Women have been pivotal to many a technological innovation, scientific breakthrough, and cultural accomplishment throughout history, but we haven’t always been acknowledged for our contributions. Thanks to widespread cultural awareness and the celebration of women through the entire month of March, we are making strides toward not only recognizing past contributions but enabling the current work of women in diverse fields.
In honor of the 2026 Women’s History Month, the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences is highlighting female faculty from our school. We connected with Katrin Karbstein, Vivian Gama, Katie Coate, Lourdes Estrada, and Erin Calipari and asked them to reflect on their journeys and the changes they have experienced in how biomedical research and academia treat their women.
Who has mentored you throughout your career and how did they shape your path in science? What advice or example from them has stayed with you?
Lourdes Estrada: During graduate school, the mentor who most shaped my growth was Dr. William Pratt, a member of my thesis committee. When my thesis project wasn’t going well, he not only helped me identify concrete steps to move forward but encouraged me to advocate for myself—advice that stayed with me so deeply that, outside of my family, I dedicated my thesis to him.
After my postdoc, when I arrived at Vanderbilt, Dr. Vito Quaranta became my most influential mentor. He gave me the opportunity to help lead a new scientific field while also supporting my passion for mentoring and education; he trusted my creativity, gave me room to build, and encouraged me to take on national leadership roles.
Katrin Karbstein: No one really. I think this might be a real problem that women have. Or at least older women. I think this is getting much better, however.
Vivian Gama: My scientific journey began in Colombia, where Dr. Sara Robledo gave me my first real taste of research. She was one of the most passionate and kind scientists I have ever met, and she showed me that rigorous science could be done anywhere. During my postdoc at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with Dr. Mohanish Deshmukh, everything came together. Mohanish has an extraordinary ability to ask simple questions about complex biology. He taught me that the best science often lives at the intersection of what everyone else takes for granted, and his humble approach to both science and mentoring still guides many of my decisions today. What stayed with me most from both mentors is that they trusted me with hard problems and always offered criticism meant to build me as a scientist, while never losing sight of me as an individual.
Erin Calipari: Everyone. One of the most defining parts of my career has been how much help I’ve gotten from those around me. I have people who have mentored me in a formal capacity (like my graduate and postdoctoral advisor), then I have people around Vanderbilt that are mentors just because they are good people and are always around to let me buy them coffee and solve problems for me. Then I have people who have advocated for me behind closed doors (sometimes when I didn’t even know it was happening). I even get mentoring from the junior faculty and students here. I think the big thing is to be willing and able to accept help from anyone and everyone. I think the most important thing in science is having the right people around you. The trick is you are looking for people who genuinely care about you and not just people who are accomplished.
How do you actively support other women in your field?
Karbstein: This is something that I actively decided to do at a point in my career when I was facing many challenges that were robbing me of the fun in our work. I support other women in many ways, such as inviting them to seminars and conferences or provide peer-reviews on papers. I visit young women at their posters during conferences, talk about being a mom and a scientist, and do my best to provide opportunities for them in my lab, particularly at the high school and undergrad level. I also mentor where I can through different institutions and scientific societies.
Estrada: I try to support other women in the same way my mentors supported me. I currently serve on mentoring committees for several incredibly talented, early-career basic science educators, and I genuinely value that role.
As a woman in science and medicine, I make time for honest conversations about navigating academic careers while balancing the many other roles we hold. One area I’m particularly committed to is helping women learn how to negotiate for themselves—an essential skill for long-term success and something I wish I had learned much earlier. I also aim to act as a sponsor by connecting people to opportunities that can open doors. Because careers are built through relationships, I try to share my professional capital whenever I can, as one of my mentors, Dr. Neil Osheroff, has done for me.
Calipari: Supporting women and other marginalized people has been something that has been incredibly important to me. As someone who isn’t afraid to speak my mind, I do spend a lot of energy advocating for people who are less comfortable doing that themselves. Now that I am in leadership roles in international societies and at Vanderbilt, I work very hard to make sure that invitations and opportunities are equitable. People don’t need a leg up; they often just need to be given the opportunity.
I also try to create an environment where people feel supported day to day. That can be as simple as checking in, making sure voices are heard, or encouraging someone to go for something they might not think they’re ready for yet. Pushing people to take risks and put themselves up for opportunities is probably one of the biggest things I do in my lab and it is one way to help people get the recognition they deserve for their work (while also building confidence!).
What has changed for women in science since you began your career, and what still needs to change?
Gama: There is more awareness today that attrition isn’t always about individual deficits; often, it’s about structural barriers. Funding agencies like the National Institutes of Health have invested in programs that explicitly support early-career investigators, and those have made a real difference for junior scientists. But women, and more broadly anyone from underserved and underrepresented groups, continue to face a compounded set of challenges: negotiating startup packages, navigating the tenure clock around family, and facing higher scrutiny of their work and credentials. What needs to continue to change is the infrastructure: paid parental leave that doesn’t penalize career trajectory, mentorship that is resourced and rewarded, and a culture in science that values the whole person.
Calipari: A lot has changed, especially in how we think about the structure of academia. There’s more awareness now that if we want people to succeed, we need to make it possible for them to actually participate. Things like childcare support at conferences, or even just being thoughtful about when meetings are scheduled, can make a huge difference for people balancing responsibilities outside of work, especially once they become standard, not something extra. And just as importantly, continuing to build cultures where people feel like they belong—not just that they’re being accommodated.
Karbstein: I think the biggest thing that has changed is awareness. People are now more likely to help each other, and more senior women are supporting more junior women.
Estrada: Since completing my Ph.D. in 1997, I’ve seen meaningful increases in the number of women entering science, including in traditionally male-dominated fields. I’ve also seen more women in senior leadership roles (deans, department chairs, and provosts), though there is still significant work to do, especially because the data continue to show that women’s career advancement lags men’s. I’ve also experienced more open and direct discussion of the barriers women face in science, particularly following the 2018 National Academy of Medicine report that highlighted persistent gender bias, sexual harassment, burnout, and discrimination. Looking ahead, I hope we also continue to improve the representation of people with different lived experiences in science, because innovation is stronger when we bring our different lenses to the most pressing questions.
Katie Coate: Today, more than half of Research Career Development Award recipients and Ruth L. Kirschstein-National Research Service Award trainees and fellows are women, which is remarkable. Yet despite this near gender parity in training, women remain underrepresented in biomedical faculty and academic leadership positions. Many women leave scientific research at critical transition points, especially the move from postdoctoral training to an independent research program; as a result, only about one-third of R01-equivalent awardees are women. We’ve built a strong pipeline, but we’re still losing too many talented scientists along the way. What needs to change is the infrastructure surrounding those transition points. We need to support and develop programs that recruit, retain, and advance women at all stages of their research careers, from early training through mid-career into leadership roles. We also need to promote policies, mentoring networks, collaborations, and opportunities that strengthen the careers of women scientists across academia, industry, and government. The data show we can train women in equal numbers; now we must ensure they have the support to stay, thrive, and lead!
Have you ever encountered the pressure to “pull the ladder up” after yourself—or have you witnessed someone pulling up the ladder instead of reaching a hand to you?
Coate: Thankfully, I have experienced far more ladder-extending than ladder-pulling moments in my career. My mentors have consistently made room for me, and that generosity is something I try to pay forward every day. I think the temptation to pull the ladder up often stems from a mindset of scarcity, the belief that there are only so many seats at the table. In contrast, I try to cultivate a growth mindset in my lab and collaborations. We are all still learning, and one person’s success does not diminish anyone else’s. “Iron sharpens iron” is how I think about it. We make each other better by sharing ideas, offering honest feedback, and celebrating one another’s achievements. The most impactful scientists I know are the ones who build bigger tables, not higher ladders, creating a culture where building each other up is the norm, not the exception.
Estrada: I haven’t experienced this pressure directly in my own career, but I have seen it happen. It’s unfortunate because it isn’t a competition—we thrive together, and ultimately, what we should want is for science to advance in ways that improve the health and lives of humankind.
Calipari: I’ve definitely seen that mindset, and I’ve had moments where it was directed at me, but I’ve never really believed in that approach (and I’m resilient, so it hasn’t worked on me).
For me, success has never been about limiting other people’s opportunities. Whether people around me do well or not doesn’t take anything away from my accomplishments. If anything, if people around me are doing well, it makes me better. Ladder-pulling drives some people, but I’ve always been comfortable doing things a little differently and carving my own path, and I’d much rather be the person building more ladders.
What would you tell young women wanting to become scientists today about building a fulfilling career while staying true to their values around supporting other women?
Calipari: You don’t have to change who you are to be successful. From time to time, when you are trying to break down structural barriers, it may feel like a fight, but sometimes that’s ok. You don’t have to change everything all at once, you just have to commit to getting better and trying to make a difference in someone’s life every day.
The way I see it, you’re not just building your career, you’re helping shape the environment for the people coming up behind you. Those little things that you change, or the support you give to others, can make a big difference for the next generation.
Karbstein: Supporting other women does not mean having your career take a back seat, and it’s in fact part of a fulfilling career. You could consider it a form of networking … in a very fun way!
Estrada: Remember that it’s not a competition—science and discovery move forward when we work together and celebrate one another’s achievements. Stay focused on what matters most to you but learn to adapt as research funding shifts and as the health needs of our communities evolve. It’s easy to fixate on obstacles; it’s harder but far more productive to train yourself to see opportunities and to commit to pursuing those. Remember the people who invested in you through mentorship and make it a non-negotiable priority to give back to the next generation. Finally, don’t let “it’s hard” push you away from an incredibly noble career; instead, keep learning about persistence, navigating difficult seasons, working efficiently, and sustaining self-motivation so you can make the career they want a reality.
Coate: These two goals are not mutually exclusive; they are deeply intertwined. The most fulfilling scientific career I can imagine is one surrounded by women who share common dreams and aspirations, women striving to be the best scientists, mentors, leaders, and family members they can be. We do not need to undermine one another to move forward. There is strength in numbers when we encourage and build each other up, speak highly of one another, and actively promote each other’s work. Supporting one another through major personal and professional milestones is not a distraction from a successful career; it is an essential part of what a successful career looks like.
Gama: There are three things I would like to say to young women (and really to any young scientist):
- Find a scientific question that excites you and motivates you to keep going, especially in the difficult moments, and don’t be afraid to seek perspectives outside your own field. Some of the most unexpected solutions come from collaborating with scientists whose training looks nothing like yours. The most fulfilling parts of my scientific career have grown out of collaborations with trainees on my team, as well as collaborations I never could have anticipated, with families of individuals affected by the rare diseases we study and with colleagues at Vanderbilt and beyond.
- Don’t wait until you have a lab to mentor someone, and when you get the gift of mentoring someone, go all in. Elevate your mentees as scientists and as individuals; help them see their own potential before they can see it themselves, celebrate their wins loudly, and offer honest feedback with the care it deserves. Be vulnerable with them, too. Share the challenges you have faced, the moments of doubt, the doors that didn’t open easily. Knowing that struggle is part of the path can be profoundly liberating. Teach them to navigate the academic environment, not just the science: how decisions get made, how to advocate for themselves, and how to find their voice in spaces that weren’t always designed with them in mind. Mentoring done well is one of the most powerful things we can do in this profession, and the investment you make in one person ripples outward in ways you will never fully see.
- Seek out advocates, scientists of every background and gender who genuinely understand that diverse teams do better science and who will carry that value forward in their own careers. When you get into rooms where decisions are made, remember whose names aren’t being said and say them. The scientific questions are hard enough; the culture can be made less hard by the choices we make every day about how we treat the people around us.
Who are our featured faculty members?
Erin Calipari is an associate professor of pharmacology. Her lab uses cutting edge techniques to outline the neural circuit dysfunction that underlies neuropsychiatric disease.
Katie Coate is an assistant professor of molecular physiology and biophysics. Her lab investigates how adult pancreatic islet β- and α-cells preserve their specialized identities and hormone secretion—and why these defenses collapse in diabetes.
Katrin Karbstein is the vice chair and a professor of biochemistry. The Karbstein lab uses a combination of approaches to study how ribosomes are assembled, what quality control mechanisms are in place to ensure only correctly and fully matured ribosomes are released into the translating pool, and how bypass of these steps leads to disease.
Lourdes Estrada is the assistant dean for community health education in the School of Medicine and the associate director for academic programs and operations of the Medical Scientist Training Program.
Vivian Gama is the associate dean for mentoring in the SOMBS and a professor of cell and developmental biology. Her lab focuses on the mechanisms by which mitochondrial and peroxisomal morphology, dynamics, and function impact cell transitions during neurogenesis and gliogenesis (the formation of neurons and glial cells, respectively).