Blog

A fundamental component of our SWD mission is to diversify the scientific workforce by addressing the myth that outstanding diverse talent is in short supply. To this end, our Office has developed a Diversity Toolkit with four building blocks: These include expanding diversity of the candidate…

In this week’s blog post, we are happy to introduce Janine Austin Clayton, M.D., FARVO, director of the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) and co-chair (along with NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.) of the NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers (WgWBC). She has…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Scientific Workforce Diversity (SWD) office are pleased to announce the 2021 Future Research Leaders Conference (FRLC), an excellent career development opportunity for talented, early-career scientists interested in pursuing careers at NIH’s world-…

One year later, the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected our individual lives and communities. We have observed disproportionate effects observed in underserved populations, leaving them vulnerable to higher infection and mortality risk. These effects have led to an increased reliance on…

Several important events in 2020 highlighted the nation’s struggle with racial injustice and brought a new focus on structural racism within science and medicine. For many, including myself as acting Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD), this topic has been a concern and…

Black History Month (also known as African American History Month) is an opportunity to look at past accomplishments. The NIH has been a leader in supporting science and technology, with that mission fostered by several prominent African American/Black trailblazers. Just within the 21st century…

For this week’s blog post, we are happy to introduce Dr. Charles Dearolf, who is the Director of Program Development and Support at NIH’s Office of Intramural Research (OIR). He has been a member of the OIR senior leadership team since 2008. His primary responsibilities are to facilitate NIH-…

The NIH encourages and supports applications for grants and funding by all members of the biomedical research community. Given the gap in funding between scientists from underrepresented groups (URGs) compared to well-represented groups, closing this gap continues to be a priority. The…

On December 3rd of this year, the United Nation’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities was observed. As we continue to strive to establish a culture of inclusive excellence in the scientific workforce, it is important that we consider the unique situation faced by those with…

Today the NIH released two new funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) as part of the NIH Common Fund’s Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) program. The FIRST program, which was developed, in part, through the efforts and vision of the SWD office, and…