Challenges to Successful Research Careers in Neurology: How Gender Differences May Play a Role

There has been a substantial rise in the number of women pursuing careers in neurology. However, research has shown that women in neurology have high rates of burnout with gender disparities in burnout and attrition in the field. Recently, there was a call from the NIH, including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, asking for input on factors that may limit or discourage grant applications from women. As the recipients of the highly coveted NIH career mentored awards (K awards) in headache medicine, we applaud the NIH for asking for gender-specific feedback and for raising awareness of research showing that female faculty on the Research Track are at an increased risk of departure. Using the NIH model for the Responsible Conduct of Research and the tenant of Nurturing the Fertile Environment, we discuss specific challenges in academic research that may contribute to gender differences in neurology research success. Although the rate of women conducting NIH-funded migraine research increased from 23% to 41% over the last 10 years, more women are currently in training compared with independence, with 6/6 of the NIH training grants but only 12/36 of the NIH research-level grants, held by women in fiscal years 2017-2019. We suggest concrete solutions to these challenges to ensure the success of women in research reaching independence.