As I prepare to leave my post as leader of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, my thoughts are turning more than ever toward the next generation of scientists.
They will shape our future in a field that is being transformed daily by new discoveries and new technologies. They will work the laboratory benches, crunch the data and envision bold new ways to look at hard challenges. And they will bring with them the strengths and fresh perspectives that diversity adds to the global enterprise.
We must empower this next, diverse generation of thinkers and leaders.
Programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion are crucial to our shared mission. They not only broaden opportunities for young scientists, they improve the quality of the science. Remember that ours is a team-science world, and when it comes to group problem-solving, studies show that diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones. A Forbes Insights survey of global executives concluded that diversity “is a key driver of innovation and is a critical component of being successful.”
So, embracing diversity is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.
Investing in training and STEM education
With that in mind, Fred Hutch is investing more than $2 million a year in a pipeline of programs to mentor young faculty and encourage trainees from underrepresented backgrounds, from high school through college and grad school to postdoctoral fellowships.
One of our most exciting efforts is also among our oldest: In 1991, our forward-looking leaders began pairing Hutch researchers with high school science teachers in Washington state. I believe supporting our teachers is one of the best ways to bring STEM to more young people. More than 545 teachers have participated in our Science Education Partnership, and each summer we train 20 to 25 more. They return to their classrooms inspired and bring back with them cutting-edge curricula and access, year after year, to lab kits for their students to carry out experiments. Those kits now reach 15,000 students annually.
Youngsters who overcome hardships know a great deal about change, and that trait can be an enormous asset in their future workplaces. As Caroline King, founder and former chief executive officer of Washington STEM told me, 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 do not even exist today. This underscores how fast change is coming. Those who do well will be those who adapt.
When I look to the future, I think of Roberto Ramirez. He is the son of Mexican immigrants who moved to the United States to work in the onion fields in central Washington. He joined the Hutch’s Summer High School Internship Program and lived with his uncle in Seattle during that first summer.
Out of 400 applicants to this program each year, only 30 are chosen. These students are incredibly smart and motivated. Seventy percent are underrepresented minorities. They meet our scientists and they learn about laboratory techniques, big data and clinical trials. For many, it is the first time they have been exposed to programs with the kind of resources available to students in more affluent communities.
After his first year, Roberto was selected by his peers as the person who changed the most during the training. Now he is an undergraduate at the University of Washington with a bright future ahead of him.
Role models and mentors to cultivate diversity
To keep interested young people engaged and supported, we need to make sure they have role models who reflect the diversity we want in our scientific community. It starts with leadership. Women and men are equally capable of doing lifesaving, world-changing science and should be equally represented. But with women comprising only 38% of faculty across the U.S., we are missing 12% of the most talented humans who should be working with us to end cancer and related diseases.
So, I committed to rectifying that imbalance during my tenure at Fred Hutch. Today, women lead four of our five scientific divisions and hold 12 of our 25 endowed faculty chairs. These scientists, who happen to be women, are rock stars. They are also role models and mentors.
In science, especially, the tradition of mentorship is about recognizing that my own 10 fingers are not enough. I need to cultivate the next generation, who have their sets of 10 fingers, who cultivate the next generation with their sets of 10. That’s how we build science.
Accountability and action for the future
Two years ago, I was proud to become the first U.S. cancer center leader to sign the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge. It is a commitment to “make our workplaces trusting places to have complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about diversity and inclusion.” To date, more than 800 CEOs and company presidents have signed this pledge, as have more than 50 leaders from academia.
Implementing this pledge calls not just for conversation but action. Those actions extend throughout our organizations beyond training and mentorship. They should touch everything from inclusive recruitment practices and equitable compensation and benefits programs to community outreach, opportunities to learn about each other’s experiences and our own biases, and much more.
Each of us has a responsibility to create an inclusive and supportive research environment. It’s how we’ll get the best out of ourselves. It’s how we can ensure new generations of scientific pioneers will find new generations of cures, prevention strategies and awe-inspiring innovations.
Each of us has a responsibility to create an inclusive and supportive research environment. It’s how we’ll get the best out of ourselves.
The individuals in this next generation have already begun their remarkable journeys. I’ll leave you with just one of the many examples that has inspired me:
In 2012, high school student Juleh Eide enrolled in the Hutch’s Summer High School Internship Program and subsequently graduated from Stanford University. Because she is hearing-impaired, she did research at Stanford on regeneration of inner-ear hair cells. Today she is a second-year medical student at UW, where she is helping to test a surgical mask that is clear, so others like her can read the lips of their patients or other doctors. It’s an idea that might help communication in the operating room for everyone, not just those who are hard of hearing. This diverse world is already a better place because of her.
