The National Institutes of Health continues to celebrate the contributions women have made to our nation and our agency through the NIH 2017 Women’s History Month theme “Be Inspired.” The Office of Equity Diversity and Inclusion is thrilled to recognize the unsung along with some more well- known women of the NIH in various disciplines, of every race and ethnic backgrounds. These women not only contribute to the strength of the agency through their daily dedication to the mission, but for serving as inspirations to their mentees, colleagues, and even their leadership.
Here we are highlighting only a few exceptional women across the NIH who lead powerfully and remarkably in their Institutes, serve as role models in their communities, and handle day to day issues with dignity and integrity. Follow the NIH Women’s History Month "Be Inspired" campaign on Twitter.
Be inspired.
Gloria Dabbondanza
Ms. Gloria Dabbondanza is a Program Analyst at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). As an infant, Gloria’s family immigrated to the U.S. from Korea. With only limited knowledge of English and a $500 loan to start their new life, her parents worked hard to create opportunities that would have been unavailable to her in Korea. Ms. Dabbondanza parents instilled in her that you need to take initiative and work diligently to succeed. She became the first in her family to go to college and graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. After working a few years as a paralegal specialist at the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, she discovered her passion for data analysis and identifying process efficiencies.
As an analyst at the NIH, Ms. Dabbondanza has had the opportunity to further develop these skills and gain experience implementing and managing institute-wide administrative programs. Ms. Dabbondanza affirms that life experiences have taught her the value of balancing thankfulness for what she currently has and the drive to achieve greater excellence rather than the status quo.
Candice England
Ms. Candice England started her career at the NIH 8 years ago as a summer intern in the Medical Arts Department. She was hired to work full time with the Events Management Department. Ms. England was born in Richmond, VA and lived in the DC Metro area for most her life.
Ms. England has played a key role in providing conference services for government employees, contractors and others within the NIH community. In addition to her commitment to the Events Management Department at NIH, she is an aspiring artist known for her detailed, commissioned portrait work, illustrations and vivid landscape paintings. Some of her work can be found under the home décor department at www.overstock.com and others can be found at www.artclassicsltd.com.
Dr. Wanda Whitney
Dr. Wanda Whitney heads the User Services Unit in the Public Services Division of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) where she manages the first-level customer service operations for the library, supporting Web sites such as PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, and MedlinePlus. She also represents NLM on the Language Access Plan (LAP) Steering Committee, which works to improve access to NIH services for people with limited English proficiency. She has a life-long interest in ensuring everyone has access to information.
She received her Ph.D. in Spanish in 1998 from Temple University and her Masters in Library Science from the University of Maryland College Park in 2006. Before transitioning her career from teaching to medical librarianship, she taught at secondary boarding schools, as well as the University of Delaware and Delaware State University.
Dr. Nicole Garbarini
Dr. Nicole Garbarini enjoys connecting scientists to information and tools in support of their research programs, and helping the broader public learn how NIH-supported research contributes to health advances. Her academic achievements include a B.S. in biology and minor in English literature from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. She has worked in the fields of science communications and science policy for over eight years. Her career experience includes legislative and media affairs at both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), academic journal editing, and freelance science reporting. She currently works within the NIH Office of Extramural Research where she communicates with the press and research community about scientific research trends, funding data, and policies.
Outside of the office she can be found reading the latest Louise Penny mystery novel, solving puzzles and playing trivia with friends, exploring Washington, DC-area parks and trails, and sharing advice and experiences about career opportunities both within the lab and beyond.
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