About WoCRn

Welcome to the WOMEN OF COLOR RESEARCH NETWORK (WoCRn).  This web site is the result of efforts of the NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers to provide an instrument of outreach to women of color to assist them in navigating the NIH grants process and to receive advice on their career development. While anyone with an interest in this network is welcomed to utilize this effort, the Working Group has realized that there are some unique challenges to entering and advancing in biomedical careers for women of color. These particular concerns have been well documented and described beginning with the 1975 historic paper of Shirley Malcom, et al. (Malcom, S. M., Hall, P. Q., & Brown, J. W. (1975). The double bind: The price of being a minority woman in science. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science). The NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers has made addressing these challenges one of our priorities, and has developed this website under the leadership of Dr. J Taylor Harden and Dr. Cerise Elliott for use by women and men of color, as well as others who are committed to increasing the diversity of the biomedical workforce, and to provide a mechanism to allow you to connect with and learn from each other. The importance of networking, mentoring, and having good counsel for careers as scientists cannot be overstated, but is especially important for women of color and other minorities. It is my hope that the WoCRn will help scientists, clinicians, teachers, students, and others in the broad academic, research and scientific communities find resources and support that can assist them in being successful in their careers. I encourage you to explore all that the WoCRn can offer, from news and announcements to discussion groups and other networking tools, and we hope that you will find this a valuable resource for your research careers.