A woman with extensive credentials in science and medicine returned to the UNC Charlotte campus for two days recently to support the university's efforts to recruit and promote women on its science and math faculty.
Gail Cassell, Ph.D., a research scientist at Indiana-based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and a board member of the university's Charlotte Research Institute, talked to students, faculty and staff about the critical role of mentoring to help women achieve success in scientific careers.
She also warned that the United States Food and Drug Administration suffers from serious scientific deficiencies and said the agency is not positioned to meet current or emerging regulatory responsibilities
Cassell, vice president for scientific affairs and a Distinguished Lilly Research Scholar for Infectious Diseases, was invited back to the Charlotte campus for two days of talks after successfully lecturing on infectious disease issues there two years ago.
She spoke as part of the university's program funded by the National Science Foundation called ADVANCE, established to create an institutional environment that supports the recruitment and career progression of women faculty with an emphasis on those in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) departments to fulfill the institution's mission. The series was entitled, "Towards a More Diverse Academy: Women Taking the Lead."
Cassell has served as an advisor on infectious diseases and indirect costs of research to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and has been an invited participant in numerous Congressional hearings and briefings related to infectious diseases, anti-microbial resistance, and biomedical research.