In 2019, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) launched its Women in Science series to highlight the exceptional contributions of its female researchers.
Judith Kassis, Ph.D.
Dr. Kassis leads the Section on Gene Expression and is Head of the Genetics and Epigenetics of Development Affinity Group in NICHD’s Division of Intramural Research.
Claire Le Pichon, Ph.D.
Dr. Le Pichon leads the Unit on the Development of Neurodegeneration in NICHD’s Division of Intramural Research.
Una Grewal, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Grewal is the Director of the Division of Population Health Research within NICHD’s Division of Intramural Research.
Alison Cernich, Ph.D.
Dr. Cernich is the Deputy Director of NICHD.
Diana Bianchi, M.D.
Dr. Bianchi is the Director of NICHD.
Mary Dasso, Ph.D.
Dr. Dasso leads NICHD’s Section on Cell Cycle Regulation and serves as an associate scientific director in the Division of Intramural Research (DIR).
Gisela Storz, Ph.D.
Dr. Storz is a senior investigator in NICHD’s Section on Environmental Gene Regulation and an associate scientific director in DIR.
Keiko Ozato, Ph.D.
Dr. Ozato is a senior investigator in the Section on Molecular Genetics of Immunity.
In addition to these full profiles, we also post regularly to our #WomenInScience series on our Instagram feed 
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Joyce Thompson, Ph.D., M.Sc.
Dr. Joyce Thompson’s pathway to research began with studying for her bachelor’s degree in life sciences, which led her to doing bench work, like cloning, in a cancer lab and realizing how much she enjoyed the research. After that, she knew she one day wanted to lead her own laboratory.
Jenny Panlilio, Ph.D., M.A.
Dr. Jenny Panlilio found her way to research via a path that began during her childhood in the Philippines, where she fell in love with the ocean and coral reef ecosystems. This led to a deeper understanding of how human health and diseases have a connection to environmental conditions.
Sarah Sheppard, M.D., Ph.D., MSTR
Dr. Sarah Sheppard learned from her grandparents’ examples that she wanted to be a doctor and was inspired by her grandfather’s participation in a clinical trial that she wanted to pursue research.
Triesta Fowler, M.D.
Dr. Triesta Fowler is the director of communications and outreach for the Office of Education within NICHD’s Division of Intramural Research. She has been committed to addressing health disparities and workforce diversity throughout her career.
Erin Walsh, Ph.D.
Dr. Erin Walsh is the director of the Office of Education within NICHD’s Division of Intramural Research.
Katherine W. Rogers, Ph.D.
Dr. Katherine Rogers, a tenure-track investigator who leads the Unit on Developmental Signaling at NICHD, credits a casual comment to an undergraduate advisor for getting her foot in the door of a scientific career.
Susanna Mitro, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Susanna Mitro initially thought she would be a linguistics specialist and even spent a year teaching English in rural Japan. However, she soon switched her major to biology and began studying animal behavior. She currently studies uterine fibroids in NICHD’s Epidemiology Branch.
Doreen Matthies, Ph.D.
Dr. Doreen Matthies is a tenure-track Earl Stadtman investigator who leads the intramural Unit on Structural Biology at NICHD.
Thien Nguyen, Ph.D.
Dr. Thien Nguyen is a postdoctoral researcher with a background in biomedical engineering. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she focused on how to apply her knowledge and expertise in ways that would help both patients and doctors affected by the virus.
Megha Rajendran, Ph.D.
Dr. Megha Rajendran’s fascination with science began with a documentary on the brain she watched while in high school. She now studies Parkinson’s disease, leveraging her expertise in new areas of research at NICHD.
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