International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Welcome to the February issue of PME. This month, we focus on women. February celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and I interviewed Emma Banks to find out more about her career path. We also look at women in medical research, with Danny Buckland interviewing Kate Womersley, Research Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health and Imperial College, London and Alice Witt, a Research and Policy Fellow also at The George Institute.
In his interview on page 30, Danny Buckland talks to Kate and Alice about the landmark MESSAGE (Medical Science Sex And Gender Equality) project – a joint initiative between The George Institute for Global Health and Imperial College, London. As Danny says: “The UK’s annual medical research funding pot has grown to £5bn, giving it transformative power, but how it spends that money has just been tempered by a revolutionary equality and diversity commitment.
Major funders, who operate across a dynamic sector, are now pledging to ensure that sex and gender is integrated into their research programmes. Remarkably, UK research funders – representing more than 150 charities and organisations – had no policy in place until the MESSAGE project highlighted the failing and starting working on a programme for change.”
In our interview with Emma Banks, she talks about what led her to her current role, some of the obstacles she encountered as she progressed in different roles and how important it is that senior leaders in pharma continue to work to support and inspire the next generation of women in pharma. Read more on page 26.
Looking ahead, our March issue will focus on improving healthcare systems’ sustainability and resilience for future pandemics. If you would like to make your voice heard on this topic, please get in touch at sales@pmlive.com
