Dr. Linda Barry, assistant professor of surgery at the UConn School of Medicine, has made it her life’s work to eliminate disparities in health care delivery and research.
This weekend, the Connecticut Science Center is presenting her with its Petit Family Foundation Women in Science Leadership Award.
As a UConn Health faculty member, Barry serves as chief operating officer and assistant director of Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS). She also heads the CICATS Young Innovative Investigator Program and the CICATS Mentorship (M1) Award, and co-directs the CICATS Pilot Program for Collaborative Translational and Clinical Research.
“We need to continue to raise awareness — among both women and men — to break down the barriers that have traditionally discouraged women from joining these technical fields and to facilitate the realization of their potential as leaders in their own right,” Barry says.
Barry cofounded and coordinated the first National Women in Surgery Symposium, now in its sixth year. She established the Women in Surgery Interest Group at the UConn School of Medicine three years ago, and represents the school at the American Association of Medical Colleges. Barry also is co-managing editor of the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.
The award recognizes leadership in promoting women’s participation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The selection committee chose Barry “based on her unique background in both clinical and basic science research and her extraordinary commitment to mentoring and advancing the charge to recruit women and underrepresented students into medicine, and the field of surgery in particular,” according to the Science Center.
This is the third year of the Petit Family Foundation Women in Science Leadership Award, which is part of the Science Center’s Women in Science initiative. Barry was one of five finalists.
“I am honored to have been chosen for the Women in Science Leadership Award,” Barry says. “This prestigious award highlights that as far as we have come with more women deciding to pursue STEM disciplines, women continue to be underrepresented in these fields. The important work of organizations like the Petit Family Foundation, the Connecticut Science Center, and the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science at UConn helps to create a future filled with professional success, achievement and opportunities for women and girls in science and technology.”
Barry will accept the award Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Green Gala, the Connecticut Science Center’s signature annual fundraiser for science learning.
“Dr. Linda Barry lives the mentorship ideal,” says Dr. William Petit, whose family foundation sponsors the Women in Science initiative. “She teaches medical students, residents and fellows as well as her patients. In addition she leads by example in exploring disparities in care and trying to lessen those barriers and to be sure her pupils gain an understanding of the issues at play in our society.”