIMES, I THINK EACH OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED SOME KIND OF EITHER HARASSMENT OR SOME KIND OF PREJUDICE AT SOME POINT ALONG THE WAY, AND WHILE WE HAVE THE WSA, WHICH I KNOW IS--THAT'S NOT REALLY GOING TO SOLVE THE ISSUE IN LETTING PEOPLE BE HEARD. THE REASON I BRING THIS UP IS BECAUSE WHEN WE WERE DEALING WITH SOME OF THE ISSUES FROM THE RED TEAM REPORT AND HAVING PEOPLE REPORT THEY NEEDED A SAFE SPACE TO REPORT THINGS WITHOUT HAVING SOME RETRIBUTION. SO I THINK WE NEED TO DEVELOP A SAFE SPACE WITH EITHER IN YOUR OFFICE HANNAH OR SOME PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN REPORT THESE THINGS. BECAUSE WE DON'T EVEN KNOW THE EXTENT AND WHAT KINDS OF ACTIONS ARE ACTUALLY GOING ON. WE HEAR, YOU KNOW THINGS BACK AND FORTH, BUT NOT REALLY IN THE SENSE OF YOU KNOW QUANTITATIVELY. >> YEAH SO JUST AS A MEMBER OF THE HARASSMENT COMMITTEE, WE ARE MOVING--ANTIHARASSMENT COMMITTEE. [LAUGHTER] >> WE ARE MOVING REPORTING OUT OF THE INSTITUTE AND INTO A CENTRAL LOCATION CIVIL SO THAT IT WILL NOT BECOME WHERE YOU ARE REPORTING TO SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY HAS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN TERMS OF TRYING TO RESOLVE IT AND I THINK THAT IS 1 OF THE CRITICAL ELEMENTS TO ADDRESS HARASSMENT ON THIS CAMPUS IS THAT IT HAS TO BE HANDLED BY A THIRD PARTY NEUTRAL PARTY WHO DOESN'T ALSO HAVE LIKE YOU KNOW--I DON'T REALLY WANT TO CALL HIM OUT ON THIS BECAUSE HE'S ALSO THE HEAD OF MY ACUC AND I NEED HIM TO DO THIS AND THAT FOR ME AND I HOPE THAT BY MOVING IT OUT OF THE INSTITUTIONS, MORE INTO SOMETHING THAT YOU AS STUDENTS WHEN YOU SAY WHAT CAN WE DO, YOU KNOW, I CAN FIGHT BECAUSE I CAN SAY, LOOK, YOU KNOW WE HAVE THESE STUDENTS COMING OUT WHO KNOW THEIR TITLE 9 COORDINATOR IS AND WE'RE MATT HOLT READY FOR THEM SO YOU CAN DEAL WITH ME OR THEM AND I'M TELLING THEM, YOU WANT TO DEAL WITH ME FIRST? , SO I WOULD SAY AS PART OF EVERY ORIENTATION-- >> YEAH, YEAH, CIVIL IS REALLY NEW. THIS IS REALLY NEW AND WILL BE PART OF THE ROLL OUT IS THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN THAT WAY EVER BEFORE AT NIH THAT YOU COULD--THAT ALL REPORTING HAS TO GO TO CIVIL, EVEN IF YOU REPORT TO SOMEONE WITHIN YOUR OWN INSTITUTION, THEY HAVE TO REPORT IT TO CIVIL AND CIVIL THEN--AND THERE WILL BA I HOT LINE THAT'S CO TRAINED WITH THE RED TEAM. SO, THERE WILL BE COVERAGE. THERE WILL BE ALSO A WEB WHERE YOU CAN REPORTOT WEB. SO THIS IS ALL GOING TO BE PART OF THE ROLL OUT. BUT I DO,A GREE WITH YOU THAT WE NEED--IT CANNOT JUST CONTINUE TO BE BUSINESS AS USUAL HERE. >> ACTUALLY I STEPPED OUT TO TAKE PATIENT PHONE CALL SO IF I AM ALREADY ASKING SOMETHING YOU ANSWERED JUST CUT ME OFF BUT MY QUESTION IS ARE THERE THERE--WELL I HAVE 2 RELATED QUESTIONS. THE FIRST 1 IS, WITH THE INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE, ARE THERE ANY GOALS? REAL GOALS AND ARE THERE ANY MECHANISMS HOW WE CAN LOOK? AND IF THERE ARE GOALS WHAT ARE THERE? AND THE RELATED QUESTION THAT IS, YOU KNOW THERE'S EVOLUTION AND THERE IS REVOLUTION, RIGHT? AND I AM SORRY, I HAVE VERY LITTLE PATIENCE. I WAS BORN WITH VERY LITTLE PATIENCE. I FEEL THAT THE PROGRESS IN THE LAST 25 YEARS REQUIRES REVOLUTION. THAT IT REQUIRES, WE CAN'T BE SATISFIED WITH 38%. EQUALITY MEANS 50%. AND WE HAVE TO ACHIEVE THAT IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE AND IN THAT REGARD, YOU KNOW I HAVE TO ASK WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM US, BECAUSE IT CANNOT BE HANNAH OR CATHY, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE NEED TO CREATE A MOVEMENT THAT SAYS, WE ARE OUT OF PATIENCE. YOU KNOW? WE NEED CHANGE AND WE NEED IT NOW. >> I THINK YOU TOUCHED ON MANY SUBJECTS. I HAVE VERY CLEAR GOALS. I WANT TO ELIMINATE THE GAP. WE CAN MEASURE THE GAP PRECISELY IN SEVERAL METRICS. RIGHT? THE NEC HAS DEFINITIVE METRICS AND WE--THE GOAL IS TO ABSOLUTELY ELIMINATE THOSE GAPS. IN A TIME FRAME WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS BECAUSE THAT'S THE--HOW MUCH THE ROTATIONS WILL WORK BECAUSE WE CAN'T GO THROUGH ALL OF THE ICs IN 1 YEAR OR EVERY 2 YEARS THAT'S THE NUMBER 1 GOAL. IN TERMS OF THE REPRESENTATION IN TENURED POSITIONS GOING FROM 22% TO 50% MAY TAKE MORE THAN 2 YEARS BUT WE CAN DEFINE IT. BUT I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT CERTAINLY IN THE TENURED TRACK TO ELIMINATE THAT TO 50/50 IS DOABLE WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. THEN THERE'S MUCH MORE, SOLRYS,--SALARIES AND MORE. MAYBE YOU CAN FIGURE OUT THE MOVEMENT, I HAVEN'T FIGURED THAT OUT. >> I WOULD JUST COMMENT WITH HANNAH HERE, I WOULD GO BACK TO A QUOTE BY RUTH BADER-GINSBERG, YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE CHANGE BUT YOU HAVE TO BRING PEOPLE WITH YOU AND I WOULD SAY, YOU ARE GOING TO BRING THE MEN WITH YOU ESPECIALLY OUR JUNIOR FACULTY WHO REALLY I THINK WHO ARE MUCH BETTER AT UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES OF WOMEN AND SCIENCE AND COME TOGETHER AS A GROUP BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BENEFIT BUT MEN AND WOMEN OVERALL, SO I THINK WOMEN CALIFORNIA TOGETHER BUT BRING THE WOMEN WITH YOU. >> I CAN TAKE A QUICK BREAK BETWEEN THE QUESTIONS WE CAN KEEP QUESTIONING FORMALLY AND THAT'S UP TO THEIR SPEAKERS BECAUSE THEY THE TIME THEY ALLOTTED IN THEIR SCHEDULE HAS BEEN MET OR WE CAN HAVE INFORM AT QUESTIONS SO WE HAVE THE ROOM UNTIL 4 SO YOU'RE WELCOME TO STAY AROUND AND NETWORK AND FOOD IN THE BACK, COFFEE. IF YOU WANT TO GO BACK AND TAKE A BREAK AND GET COFFEE AND BRING IT TO YOUR SEAT, YOU'RE WELCOME TO BUT JUST FOR A SECOND, SINCE AWS, BETHESDA DONATED THE FOOD AND DRINKS CAN WE JUST LET THE PRESIDENT COME FORWARD AND AT LEAST TELL YOU WHAT SHE'S WORKING ON. THANK YOU. [ APPLAUSE ] >> IT'S A GREAT HONOR FOR WSA, AND ON BEHALF OF OUR CHAPTER, I REALLY WANT TO THANK ALL THE PANELISTS THIS AFTERNOON, FOR THE INSIGHTFUL DISCUSSIONS, THE PASSION AND DEDICATION FOR HELPING THE WOMEN IN STEM TO ACHIEVE FULL POTENTIAL AND ON BEHALF OF ALL OF THE GROUPS IT'S JUST AMAZING. IT WAS A STIRRING DISCUSSION ENDING WITH A REVOLUTION AND I HOPE WE ALL CAN SOMEDAY CONTRIBUTE TO IT. SO SINCE 1971 AWS HAS BEEN BUILDING THIS COMMUNITY OF WOMEN AND TO WORK ON THIS AND [INDISCERNIBLE] FOR ALL THE STEM PROFESSIONALS AND AS AN ORGANIZATION, IT WAS [INDISCERNIBLE], WE ARE A SMALL ROBUST TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS, WOMEN IN STEM AND WE ARE DISRUPTIVE AND WE ARE [INDISCERNIBLE]. WOE WORK HARD TO GET EVENTS AROUND AND AGAIN I WANT TO THANK WITH FOR DR. KEBY HINTON FOR THIS PARTNERSHIP AND SUPPORT AND FOR ALL THE HARD WORK SHE AND JEN HAS PUT TOGETHER FOR THIS EVENT. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU EVERYBODY. PLEASE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PART OF AWS BETHESDA IN ANY WAY FOR SHARING YOUR IDEAS OR BEING PART OF THE BOARD OR THE ADVISORY BOARD IN FACT, YOU WILL BE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU BECAUSE WE ARE ALSO STRIVING ATAWS TO STEP UP AND GET INVOLVED IN POLICY MAKING AND MAKE CHANGE AT ALL THE LEVELS STARTING FROM LIKE GOALS, EVEN OUTREACH FOR YOUNGER GOALS WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT. AGAIN, THANK AND YOU PLEASE JOIN US AND I WILL GIVE THESE SMALL [INDISCERNIBLE] THANK TO YOU OUR PANELIST TODAY. THANK YOU.