Katie Hafner, a journalist and author, and Amy Scharf, a bioethicist, announced on November 1, 2021, that the Lost Women of Science podcast series would premiere on November 4, in collaboration with public media organisation, PRX, and the award-winning Scientific American magazine.
Dr Dorothy Andersen (1901-1963), a paediatric pathologist who found and described cystic fibrosis in 1938, was the subject of four in-depth episodes in the first season. It will be accessible for free on-demand on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Amazon Music, as well as other major podcast listening platforms.
The Lost Women of Science Initiative is a non-profit with two overarching and interrelated missions: to tell the stories of female scientists who have made ground-breaking contributions to their fields but are largely unknown to the general public, and to inspire girls and young women to pursue STEM education and careers.
Scharf said; "The story of Dr Dorothy Andersen is compelling. Not only was her work remarkable, but it was accomplished during a time when women were not recognized for their contributions to science. Our dream is that all students listening to this podcast series will be inspired to pursue new careers in STEM, because the world needs them, while at the same time appreciating the challenges that the women scientists who preceded them faced. We feel this series will "pay it forward, while paying it back."
Hafner said; "The research into the science and the story of Dr Dorothy Andersen has inspired me and our team for months. As a journalist, real life stories are especially compelling to me, and it is my hope that our listeners will come away inspired to overcome great challenges and adversity to pursue their dreams and make a real difference in the lives of many."
Lost Women of Science Scientist-in-Residence Dr Jane Grogan said, "This project so resonates with me and my colleagues on several levels. Dr Dorothy Andersen, the subject of our podcast's first season, identified and worked to treat Cystic Fibrosis under very difficult conditions for the time; my work as the Chief Scientific Officer at the gene editing company Graphite Bio, similarly aims to root out serious diseases at a fundamental level. When Dr. Andersen worked in the 1930's, women made up only five percent of practicing physicians; many decades later, I still recall being the only woman scientist in the room so many times. As an immunologist and cancer researcher, we must strive to better encourage women to pursue careers in STEM and become the female mentors both Dr Andersen and I lacked in our own careers. This podcast series will become an important tool in this effort."
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Schmidt Futures, and the John Templeton Foundation provided early financing for Lost Women of Science. Barnard College, with one-third of its alumni majoring in STEM, is also a partner in the effort. Harvey Mudd College was an early Fiscal Sponsor.