Dear Colleagues, 

I am pleased to include another issue of RFS Briefings with some timely and encouraging updates on women in science. Of particular note, we hope you were able to view The State of Biotech 2023 last week. If you missed any of it you can view it here.

Please continue to share important news and opportunities with us so that we may share it with you and others who are committed to supporting the careers of exceptional women in science.

Stay safe and sound,

Karla Shepard Rubinger
Executive Director
Rosalind Franklin Society
www.rosalindfranklinsociety.org

Doris Duke Foundation Honors 21 Physician Scientists, 14 Women, Advancing Insights for Improved Human Health. 
In 2023, the Doris Duke Foundation is celebrating 25 years of supporting physician scientists so they have the time and resources to develop groundbreaking ideas. This year’s grantees join a network of accomplished physicians who have gone on to become leaders in academia, medicine, public health and government. Read more.

womenmind™: A community of philanthropists committed to closing the gender gap in mental health.
Congrats to the 2023 womenmind Leadership Fund Awardees, Drs. Erica Vieira and Gwyneth Zai. The Leadership Fund provides support to attend leadership training to break down gender gaps + support career progression for women in science. Read more.

Women in Science at the APS.
In preparation for the American Philosophical Society exhibition Pursuit & Persistence, they asked women APS Members about their careers. Space physicist Margaret Kivelson would have reassured her younger self about the very common phenomenon of impostor syndrome. Read more.

The Skillsoft Women in Tech Report. 

The Skillsoft Women in Tech Report shares the findings of an in-depth survey of women’s experiences at all stages of their careers, across geographies and industries. This report provides a clear picture of the current status of women in tech-related jobs, what’s important to them, and what they need from their employers to thrive. Read more. (Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash)

Meet The Hastings Center’s New President: Vardit Ravitsky.

The Hastings Center Board of Trustees announced that Vardit Ravitsky, PhD, a leading bioethicist whose career has focused on the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging technologies, became president on September 1, 2023. Ravitsky is an internationally respected public scholar, a professor of bioethics at the University of Montreal, and a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School. Read more. (Photo: Vardit Ravitsky, The Hastings Center)

Her work paved the way for blockbuster obesity drugs. Now, she’s fighting for recognition.
Svetlana Mojsov’s story raises thorny questions about the scientific enterprise, including how credit is apportioned and how award decisions are made. Several in the obesity and diabetes field express unease with her near-total absence from the narrative. But few have come forward to advocate for her place in that story. Read more.

Bucking the system: the extraordinary story of how the SDGs came to be.

The influential and ambitious United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were the brainchild of two unsung Colombian women: Paula Caballero and Patti Londoño. Halfway to the SDGs’ 2030 deadline, none of the 17 goals to end poverty and protect the environment is on track, and only 15% of the 140 targets for which data are available look likely to be met.Read more.(Image credit:Paula Caballero and Patti Londoño (CEPEI)

In Ukraine, Mathematics Offers Strength in Numbers.
Maryna Viazovska, a professor of mathematics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and a 2022 Fields medalist, gave a lecture at the opening of the International Center for Mathematics in Ukraine on Aug. 10. Read more.

Life-changing cystic fibrosis treatment wins US$3-million Breakthrough Prize.

The trio of chemists who developed the cystic fibrosis treatment Trikafta (including Sabine Hadida of Vertex Pharmaceuticals) has won one of this year’s US$3-million Breakthrough prizes — the most lucrative awards in science. Image: Paul Negulescu, Sabine Hadida and Fredrick Van Goor (left to right). Credit: Vertex Pharmaceuticals.Read more.

Putting Women at the Center of Human Evolution.
Cat Bohannon’s book, “Eve,” looks at the way women’s bodies evolved, and how a focus on male subjects in science has left women “under-studied and under-cared for.” Read more.

BII & Science Prize for Innovation
Apply today for the BioInnovation Institute and Science Prize for Innovation! The editors of Science seek to recognize bold researchers who are asking fundamental questions at the intersection of the life sciences and entrepreneurship. The Grand Prize winner will receive a prize of USD 25,000 and each runner-up will receive USD 10,000 at a grand award ceremony in Copenhagen, Denmark. Read more.

Help from an unexpected corner: a “genetic parasite” protects fertility.

Research from Whitehead Institute Member Yukiko Yamashita’s lab finds that a retrotransposon, a genetic element often thought of as a parasite, actually plays an important role in rejuvenating an important region of DNA, preserving fertility in flies. Read more. (Image: Yukiko Yamashita, Whitehead Institute.)

As a Doctor, a Mother and the Head of the C.D.C., I Recommend That You Get the Latest Covid Booster.

“As a doctor, a mother and the head of the C.D.C., I would not recommend anything to others that I wouldn’t recommend for my own family. My 9- and 11-year-old daughters, my husband, my parents and I will all be rolling up our sleeves to get our updated Covid-19 vaccines along with our flu shots soon. I hope you and the people you care about will do the same”, says Dr. Mandy K. Cohen, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more. (Image: Mandy K. Cohen, CDC Director (Wikipedia).

 

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Nilda Rivera, Partnership and Events Manager