Though this by no means covers all possible topics, we encourage you to explore this page for a sample of professional/career development tools and resources. We hope that the information presented is a good starting point to access resources, tools, and opportunities that are designed to improve the knowledge and skills important to your short- and long-term career goals. Please note: Information presented from external organizations and scientific societies is not endorsed by—and does not necessarily represent the views of—NIH.
Professional/Career Development Resources
These represent a select number of organizations that may have searchable databases for publications on topics related to women’s health issues and the advancement of women in biomedical research careers. Feel free to explore below and click on the dropdown button next to the organization to see an example resource on a specific topic.
- Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) Toolkit: This contains a series of presentations designed to provide practical guidance on a variety of topics relevant to women faculty in academic medicine.
- Power Reimagined - Advancing Women into Emerging Leadership Positions: This webinar compares and contrasts emerging trends with traditional leadership roles, identified systemic barriers that impede women who strive for these roles, and institutional and individual efforts necessary to overcome these barriers, including the part that mentorship and sponsorship play.
- Identity-based Harassment: A Workshop on Emerging Research Themes. (Report) Herbers, J. M., Metcalf, H. E., & Williams, R. L. 2019.
- AAAS Resource Center
- Leadership Tips for Women. (Article) Pain, Elisabeth. Science, 17 Sep. 2013.
- Solving the Equation: The Variables for Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing: This report asks why there are still so few women in the critical fields of engineering and computing—and explains what we can do to make these fields open to and desirable for all.
- AAUW Work Smart salary negotiation workshop: This online course gives you the tools you need to successfully negotiate a salary and help close the pay gap for women everywhere.
- Five in Fifteen Webinar Series: This focuses on work–life integration, professional leadership, and career development.
- FASEB offers resources such as recurring webinars to advance health and welfare by promoting progress and education in biological and biomedical sciences.
- 6 Things Successful Women in STEM Have in Common. (Article) Sherbin, Laura. Harvard Business Review, 27 Apr. 2018.
- What Managers Can Do to Keep Women in Engineering. (Article) Dulini Fernando, Laurie Cohen, Joanne Duberley. Harvard Business Review, 12 June 2018.
- Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering. (Report) National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. 2007. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
- The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM. (Report) National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
- Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: A National Academies Symposium Highlighting Evidence-Based Interventions (Webcast)
- Intersectionality in Tech 101: “Provides a background and overview of the concept, in addition to key readings and resources related to women and girls of color in STEM and computing.”
- Developing a Research Program: “Resources ... are designed to give you information and advice on building on or moving beyond your graduate research and on starting up a new lab.”
- Postdocs Resource Library: Contains “documents, publications, and materials that are beneficial to postdocs.”
- Advancing Postdoc Women Guidebook: “This project examined promising practices found in professional societies and associations to advance postdoc women careers.”
- How to nurture brilliant women in STEM: “Inspiring talks from women who have pushed the boundaries in their field and are paving the way for the next generation of girls to earn their place in traditionally male-dominated professions. (Curated in partnership with the National Security Agency.)”
- The urgency of intersectionality: “Kimberlé Crenshaw uses the term ‘intersectionality’ to describe this phenomenon; as she says, if you’re standing in the path of multiple forms of exclusion, you’re likely to get hit by both.”
- Enabling Courage: Agentic Strategies of Women of Color in Computing: TERC researchers “present findings from ... interviews with women computing students and professionals of color, who describe their approaches, often inspired by those who teach, mentor and even challenge them.” (Paper) Hodari, Apriel K., et al. Research in Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing and Technology (RESPECT), 2015.
- ASEE MIND: How to Write a Winning Best Paper (PowerPoint presentation from a webinar hosted by the Women in Engineering ProActive Network [WEPAN]): WEPAN’s webinars aim “to significantly increase knowledge of key issues and to encourage all participants to lead implementation of best and promising practices that will advance diverse communities of women in engineering in academic and workplace settings.”
- Literature Databases:
- Google Scholar
- Nature.com
- Sex and gender analysis improves science and engineering. (Paper) Tannenbaum, C., Ellis, R. P., Eyssel, F., et al. Nature 575, 137–146 (2019).
- Women in Science: “This special issue of Nature takes a hard look at the gender gap—from bench to boardroom—and at what is being done to close it.”
- PubMed: “Comprises more than 30 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.”
- ScienceDirect
- Women in academic leadership: A chance to shape the future. (Paper) Gallagher, Jennifer E., and Morison, Susan. Journal of Dentistry, vol. 87, 2019, pp. 45–48., doi:10.1016/j.jdent.2019.05.011.
- Detailed Findings from RTI’s Study of L’Oréal USA’s For Women in Science Program: “To celebrate 15 years of the program and to further contribute to the dialogue around strategies for increasing the representation of women in STEM fields, L’Oréal USA partnered with the Heising-Simons Foundation to commission a study of its 75 fellows and explore how their experiences and recommendations can help more women succeed in science during this critical postdoctoral career stage.” 2019.
- A Gender Divide on Microaggressions in Medicine. (Article) Periyakoil, VJ. The New York Times, 31 Oct. 2019.
- Increasing gender diversity in the STEM research workforce. Greider, Carol W., et al. Science, 8 Nov. 2019.
- Proven Strategies for Addressing Unconscious Bias in the Workplace. Sponsored by Cook Ross.
- Reaching the Full Potential of STEM for Women and the U.S. Economy. (Report) Pham, Nam D., and Triantis, Alex J. Center for Women in Business, 2015.
- Study Finds Significant Gender Disparity in the Number of Women Physicians Publishing Papers in Biomedical Journals. Dillard, Robert. DocWire, 15 Jan. 2020.
- A Summary Report From the Research Partnership on Women in Science Careers. (Paper) Carr P. L., Helitzer, D., Freund, K., et al. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2019;34(3):356–362.
- Transforming mentorship in STEM by training scientists to be better leaders. (Paper) Hund, Amanda K., et al. Ecology and Evolution, 2 Oct. 2018.
- Transforming Your STEM Career Through Leadership and Innovation: Inspiration and Strategies for Women. (Book) McCauley Bush, Pamela. Academic Press, 2013.
- Turning Chutes Into Ladders for Women Faculty: A Review and Roadmap for Equity in Academia. (Paper) Cardel, M. I., Dhurandhar, E., Yarar-Fisher C., et al. Published online ahead of print, 2020 Feb. 11. Journal of Women’s Health. 2020;10.1089/jwh.2019.8027. doi:10.1089/jwh.2019.8027.
- Women of color in STEM face greater risks of gender, racial harassment at work. (Article) Greene, Sydney C. USA Today, 14 July 2017.
- Women of Color Research Network Discusses: “The Leaky Pipeline” (YouTube video).
Tools
As you think about your career trajectory and how to grow professionally, below are links that represent a few examples of tools that are available to help with time management, self-assessment, project management, and more. An online web search for the topic you are interested in can give you more information.
- edX: “Supporting learners at every stage, whether entering the job market, changing fields, seeking a promotion or exploring new interests, edX delivers free courses for curious minds on topics ranging from data and computer science to leadership and communications.”
- Harvard University’s Implicit Association Test (IAT): “Measures attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report. The IAT may be especially interesting if it shows that you have an implicit attitude that you did not know about.”
- How to make a Gantt chart in Excel: “This ... step-by-step tutorial will show you how to make professional Gantt charts using Excel and PowerPoint.”
- myIDP: Comprehensive self-assessment tool from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
- NIH Individual Development Plan (IDP) Consulting and Workshops: NIH offers IDP consulting to NIH employees to help them support, plan, and track their career development and learning opportunities. “An experienced consultant, versed in mentoring and coaching Management Interns and Presidential Management Fellows, will work with you from a holistic perspective.” Only open to NIH employees.
- Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Women in Science Mentoring Program: “Cohorts of female scientists, consisting of one senior faculty member as the mentor, and 2-4 junior faculty with complementary research focus from the same university, (are invited) to apply for this mentorship program.”
- SpiderScribe: “Online mind mapping and brainstorming tool (that) lets you organize your ideas by connecting notes, files, and calendar events, etc. in free-form maps.”
Networking Opportunities
There are a variety of professional societies and organizations that work to champion the advancement of women across all scientific disciplines. Below are a few that have networks designed to support women in many aspects, including professional/career development and leadership growth. The information presented below is not meant to be all-inclusive and may not include information specific to your discipline.
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What They Are About |
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“AAUW has a long history of opening doors for women and girls in STEM, from the classroom to Capitol Hill.” |
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The American Medical Association’s Women Physicians Section (WPS) |
“The purpose of the WPS is to increase the number and influence of women physicians in leadership roles.” |
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“AMWA is the oldest multispecialty organization dedicated to advancing women in medicine and improving women’s health.” |
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The American Society for Cell Biology’s Women in Cell Biology (WICB) Committee |
The WICB Committee “sponsors career development programs, career achievement awards, childcare grants for meeting attendance, career advice columns, and web-based resources.” |
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The Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) |
“GWIMS advances the full and successful participation and inclusion of women within academic medicine by addressing gender equity, recruitment and retention, awards and recognition, and career advancement.” |
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AWC “champions the advancement of women across all communications disciplines by recognizing excellence, promoting leadership and positioning its members at the forefront of the evolving communications era.” |
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“AWM has played a critical role in increasing the presence and visibility of women in the mathematical sciences.” |
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“AWIS is a global network that inspires bold leadership, research, and solutions that advance women in STEM, spark innovation, promote organizational success, and drive systemic change.” |
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“AWS is committed to supporting women surgeons at various stages in their career—from medical school through retirement.” |
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“Athena is a women’s advocacy organization that fast tracks women in STEM through leadership development. By transforming scientists and technologists into corporate leaders, the goal is to widen the bridge and empower 1 million women in STEM, by 2030.” |
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“Connect to an exclusive online community of dynamic, intelligent and accomplished women from varying backgrounds and fields to enhance your business, career and personal success.” |
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“The Scientista Foundation is a national organization that empowers pre-professional women in STEM through content, communities, and conferences.” |
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WIB focuses its “activities on education, mentoring and networking, and on creating opportunities for leadership that can help advance careers.” |
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“WEPAN connects people, research and practice. It offers power initiatives, projects and professional development that equips advocates with the tools to create sustainable, systems-level changes that allow ALL in engineering to thrive.” |
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Boston-based WEST provides its members and its “broader community with a comprehensive portfolio of workshops and panels that include advice regarding career advancement, alternate career options, leadership skill building, and exposure to entrepreneurship.” |
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“WDN connects and mobilizes women of different backgrounds to create positive change through collective work and a unified sisterhood.” |
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LinkedIn Groups |
What They Are About |
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“Connect: Professional Women’s Network is an online community where members discuss issues relevant to their careers. Check out our video series and expert advice: http://www.slideshare.net/Women_Connect.” |
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“The Women of Color Research Network is an online community seeking to address issues faced by women and minorities in scientific careers. Our online community offers links to current events, resources and valuable connections. This network stems from the National Institutes of Health Women in Biomedical Careers Working Group and the Committee on Women of Color in Biomedical Careers.” |
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“Meet with other Women in Science, Engineering, Technology or the Built Environment. For women looking for work, returning to work after a career break or wanting to progress in their career.” |