Since 1993, over 100 women have received a Claflin Distinguished Scholar Award, many of whom have gone on to become leaders at the hospital and in their fields. Although women enter into the fields of science and medicine in approximately the same numbers as men, they are much less represented at the leadership level.
One reason for this disparity is the challenges of managing the dual demands of work and home while raising a family.
To provide extra support during this challenging time, the Women in Academic Medicine Committee at Mass General Hospital established the Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards in 1993.
The awards were named after the late Jane Claflin, a longtime volunteer at the hospital and the chair of the Women’s committee at the time.
Each recipient is provided with $50K per year for two years that they can use to help sustain their clinical and research careers.
Earlier this month, Mass General announced eight new Claflin Distinguished Scholars:
- Kate Bentley, PhD | Psychiatry
- Rachel Buckley, PhD | Neurology
- Lauren Fiechtner, MD, MPH | General Academic Pediatrics
- Lindsay Fourman, MD | Medicine/Metabolism Unit
- Wenjie Ma, MBBS, ScD | Medicine/Epidemiology
- Alicia Martin, PhD | Medicine/Genetics
- Shibani Mukerji, MD, PhD | Neurology
- Giselle Perez, PhD | Psychiatry
I am thrilled to receive the Claflin award, which has already been instrumental to my continued productivity as a clinical researcher. This additional funding comes at a pivotal time in my career, during which I am striving to balance both a transition to being an independent investigator and being a mom. It is also an honor to be a part of the broader Claflin community and follow the past extremely impressive recipients.
As a Latina and first generation academic, I feel honored and privileged to be a part of such an esteemed group of women in science. The Claflin Award means many things to me, and it comes at a critical time in my career. It affords me the opportunity to focus my efforts on designing systems that support our most vulnerable patients.
