Sarah Millar, PhD, Director of the Black Family Stem Cell Institute; Professor of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Dermatology, and Oncological Sciences, and a member of The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Dr. Millar and her team study stem cells in epithelial tissues such as the skin to understand their regenerative processes and pathologies, with the aim of developing innovative therapeutic approaches to conditions such as skin cancer, hair loss, and wound healing.
Dr. Millar has an impressive track record in moving the field of stem cell research and regenerative medicine forward, and an equally robust resume of work to advance women and minority groups in biomedical research. When she joined the Mount Sinai faculty in the spring of 2019, she had already led a number of efforts to address gender disparity in academic medical schools.
“In my previous position, I organized an informal group of senior women faculty members to study and address issues of inequity among scientists in academia,” says Dr. Millar. “We looked at what I refer to as the ‘leaky pipeline’ of talent in medical schools, meaning that about 50 percent of assistant professors hired by medical schools are women, yet women represent only about 25 percent of tenured full professors, and an even smaller fraction of department chairs. We need to address why that is and create more opportunities for women scientists in academic leadership roles.”
She also has looked at why female researchers tend to be assigned less laboratory space per grant income dollar, and the well-known problem of income inequality between male and female faculty, which particularly occurs at more senior levels.
Dr. Millar explains that women often bear more responsibility in the family for child rearing and household chores and are often the primary caregivers for aging parents. This pressure on their time and attention can contribute to women being less inclined to seek senior roles, and may limit their available time overall to spend on their careers. In parallel, the pervasive existence of implicit bias—the tendency of both men and women to unconsciously favor men for leadership roles, honors and awards—contributes to the inequities between men and women in academic roles.
“The problems are complex and multifactorial,” she says. Some of the solutions may be practical, like setting up onsite day care centers at medical schools to help young mothers and fathers manage their families, and looking at and addressing compensation issues directly. “Raising awareness about unconscious bias is also very important, as we are only able to modify our behaviors once we realize that they may be biased,” Dr. Millar says.
Dr. Millar gives examples from her own experiences on committees charged with selecting speakers for scientific conferences, or candidates for leadership roles. For one: men’s names tend to be brought up first and more frequently, even when there are many equally or even more accomplished women in the field.
“I’m proud that our institution has made a strong commitment to seeking diverse candidates for speaking engagements and leadership roles.”
“If we are aware of this bias, we take the time to seek out the names of women who are just as accomplished and qualified. We of course must not exclude the men, but we need to include more women and underrepresented minorities in these slates of candidates,” she says. “I’m proud that our institution has made a strong commitment to seeking diverse candidates for speaking engagements and leadership roles. We take these issues very seriously. Among other efforts, our Office for Diversity and Inclusion raises awareness about potential inequities and how to prevent them, as well as providing educational programs for leaders, staff, and trainees at all levels.“
Dr. Millar previously led an effort to provide high school students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds with opportunities to learn about and engage in biomedical research, and she is planning a similar program for the Black Family Stem Cell Institute at Mount Sinai.
“I ran a skin biology research center that was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Part of our work included engaging in community outreach with high school students to give them experience in our dermatology labs and open their minds to medicine and biology,” she says.
The students spent four consecutive Saturday mornings learning about research and clinical practice in dermatology, including hands-on laboratory experience. Students who completed the program were given the opportunity to compete for summer internship jobs in the lab. These jobs were very popular with the students, and graduates of the program have been admitted to competitive universities and are pursuing degrees in the sciences.
“We have to start early to seed the pipeline with talent,” says Dr. Millar. “This needs to begin even before high school, and when young people are eligible to work, we have to get them into labs for practical experience.”
In her own laboratory at Mount Sinai, Dr. Millar manages a diverse team of scientists with individuals from many different parts of the world, representing a variety of cultures. “It’s truly a joy to get to know people from so many different backgrounds,” she says. “I think we learn different things from each other, and learn to appreciate other people’s backgrounds and experiences.”
She tells the story of one postdoctoral fellow who grew up in rural China and literally walked to school each day barefoot, and a faculty colleague who formerly was a police officer. “While these cultural differences may seem random, they enrich the thinking on our teams and the work that we do,” she comments. “Having a diverse team often changes the goals of the science and encourages us to achieve a positive effect on a much broader population.”
In terms of her management style, Dr. Millar believes in a “top-down” approach in terms of embracing respect for each other. “As a leader you have to respect everyone. I tell my team in one-on-one and laboratory meetings that I expect everyone on the team—regardless of title or role—to be treated respectfully and with consideration by all. If I see that is not happening, I address it directly. We all have important contributions to make, and these need to be recognized and valued.”
Photo Credit: Claudia Paul, January-February 2020