On November 16, 2020, the Center for Women in Academic Medicine and Science hosted a virtual discussion on advancing gender equity in STEMM academic departments and research institutes, featuring Dr. France Córdova in conversation with our Board of Directors.

For those unfamiliar with the acronym, “STEMM” adds “Medicine” to the conventional Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) set. There’s good reason to do so: while schools of medicine receive 50% of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, the National Science Foundation (NSF) provides 25% of its funding to universities, including medical schools.

With featured speaker, France Córdova, Ph.D., we had the opportunity to hear about driving culture change at the NSF and in academia. As the first Latina Director of the NSF, the first woman to serve as a NASA Chief Scientist, President Emerita of Purdue University, Chancellor Emerita of UC Riverside, and former department head of Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Dr. Córdova has ample experience from which to draw.

Watch the recording to learn how we can leverage policy change to drive culture change, why training the mentors is critical, and to learn about CWAMS’ new partnerships and our Faculty Network, launching 2021 to connect women faculty with our growing team of specialized advisors to support their career advancement.

If you find value in this discussion, please consider contributing to our work!