Mentorship for Early-Career Women Working in Vaccinology

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting vaccine development and distribution demonstrated the need for vaccine development and manufacturing capacity on the African continent as most countries with critical manufacturing capacity focused on their own populations and regions. Africa lacked the capacity to develop and manufacture its own vaccines, importing over 99% of its vaccines and consuming nearly 25% of the global supply. Since then, there have been significant investments in vaccine development capacity in Africa, but equally important to investment in manufacturing processes is the investment in the necessary human capital.

With support from the Gates Foundation, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) are establishing a year-long mentorship program for early-career women in Africa in the field of vaccine development, to enhance their career advancement and leadership skills and to facilitate strong and lasting professional networks.

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Program Overview

The Mentorship for Early-Career Women in Vaccinology seeks to ensure that early-career women on the African continent are equipped with the career development and leadership skills to benefit from the significant investments in vaccine development and manufacturing on the African continent. The program will empower women through a mentorship structure that prioritizes the soft skills necessary for career advancement, while connecting participants to a larger support network in both the United States and African continent for long-term growth. The program will not provide technical training in vaccine development.

The program is structured as a cohort-based, yearlong mentorship program for women within 10 years of graduation. Cohorts will comprise six early-career mentees from African countries, matched with two mentors, one from the United States and one from Africa and exchanges will be conducted in English. Mentors may be men or women. Cohorts will operate in parallel, convening initially in person for a two-day workshop, and then as a program once a month for training from experts on topics flagged by attendees as most important. Outside of the monthly trainings, peer-mentorship will be a critical component, and cohorts will be expected to meet independently at least once a month, if not more, depending on schedules, needs, and availability. A clear mentorship plan, including meeting frequency, expectations of mentors and mentees, and steps to ensure progress will be developed during the in-person meeting with experts. Travel funds will be made available to participants to convene at host institutions or jointly attend vaccine-related events on the continent.

Support

• Career development training and participation in a tailored mentorship workshop
• Mentoring and guidance from July 2025 through August 2026
• Financial support to attend mentorship workshop and subsequent travel support for cohort activities