Diversity

The artists Elisabetta Citterio and Claudia Cagliano have created portraits of nearly 60 female researchers from nine countries. Twenty-five of them can be viewed in the "STEM Passion" exhibition until March 12, 2024 in the Rahel Hirsch Center for Translational Medicine Berlin.

Sanja Drakulic, Jean-Yves Tano and Michaela Herzig from the People & Culture department were the catalysts behind the Max Delbrück Center’s first ever Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Week. In this interview, Sanja and Jean-Yves share the inspiration behind the initiative along with some takeaways.

Biomedical research is mostly geared towards white men. During the Berlin Science Week, researchers discussed how this can be changed and how questions of diversity can be better taken into account in laboratories. Didn't have time to join? We have documented the event for you as a video.

The Max Delbrück Center will host its first-ever Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Week, from November 13 to 17, 2023. The event will foster engagement, support, and unity of its research community, and will feature workshops, panel discussions, and community activities at its Buch and Mitte locations.

When the PRDM16 gene mutates, heart muscle cells undergo changes in their metabolism. This increases the risk of congenital heart failure in women more than men, as a ECRC research team led by Sabine Klaassen and Jirko Kühnisch reports in “Cardiovascular Research.”

Data science has long been part of our research – including artificial intelligence. However, AI has also permeated the daily lives of many people. At "Insights," we were curious: What books would ChatGPT & Co. recommend for laypeople interested in molecular medicine? The result: three bestsellers.

On August 1, 2023, Sofia Forslund will take up a W3 Professorship in Applied Microbiology at Charité. She will continue her scientific work at the ECRC, which involves close collaboration with researchers from the Max Delbrück Center and Charité.

In June 2023, the Max Delbrück Center was awarded the “berufundfamilie” certificate for the fifth time – a sign of the center’s commitment to its employees. For “We at the MDC”, Petra Nibbe, head of People and Culture, explains how the institute intends to position itself as an attractive place to work.

Reflections on equity in science: How can the progress that has been made teach us to overcome the challenges that remain? Professor Maike Sander, Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center, and Raeka Aiyar, PhD, Vice President, Scientific & DEIB Outreach of the NYSCF Research Institute chatted about how far we’ve come and the road ahead.

HeLa contributed to more than 75,000 studies, some of them at the Max Delbrück Center. The cell culture line is indispensable to many biomedical laboratories. But who was the woman behind this abbreviation? During Black History Month we are celebrating her legacy—and our researchers say “Thank you!”