Nearly half of new moms in STEM leave their full-time positions. This Pitt program wants to change that.

During the pandemic, Kelly Beck (SHRS '14G) struggled to balance her roles as a rehabilitation scientist and mom to two small children.

"I was parenting all day and then working all hours of the night to manage," recalled Beck, an assistant professor in Pitt's School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

She is not alone: A 2019 study found nearly half of new moms in STEM leave full-time employment after having kids. Anecdotal reasons for departure align with what has been deemed the "motherhood penalty," systemic disadvantages related to motherhood that range from inflexible work environments to difficulties juggling work and caregiving responsibilities, which were only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fortunately for Beck, her mentor Doris Rubio suggested a potential solution: Mothers Leading Science (MLS). The yearlong Institute for Clinical Research Education program is designed for research-intensive faculty in the health sciences who are mothers of children school-aged or younger.

MLS' mission is to empower scientist mothers, reduce disparities and address challenges at the intersection of career, gender and motherhood. The program fosters well-being, belonging, professional fulfillment and career advancement by offering professional and personal growth through leadership training, coaching and networking opportunities.

MLS' emphasis on developing support systems for scholars through annual retreats and other events consistently reminds them that they are not alone.

How MLS came to Pitt

The program was launched at Pitt by Amery Treble-Barna, who was looking for a way to help after a colleague told her, "Mothers are struggling; you should do something about it." Seeking a solution, Treble-Barna reached out to Rubio, who introduced her to Michelle Lamere, who founded MLS at the University of Minnesota in 2017.

Treble credited Lamere with helping her develop the program while allowing her the space to iterate MLS to meet the needs of the University's faculty.

"Being a mother is exceptionally demanding, as is having a career in science," said Treble-Barna, MLS' director. "So, the two overlapping presents exceptional and unique challenges for faculty who identify as mothers."

MLS participants are all faculty who dedicate at least 50% of their effort to research, which Treble-Barna said "helps them to have a common language of the issues they're facing."

Upon bringing together the first cohort in 2022, Treble-Barna knew this was special.

"There is a power in this," she said. "Many of these women feel they are failing to balance their responsibilities and that they're the only ones. Then they come together and hear everyone in the room is facing very similar challenges. That alone is exceptionally valuable."

But the conversation doesn't stay fixed on those shared struggles. Treble-Barna said the group remains forward-thinking and solutions-focused.

"When you bring together a group of often burned-out individuals who are facing systemic inequities, it can quickly get into a cycle of doom and gloom. However, with peer coaching skills, they elevate and uplift each other to pursue both individual and systemic solutions."