Barriers, Challenges,
and Supports for
Family Caregivers in
Science, Engineering,
and Medicine
_____
Katie Wullert and Paula Whitacre,
Rapporteurs
Committee on Policies and Practices
for Supporting Caregivers Working
in Science, Engineering, and
Medicine
Committee on Women in Science,
Engineering, and Medicine
Policy and Global Affairs
Proceedings of Two Symposia
NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by a contract between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institutes of Health (HHSN263201800029I). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-70747-3
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-70747-1
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/27181
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Barriers, Challenges, and Supports for Family Caregivers in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Proceedings of Two Symposia. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27181.
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COMMITTEE ON POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR SUPPORTING CAREGIVERS WORKING IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
ELENA FUENTES-AFFLICK, M.D., M.P.H. (Chair) (NAM),1 Professor of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco; Vice Dean, UCSF School of Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center
MARIANNE BERTRAND, Ph.D. (NAS), Chris P. Dialynas Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, University of Chicago; Research Fellow, National Bureau of Economic Research, Center for Economic Policy Research, and Institute for the Study of Labor
MARY BLAIR-LOY, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, University of California, San Diego; Co-Director, Center for Research on Gender in STEMM
KATHLEEN CHRISTENSEN, Ph.D., Faculty Fellow, Boston College Center for Social Innovation
J. NICHOLAS DIONNE-ODOM, Ph.D., R.N., Associate Professor of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Co-Director, Bereavement Support Services in the UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care
MIGNON DUFFY, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
JEFF GILLIS-DAVIS, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis
RESHMA JAGSI, M.D., D.Phil., Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University and Winship Cancer Institute
ELLEN ERNST KOSSEK, Ph.D., Basil S. Turner Distinguished Professor, Krannert School of Management, Purdue University; President, Work-Family Researchers Network
LINDSEY MALCOLM-PIQUEUX, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Assessment and Chief Institutional Research Officer, California Institute of Technology
SANDRA KAZAHN MASUR, Ph.D., Professor of Ophthalmology and of Pharmacological Sciences and Director, Office of Women’s Careers, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
___________________
1 Designates membership in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Engineering (NAE), or National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
MARIA ONG, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, TERC
ROBERT L. PHILLIPS JR., M.D., M.S.P.H. (NAM), Founding Executive Director, The Center for Professionalism and Value in Health Care
JASON RESENDEZ, President and CEO, National Alliance for Caregiving
HANNAH VALANTINE, M.D., M.B.B.S. (NAM), Professor of Medicine, Stanford University; Inaugural Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity, National Institutes of Health
JOAN WILLIAMS, J.D., Sullivan Professor of Law, Founding Director, Center for WorkLife Law, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
Staff
KATIE WULLERT, Ph.D., Study Director and Program Officer, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
ASHLEY BEAR, Ph.D., Director, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
ABIGAIL HARLESS, Senior Program Assistant, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
PAMELA LAVA, Senior Program Assistant, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
Consultant
PAULA WHITACRE, Consultant Writer
COMMITTEE ON WOMEN IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
GILDA BARABINO, Ph.D. (Chair) (NAE, NAM), President and Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Olin College
SANDRA BEGAY, M.S., Principal Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories
JOAN WENNSTROM BENNET, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers University
MAY R. BERENBAUM, Ph.D., Professor and Head of Entomology and Professor of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
VALERIE CONN, Founder and Principal, Future Science Now
LESLIE D. GONZALES, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Learning Unit, College of Education, Michigan State University
EVELYNN M. HAMMONDS, Ph.D., Barbara Guttman Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science and of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
RESHMA JAGSI, M.D., D.Phil., Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University and Winship Cancer Institute
HILLARY LAPPIN-SCOTT, Ph.D., Honorary Distinguished Professor of Microbiology, Cardiff University
MANUEL PÉREZ-QUIÑONES, Ph.D., Professor of Software and Information Systems, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
REED V. TUCKSON, M.D., F.A.C.P., Managing Director, Tuckson Health Connections, LLC
ELENA FUENTES-AFFLICK, M.D., M.P.H. (Ex Officio Member) (NAM), Professor of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco; Vice Dean, UCSF School of Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center
CAROL K. HALL, Ph.D. (Ex Officio Member) (NAE), Distinguished University Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University
SUSAN R. WESSLER, Ph.D. (Ex Officio Member) (NAS), Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Neil and Rochelle Campbell Chair for Innovation in Science Education, University of California, Riverside
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Reviewers
This Proceedings of Two Symposia on Policies and Practices for Supporting Family Caregivers Who Work in Science, Engineering, and Medicine was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to ensure each published proceedings is as sound as possible and meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this proceedings:
ARLENE KATZ, Harvard University
LUCI LEYKUM, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
RANAK TRIVEDI, Stanford University
HELEN YIN, University of Texas, Southwestern
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by Marilyn Baker, National Academies. She was responsible for making certain that an independent examination
of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the National Academies.
Preface and Acknowledgments
In January 2023, the Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine initiated a consensus study that focused on policies and practices to support family caregivers in academic science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). With the support of the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and Henry Luce Foundation, the study was commissioned in acknowledgment of the fact that while caregiving touches all our lives in some way, it largely remains underappreciated, underacknowledged, and undersupported. This reality has significant consequences for those who give and receive care, for our nation, and for the diversity and effectiveness of our scientific workforce.
The study committee’s charge is to develop a consensus report that outlines the barriers and challenges experienced by caregivers in STEMM, documents institutional and governmental efforts to support caregivers, and offers a set of recommendations to key stakeholders. As part of that effort, the committee organized two public symposia in February and March of 2023. The purpose of these symposia was to solicit input from experts in a variety of domains about the unique experiences of caregivers in STEMM and become informed about the policy landscape at academic institutions, federal agencies, and federal and state governments.
The following proceedings summarizes the presentations from these two symposia. The committee and I are grateful to each speaker who generously shared their time and expertise and to our study sponsors.
Elena Fuentes-Afflick, M.D., M.P.H.
Chair, Committee on Policies and Practices for Supporting Family Caregivers Working in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
Contents
2 OUTLINING THE CHALLENGES FACING CAREGIVERS IN STEMM
3 UNDERSTANDING THE FEDERAL AND STATE POLICY LANDSCAPE
4 ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES SUPPORTING CAREGIVERS IN STEMM
5 RESEARCH ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAREGIVERS
6 FEDERAL RESPONSES TO ADDRESS CAREGIVING
B Biographical Sketches of Planning Committee Members and Speakers
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Box, Figures, and Table
BOX
FIGURES
2-1 Trajectory of women in medical school leadership positions, based on current trends
4-1 The interdependent ecosystem affecting caregiving employees
4-2 Caregiving average causal effects: Economic costs
5-1 Framework of work and nonwork demands
5-2 Technologies and strategies to support caregiving STEM professionals
6-1 Models of care suggested through the CHIPS for America’s Funding Opportunities
TABLE
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