RFS Briefings - January 2018

January 2018 issue of RFS Briefings has some timely and encouraging updates on women in science, particularly:

Ben Barres, Neuroscientist and Equal-Opportunity Advocate, Dies at 63, nytimes.com, December 29, 2017 
Ben Barres, a neuroscientist who conducted pioneering work on brain cells known as glia and their possible relation to diseases like Parkinson’s, and who was an outspoken advocate of equal opportunity for women in the sciences, died. Having transitioned from female to male in 1997, Dr. Barres had a unique perspective on the difficulties that women and minorities face in the sciences. 

National Institutes of Health Highlights, nih.gov, Nov/Dec 2017
Advances & Insights: The NIH Women in Science Newsletter featured an article about the Journal of Women's Health themed issue on gender equity in faculty health careers (may 2017). The Journal is published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., whose founder and president (of the same name) is also the founder and executive vice president of the Rosalind Franklin Society. The issue was developed "thanks to the efforts of" the Research Partnership on Women in Biomedical Careers – "a grassroots group aimed at closing the gender gap in biomedical research."
 
Pioneering HIV Researcher Mathilde Krim Remembered For Her Activism, npr.org, January 17, 2018
With the death of biologist Mathilde Krim on January 15, the world lost a pioneering scientist, activist and fundraiser in AIDS research. Her clarity, compassion and leadership have inspired countless people.