In an effort to promote parity between women and men at the graduate level in the biomedical sciences and in medical schools, the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) is asking for input and comments on a proposed prize competition that aims to recognize institutions that have demonstrated commitment to systemically addressing faculty diversity and equity issues within the biomedical and behavioral science departments. The goal of this competition is to acknowledge transformative structures, systems, projects and processes that have enhanced faculty gender equity and diversity within an institution. Some of the approaches to enhancing diversity in academia may include eliminating or reducing barriers to career advancement, employing mentoring structures, adopting work-life integration and career flexibility programs, enhancing pathways to leadership, recruitment, or others.

 RFI seeks broad input from stakeholders throughout the scientific research community and the general public regarding the following topics:

Structure of the prize competition

• Ways to recognize institutions for reducing and or eliminating institutional barriers to faculty gender equity and diversity
• If this prize is judged on retrospective achievements in meeting gender diversity and equity goals, suggestions on when past interventions had to occur
  • Examples include (not all inclusive) 5 years ago, 8 years ago , 10 years ago, other, etc.
• Whether the prize should be aimed at the institutional level or departmental level
• Other suggestions for how a competition could be structured to best facilitate fair and open competition and to best allow for entrants to be successful

Content

• Types of media outlets that would be helpful to share information about the prize competition
  • Examples of media include (not all inclusive) webinars, website, twitter chat, and reddit post, etc.
• Range of metrics that would be appropriate for different sizes and types of institutions or discipline/science focus

Judging criteria

• Suggestions on criteria that judges might use to identify a winner
• Ways to measure the impact of increased faculty gender equity and diversity on the department, institution, research, etc.

Timing

• Time needed to develop a prize submission and for judges to identify a winner

Dissemination of winning submissions

• Ways to best disseminate approaches that have increased faculty diversity

Reasons and Potential Barriers in Applying

• Major factors or other reasons that may influence an institution’s decision to compete in the prize competition described in this information request.
• Major barriers that may impede applying for the prize competition. Comments may reflect considerations about what potential solutions, if any, may be available to overcome such barriers.

Responses to this request must be submitted electronically to ORWHprize@od.nih.gov no later than 11:59PM (ET) on October 31, 2019.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Teraya Donaldson, Ph.D.
Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)
Telephone: 301-402-0361
Email: ORWHprize@od.nih.gov