Dr. Uraina Clark receives Women in Science award

suffrage science heirloom 2

Dr. Uraina Clark was one of 11 women honored with a Suffrage Science award from the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre in the United Kingdom. The awards were presented at a ceremony held on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2016 at the Royal Society in London.

The Suffrage Science initiative was founded in 2011 by the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre (now the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, LMS). The initiative celebrates the achievements of leading female researchers in the fields of science and engineering. The awards themselves are hand-crafted pieces of heirloom jewelry that were commissioned specifically for the initiative. Each has a unique and distinguished provenance. In 2011, the awards were given to 11 prominent women in the life sciences. Every two years, the award is handed from the current owner to a new honoree in recognition of the honoree’s achievements.

Dr. Helen Fisher was one of the 11 women selected to receive a Suffrage Science award in 2011. In 2012, she presented the award to Dr. Bianca Acevedo, who presented it to Dr. Xiaomeng (Mona) Xu in 2014, who presented it to Dr. Clark in 2016.

“One of the most intriguing aspects of the Suffrage Science initiative is its mission to encourage emerging female scientists to carry on the legacy of those who came before us. I’m quite honored to be receiving this award,” Dr. Clark said. “When you look at the data, women still face a number of biases in science and significant gender gaps persist. This suggests that we need to be more proactive about supporting the accomplishments of female scientists. The Suffrage Science initiative is exceptional for simultaneously highlighting and addressing this need.”

During the awards ceremony Dr. Xu remarked, “In addition to conducting important and high-quality research, Dr. Clark has an amazing ability to understand and articulate both the myriads of details that go into research as well as the bigger picture, with a clear vision of how data ties to real world applications and how fields will progress. … Dr. Clark embodies everything the Suffrage Science program stands for and is the epitome of an excellent scientist.”

Dr. Clark’s NIH-funded research program focuses on elucidating psychosocial contributions to neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric illnesses in adults.

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Learn more about the Suffrage Science initiative

  • Watch a short video about the Suffrage Science initiative.
  • Read the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre’s 2011 companion brochure, Suffrage Science, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day with a celebration of the scientific achievements made by women.
  • Read the press announcement announcing the 2016 award winners

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