Congrats to Dr. Marie Bernard, Now Leading Scientific Workforce Diversity at NIH

By CEO James Appleby, BSPharm, MPH

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — the largest biomedical research agency in the world — has a new chief officer for scientific workforce diversity, and it’s a member of the GSA community: Marie Bernard, MD, FGSA, FAGHE!

This leadership appointment is well-deserved for someone as experienced and credentialled as Dr. Bernard, who for the last 13 years has served as deputy director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA). If you haven’t done so, read our recent interview with her in the July issue of Gerontology News. You’ll learn why she was the ideal candidate for this position, which reports directly to NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD.

She is well-known to many GSA members, and not just for her high-profile role at NIA. She’s been the chair of the GSA Health Sciences Section, president of the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education, and, most recently, the recipient of GSA’s Donald P. Kent Award.

To me, she has been a valued colleague. She joined the NIA staff very close to the time that I came to GSA. As she navigated her new environment, I appreciated her meaningful insight and collaboration as we settled into our new roles. She has been a staunch ally to the aging field, and as GSA moves forward with its own diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, I am delighted to see that NIH has an expert on aging to guide scientific workforce diversity.

Congratulations, Dr. Bernard, and know that GSA will be an ally to you in fostering the careers of scholars of all backgrounds.