Major grants will support five pioneering early-career biomedical scientists. The Rita Allen Foundation has named its 2022 class of Rita Allen Foundation Scholars, celebrating five early-career leaders in the biomedical sciences whose research holds exceptional promise for revealing new pathways to advance human health. The selected Scholars will receive grants of up to $110,000 annually for a maximum of five years to conduct innovative research on critical topics in cancer, immunology, and neuroscience—including how 3D DNA structures in the nucleus of cells impact gene regulation, developing novel molecular tools to understand and analyze brain circuits, and investigating the evolution of the cerebral cortex.

Joyce Yen, a resource partner for the Civic Science Fellows program and Director of the University of Washington’s ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change, has dedicated her career to improving the STEM ecosystem for advancing underrepresented minorities in science and engineering. In February, Joyce was awarded a Presidential Awardee for Excellence…

Four pioneering early-career scientists will receive support to explore the biology of pain. The Rita Allen Foundation has named the 2021 class of Award in Pain Scholars, celebrating four early-career leaders in the biomedical sciences whose research holds exceptional promise for revealing new pathways to understand and treat chronic pain.

With support from the Rita Allen Foundation, First Draft News has published a series of reports that analyze the relationship between misinformation and vaccine hesitancy among communities of color. Last summer, First Draft News released the report, Covid-19 vaccines: A leap of faith and the power of trust among…

It was in high school that Steven Prescott first held a brain in his hands. It belonged to a fetal pig that he was dissecting in a biology course, and he remembers staring at it and marveling at how the human brain, though it functions similarly to a pig brain, is capable of so much more. As he continued his education, his fascination with the inner workings of the central nervous system only deepened.

"I remember realizing when I wanted to become a scientist, after watching Cosmos: A Personal Voyage,” says Ted Price, reflecting on his early-childhood watching of Carl Sagan’s award-winning PBS program. The show led Price to start reading popular-science books for kids and inspired his goal of becoming an astrophysicist. Although his parents were not scientists themselves, they supported his interests and were very engaged in his education during his childhood.

Pioneering civic science initiative announces 21 leaders from diverse demographic, cultural, and professional backgrounds who will join a community working to strengthen the role of science in public life. The 2021-23 Civic Science Fellows program—designed to create new partnerships, practices, and knowledge to advance meaningful, inclusive engagement on issues at…

During a recent episode of “The Pain Beat”—a monthly podcast hosted by the Pain Research Forum that provides a space for pain investigators to discuss important ideas in their field—a group of pain researchers, science communicators, and civic science advocates, including Rita Allen Foundation’s President and…

A two-day workshop supported by the Rita Allen Foundation brought together practitioners committed to civic science to discuss how scientists can work with local communities to address pressing environmental issues. The workshop highlighted challenges for community science initiatives such as funding prospects, establishing trust between professional and…

Stephanie Nguyen, 2020 Consumer Reports Civic Science Fellow, shares insights from the research initiative she led to help the public understand—and avoid—deceptive design tactics. Dark patterns are design tactics used in websites and apps to persuade you to do things you probably would not do otherwise. Over the past several…