More on one Scientific Society’s Response to the Scarpa Solicitation

I previously noted an interesting response of one of my scientific Societies to CSR Director Scarpa’s request for them to identify/recommend some senior scientists to empanel on study section. I was quite pleased with the approach the President had taken, I had expected a more straight-up response as requested (as another of my Societies chose to do). This particular society has now gone one additional step forward and created a “Peer Review Task Force”. Their mission?

[to] be the conduit of ideas and processes between [Society] members and various NIH committees and [favorite IC] in regards to the Grant Peer Review Process.

Sounds good. Very forward-looking of them although it does not take any genius to see where the winds are blowing and conclude that whatever your agenda within NIH, you’d better start making your opinions known. So good on them for putting a task force on this important issue.

So who did they sign up for this task force? Hmm. Okay, six senior figures in this area of research, only one of which is a woman [the board is >50% women, btw]. Unsurprisingly, the reset are a bunch of 5 old white guys. Sigh. Not as enlightened as I had hoped.

Same old problems with representation of women and minorities and the younger scientists. Sadly, I was a tool and failed to email this Society President directly when the issue first arose. I shall be doing so this time. I encourage you to get your two bits in whenever similar stuff comes across the society email lists to which you belong.