Giving Compass' Take:

• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is on a mission to enroll more women as cancer researchers and work hard to fund women in science to get them into leadership roles. 

• How can philanthropists partner with LLS to help with funding? What other industries need more pipelines for women to obtain leadership positions? 

• Read about these seven influential women in science who will inspire you. 

In the 1980s when I was a medical resident at the University of Chicago, I was among the largest class of females the program ever had. My female peers and I faced many challenges, including overcrowded on-call rooms. They simple weren’t ready yet. But, we were.

Thirty years later, it’s quite different. Today, women make up 50 percent of medical school applicants.  But, the paradox is this: while women are pursuing science, they are not attaining the highest levels of leadership at the same pace as men.

As part of our efforts at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to encourage more females to join the ranks of cancer researchers and physicians, we commissioned a survey of 1,000 Americans to learn their views of women’s role in cancer research.

The consensus was clear: we need to elevate women in the sciences.

At LLS, we fund leading women scientists who are assuming pivotal roles in advances that are dramatically improving outcomes for patients with blood cancers. These women have shared firsthand perspectives on the challenges they have faced as women in science.

We at LLS aspire to put women scientists on a level playing field with their male counterparts. Through our range of research grant programs, including Career Development Awards for researchers at different stages of their careers, we help diversify medical research and support scientists to accelerate discoveries from the lab to clinical trials.

Read the full article about women in science by Gwen Nichols at Scientific American Blog Network