The Committee on Advancement of Women Scientists at Gladstone was established by the President and Directors of the Institutes to review attitudes and practices toward female scientists and to develop ways to promote women at Gladstone.

Composed primarily of scientists, the Committee has already examined many aspects of women in science in general and at Gladstone in particular. They have analyzed the statistics on women in scientific positions at Gladstone and the recruitment process for principal investigators. They have also established networks with other groups of women scientists. The Committee held a meeting with all women scientists at Gladstone to provide the opportunity to discuss specific women’s issues and to propose solutions where needed. Their report will be presented to the President and Directors in December 1999.

In addition to its studies and planning, the Committee has established a program that will honor the accomplishments and contributions of women scientists. The Committee recently sponsored two prominent scientists who gave presentations to women scientists at Gladstone. On August 26, Dr. Zena Werb, Professor and Vice Chair of Anatomy at UCSF, presented the first lecture in the Women in Science Lecture Series. Her talk was entitled “How to Get a Job: Successful Searches for Postdoctoral Fellows.” On October 7, 1999, Dr. Joan Steitz, Senior Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale, gave the annual Gladstone Distinguished Lecture in Molecular Genetics. During her visit, the Committee coordinated a meeting with the women scientists at which Dr. Steitz discussed her experiences as a successful woman scientist.