By Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.

On May 21, as part of the Connecticut Science Center Women in Science program, CICATS' Dr. Linda Barry, Assistant Director and Chief Operating Officer of CICATS, was giving the keynote speech for the ‪#‎DaVinciCoder Girls-only Hack-A-Thon in Connecticut Science Center in downtown Hartford. During the speech, Dr. Barry talked about academic medicine still has low number in women and underrepresented minorities. She also shared her own story to becoming a surgeon. One of our missions is to collaborate in creating a learning environment where underrepresented minority individuals and women can thrive in STEM. We also encourage mentoring to support women throughout their academic and professional experiences, and supporting efforts to retain women in the STEM workforce.