Authored by Kellyn Moody, AGIE Program Coordinator, Institute for Women’s Health

The VCU Institute for Women’s Health (IWH) and Wright Regional Center for Clinical and Translational Science (Wright Center) have partnered to build a National Coordinating Center for Advancing Gender Inclusive Excellence (AGIE).  VCU is the sole recipient of a five-year, $3.8 million NIH grant that aims to enhance gender equity initiatives in the science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEMM) workforce. The VCU National Coordinating Center for Advancing Gender Inclusive Excellence (AGIE) will develop and support a national repository of resources and strategies to overcome systemic gender-based inequities impacting the biomedical sciences academic and research workforce. This initiative is a cooperative agreement with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is funded by the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) and the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

The grant brings together experts from the VCU School of Medicine, College of Engineering, School of Education, and Wright Regional Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Susan Kornstein, M.D., executive director of the IWH, Barbara Boyan, Ph.D., director of the VCU Institute for Engineering and Medicine and Mangala Subramaniam, Ph.D., senior vice provost for faculty affairs, will lead the initiative as co-principal investigators. 

Under its multidisciplinary leadership, the AGIE team will collect and evaluate data on gender inclusivity and equity strategies that academic institutions across the U.S. have established. The goal is to compile and build a central, accessible repository that makes it easy for schools and organizations to assess their own performance in advancing women in STEMM and then find tailored, targeted programs that they can implement. 

In collaboration with the NIH, the VCU AGIE team will also award and monitor up to 15 $50k pilot grants to research institutions for the development of innovative strategies to address gender inequities in the STEMM academic or research workforce. 

The Wright Center is a key partner in the project, featuring three expert contributors as co-investigators. Pam Dillon, Pharm.D., Wright Center Research Liaison, will serve as Director of the Pilot and Feasibility Program for AGIE. Amy Olex, Ph.D., Wright Center Senior Scientist, will serve as Assistant Director of Informatics for AGIE, contributing to the creation of the repository. Deborah DiazGranados, Ph.D., Wright Center Director of Evaluation and Team Science and Co-Director of the Workforce Development module, will serve as Director of Evaluation for AGIE.

Kornstein described institutional change related to diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education as “complex, contested and slow-moving.” Even when organizations want to implement changes, she said, they often face structural barriers. 

“What’s missing is the development of a central hub to support and advance gender equity programs through collecting, validating, evaluating and disseminating strategies and outcomes,” Kornstein said. “And that’s what this grant will make possible.”  

DiazGranados conveyed the purpose of the repository. “Our team aims to build a dynamic, evidence-based repository to empower organizations tackling gender inequity in the scientific workforce. Recognizing the unique challenges and facilitators each context presents, this resource will offer insights and serve as a collaborative space where users can use it to gather information but also for sharing successes and opportunities for growth in creating effective interventions,” DiazGranados said.

Dillon noted the benefits of a diverse research workforce. “We know having women in STEMM fields enhances research discoveries and improves health outcomes in both women and men. The AGIE project reflects the commitment of the Wright Center, the Institute for Women’s Health, and the University to support a diverse biomedical sciences workforce benefitting public health,” Dillon said.

Arturo Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine, commended the team for its multi-pronged approach and leadership on a national scale.  “This is what multidisciplinary research is all about — addressing the nation’s most complicated problems at the intersection of science, technology and the humanities,” Saavedra said. “The AGIE team’s efforts will transcend the boundaries of our own university, support peer institutions across the U.S. and devise solutions for the equitable advancement of women in underrepresented fields where their talent will advance our knowledge and societal progress.” 

Categories Diversity, Facilities, Funding, Health Equity

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