The Hatchery

Even though women are now 50 percent of undergraduates, medical school graduates and graduates with advanced science degrees, women face a challenge in remaining in STEM.  When a woman enters the competitive fields of academic medicine, entrepreneurship, or competitive funding, the pipeline of talent unfortunately leaks over time.  This has been particularly true after COVID. 

This proposal presents The Hatchery as a novel solution to this aspect of building networks and retaining women in STEM through concentric circles of mentoring of women, by women in the area of COPD research.  This prototype can then be replicated in other scientific domains (Clinical medicine, pharmaceutical development, engineering, complex math, computer science, analytics, and big data).

Dr. Diane Barber, the Chair of Cell and Tissue Biology at UCSF has written: 
"The “leaky pipeline” of attrition for women advancing their careers in biomedical research is not a myth. Despite women receiving nearly 50% of doctorate and professional degrees in biomedical sciences, women comprise less than 25% of tenured faculty in academia."

The IDRC (International Development Research Center of Canada) reports:

For example, UNESCO in 2021 estimated that 45-55% of students worldwide at the master’s and bachelor’s levels of study were women. However, in science fields such as engineering and computer science, women on average make up a much smaller percentage of graduates in higher education. This gap widens when moving up the ladder in academic careers: Today, women represent 30% of the world’s researchers and just 12% of members of national science academies, with even smaller proportions in lower-income countries. 
Women scientist’s careers often are interrupted, or they take a hiatus.

The top reasons that create a hiatus for women in science are shown below from the Office of Research in Women’s Health.
1. Child rearing
2. Accommodating a spouse’s job
3. Caring for family members with illness / disability
4. Childbirth; childbearing complications
5. Illness
6. Family reunification or relocation
7. Other (Death of family member)
8. Supporting family and/or paying off debt.

For women entrepreneurs, the battle continues to be an uphill one.
Pitchbook remarks:

“US VC deal value for female founders reached $32.4 billion through the third quarter of 2022, already raising more capital than any year prior to the record highs set in 2021. On the check-writing front, [however] the numbers underscore that the industry is still a long way from equal gender and diversity representation. Female investors account for just 16.1% of VC decision-makers in the US. Furthermore, 95.5% of VC firms have a majority male population of decision-makers.”

Morningstar reported that ‘While funding for female founded companies has declined year-over-year, the share of female co-founded VC capital ticked up to 16.5% of total U.S. VC funding in 2022, the highest it’s been since 2017. For female-only founded startups, however, that number is 2%, the lowest it has been since 2016.

For a woman entrepreneur, starting a woman-led, or women-only business is nearly impossible.  They lack role models, success stories, champions, mentors and access to capital.

Tapping into our experienced and successful women scientists and entrepreneurs from our board, our staff, our Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee, and those involved in COPDGene we will create an ecosystem that promotes women in STEM, and particularly those trying to advance a research career, re-enter after a hiatus, or launch a new medical device or business.  

This is The Hatchery, and it has 7 key aspects.

1. Mentoring: Experienced women scientists in COPD can offer mentorship to women by sharing their knowledge, experiences, and advice. 

2. Networking opportunities: COPD women scientists can create networking opportunities for women by organizing events, workshops, or conferences.

3. Augmenting Skill-building: A sustainable career in STEM requires skills in computer science, math, AI, analytics and genetics. Senior members of The Hatchery will lead workshops and webinars.

4. Creating safe spaces and support groups: Establishing spaces and support groups for women in STEM can foster a sense of community and belonging, allow them to share experiences, seek advice and receive emotional support.
Using our unique online platform, COPD360Social, we have already created a safe and supportive environment for over 56,000 unique COPD patients, providers and caregivers to discuss relevant issues in COPD.  We will use this same framework to create THE HATCHERY.  Students, emerging researchers, re-entry scientists will have access to senior advisors and a place for open and frank dialogue. Members of the Hackery Ecosystem will have access to both the Clinical platform, and the Women Scientists platform.

5. Advocacy and visibility: Women scientists can advocate for the recognition of younger women's achievements in STEM. We can promote their work through conferences, publications, or media coverage.

6. Outreach programs: Members of The HATCHERY will be available to speak at schools, undergraduate and graduate programs.

7. Access to Big Data and Clinically Important Study Questions: 
Scientists need not only an important question to solve, but they need access to data, experts, and tools.  COPD provides that kind of environment for success. COPD is the 3rd leading cause of death from a chronic disease, and yet few women know about it.  Early studies have uncovered that women often show symptoms earlier in their life and carry a heavier burden of illness.  

We will provide access to longitudinal databases, training in infrastructure and use of big data. 

Using our 10-year, longitudinal database created by the COPD Gene and the COPD Foundation, the scientists will have access to a data set they need.  COPD Gene has provided material for over 435 peer reviewed publications to date. 

Our patient powered research network (PPRN) provides patient-provided-data (by COPD patients).  Hatchery Women will have opportunities to use the network for studies, and to recruit for clinical trials.  

Additionally, the COPDF has hosted another registry of 6,000 Bronchiectasis and NTM patients.

Recently the NIH (National Institutes of Health) hosted thought leaders in COPD. The result was the NIH COPD National Action Plan for Research.  The Foundation not only knows the plan for COPD research, but we also helped create it.

The target population is women who desire a career in basic or clinical research.   Our solution is aimed at the 4th goal of the MIT GENDER EQUITY IN STEM Challenge: 

• Enable women STEM entrepreneurs to participate and thrive in the entrepreneurial ecosystem by providing access to capital, resources, or network-building, or diversifying the investor landscape.

Our senior scientists will come from the leadership of COPD Foundation and its related projects.

• The COPD Foundation has several women physician scientists who serve as part of our Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee (MASAC).  (Drs. Jill Ohar, MeiLan Han, Barbara Yawn, Jeanne Rommes, Karen Hoth, Marilyn Foreman) and the Bronchiectasis Advisory Board (Anne O'Donnell, Doreen Adrizzo-Harris, Pamela J. McShane). 

• Additionally, Drs. MeiLan Han (U of M) and Doreen Adrizzo-Harris (NYU) both chair large academic divisions, and have a critical role in the recruitment, advancement and retention of faculty, especially the women. Drs. Dawn DeMeo and MeiLan Han both have a substantive role with the COPD Gene Project. 

• The COPDF Board also provides 4 additional senior women scientists and entrepreneurs.

These COPD and B/NTM groups will provide us access to women investigators with whom we can better understand the roadblocks in their career advancement.  They will be interviewed to discover the key elements in 'thriving' in the biomedical science field.  

From High School through Early career, we will create focus groups to discuss and support their career path.

Several of the senior Hatchery members work in academic environments and have access to medical and PhD students, residents, and fellows.  Those who are department or division chairs also have the responsibility to their faculty to nurture their careers and help in their re-entry after a hiatus.
Senior members of The Hatchery have important national and international roles in the major scientific societies and groups that focus on COPD and other lung conditions.  They will host panels, discussion groups and plenary sessions at the major scientific meetings (American Thoracic Society, European Respiratory Society, Startup Health, National Health Council, etc.). 

Younger members of The Hatchery will be surveyed as to the impact that being in the ecosystem has made on their career.  The COPDF is experienced in survey tools, and gathering feedback from patients, study subjects and clinical trials. 

 
Webinars, workshops and other training will be created in response to the needs of the emerging scientists.  

A steering committee comprised of women scientists at various stages in their career will oversee The Hatchery.  This includes a high school student, college student, graduate student, medical resident, early career and re-entry career scientist.

Today, the COPD Foundation has 5 women board members. 

• Dr Meilan Han a physician scientist, Chief of Critical Care at University of Michigan
• Cindy Prather a successful repeat entrepreneur, 
• Val Chang - a patient with COPD and a successful lawyer and creator of a non-profit in the COPD area.
• Risa Stack PhD, Venture Capital, 
• Grace Anne Dorney Koppel – a behavioral scientist, a patient and attorney).  

All 5 of these board members are engaged with young investigators or entrepreneurs and have made the journey themselves and/or supported those who have done so.

Jean Wright MD MBA is the current CEO and attended Medical School when only 5% of her class was women.  She entered a male dominated field of anesthesia at Emory University, and obtained an MBA when being women was still a minority position.  Jean has mentored many clinical research fellows, innovators, and continues to be active in working with startups, innovation and hackathons. 

As mentioned above, several of the senior Hatchery members work in academic environments and have access to medical and PhD students, residents, and fellows.  Those who are department or division chairs also have the responsibility to their faculty to nurture their careers and help in their re-entry after a hiatus.

Additionally, many of the senior members of The Hatchery lead committees at The American Thoracic Society, European Respiratory Society, The Society of Critical Care Medicine.  Dr. Doreen Adrizzo-Harris is the incoming President of CHEST.

On the Medical and Scientific Advisory Group (MASAC) at the COPDF, we also have: 

• Min Joo MD, Associate Professor at the University of Illinois, 
• Jill Ohar MD, Professor at Wake Forest, 
• Jeanne Rommes PHD, a patient advocate and behavioral scientist 
• Nirupama Putcha, M.D., M.H.S., Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins

These COPD women leaders are proximate to the population we desire to serve and are currently interacting with emerging women scientists and entrepreneurs.  

The COPD Foundation has a 20-year track record of creating new paths, to foster ideas, develop better patient care, hosting a voice for patients, and building organizations where there have been none.  The 10-year longitudinal database of 10,000 patients (COPDGENE) has already provided opportunities for many younger and mid-career women scientists (MeiLan Han, Dawn DeMeo). 

To call attention, and carve out a new track, THE HATCHERY, builds upon that foundation.  In addition, it provides the actual scientific substrate needed in its rich data set. To date, over 435 publications have come from that database.  

While the COPDF is often thought of as a patient-centered advocacy and research center, it is also a repeat social innovator in the spaces of COPD-Patient-Social-Engagement (COPD360Social), Bronchiectasis-social-engagement (Bronch360social), World Bronchiectasis Day, NIH COPD National Action Plan, COPD Gene, Patient Powered Research Networks, to name a few.  

Many women scientists have partnered with the foundation or COPDGene over the past decades and have thriving careers. The Hatchery would be formalizing, prototyping and would be building on that legacy.
The COPD Foundation has a proven track record of being able to organize, reflect, innovate and lead new social constructs.  

The COPD Foundation has created a favorable environment for women scientists.  However, that in and of itself does not build a reliable pipeline of talent, nor help current talent thrive and remain in the field.  To reach that larger goal, the COPDF needs to build a community of practice that supports THE HATCHERY with senior scientists, venture capitalists,  earmarked projects and designated funding.

The HATCHERY hopes to gain access to partners in other sectors who are experienced in leading change and scaling important ideas.  Our team will need partner organizations that will help us approach key funders (Industry, Federal Agencies Venture Capital, Pharma, etc.) 

The HATCHERY will benefit from colleagues that will help us draft metrics of success, give us frank feedback, and help with mid-course corrections. 
And The HATCHERY needs a business model that will not only support its ongoing success, but the success of other scientific communities that try to adopt and duplicate our approach.

Dr Wright is a byproduct of the environment in which TFA hopes to address.  Having graduated from a medical school with only 5% women at the time, to joining an almost all male faculty in Anesthesia at Emory in 1983, to spending a career in academic medicine, she was eventually recognized as on of the top 30 innovators in healthcare, and one of the top 25 women in Health IT. 

 She led academic departments at Emory and Mercer, and fostered many young women (and men) in their careers.  Currently, as CEO of the COPD Foundation, she is involved with the scientists on MASAC, and the Bronchiectasis advisory group.  

Dr. Wright is frequently sought out to judge pitches and hackathons, and still is often in the minority as a female.  Dr Wright is still an active innovator and investigator, and is able to speak to many of the industry and federal agency leaders because of her position.

The Hatchery is a unique solution in that it brings a group of seasoned and successful women scientists together with emerging women scientists to work on a real medical problem that has a huge impact on women as patients, and yet is woefully understudied. 

This ecosystem provides the mentorship, and the substrate needed to foster young and/or struggling careers. The COPD Foundation has already been fertile soil for many clinical scientists, and has an established track record with pharma, academia, medical societies, and scientific publication.

It provides access to big data, genetic information, radiologic images, and clinical information on thousands of patients through COPD Gene.  It provides intersectionality of true clinical need (research on COPD in general, and more specifically if desired, COPD in women). Rather than having to take the time to build a database, or recruit patients, there is a ramp to success using the work that has already been done in this disease area.

Overall Impact Goals:

1. Women will embrace careers in medical science, research, and bio-medical entrepreneurship.
2. Women will achieve academic promotion commensurate with their academic productivity.
3. Women will be able to enter and re-enter their choice of STEM field without penalty to their career.
4. Successful women scientists will positively influence the next generation by example, inspiration, role modeling, mentoring and partnering.
5. Planned health science ecosystems will be created and replicated to provide an environment for women scientists to thrive.

Year One: 
1. Impact 25 successful women scientists and entrepreneurs in the COPD ecosystem (Hatchery Founders) and reinforce the impact they can have on both a disease, and a cadre of women who will follow in their path.
2. Impact The American Thoracic Society by presenting The Hatchery at the 2024 Annual Meeting 
3. Impact the National Health Council by presenting The Hatchery at their 2024 Annual Meeting and challenging other disease specific organizations to create their own Hatchery.

Year Five
1. Impact the training programs for Pulmonary Medicine Fellows, so every training program has awareness of the existence of The Hatchery and directs its women trainees to tap into the ecosystem.
2. Impact the opportunity to change the course of COPD by escalating the number of women who are attracted to the field.
3. Impact the number of women scientists who utilize the COPD Gene and other big data sets in the fields of COPD and Bronchiectasis.
4. Measure the number of other specialty organizations that have created or adopted The Hatchery as a model of change in their field of science.

Year One: 

1. Engage 25 successful women scientists and entrepreneurs in the COPD ecosystem (Hatchery Founders) and reinforce the impact they can have on both a disease, and a cadre of women who will follow in their path.
2. Survey Hatchery Founders about their lived experiences in developing a career in STEM.
3. Collate and circulate the barriers of the Founders.
4. Create a forum for “How could I have overcome this barrier?
5. Impact The American Thoracic Society by presenting at the 2024 Annual Meeting 
6. Impact the National Health Council by presenting at their 2024 Annual Meeting and challenging other disease specific organizations to create their own Hatchery.
7. Impact the current Pulmonary Medicine Fellows 
8. Impact the current Women Department Chairs of Pulmonary Medicine

Year Five
1. Impact the training programs for Pulmonary Medicine Fellows, so every training program has awareness of the existence of The Hatchery and directs its women trainees to tap into the ecosystem.
2. Impact the opportunity to change the course of COPD by escalating the number of women who are attracted to the field.
3. Impact the number of women scientists who utilize the COPD Gene and other big data sets in the fields of COPD and Bronchiectasis.
4. Measure the number of other specialty organizations that have created or adopted The Hatchery as a model of change in their field of science.

We have not designed our theory of change.  However, we hope to learn from the MIT SOLVE community and resources suggested how to do this.

We do know that we need to:
1. Create awareness in our Senior Scientists of the leaking pipeline of women in STEM.
2. Create awareness that they can be part of the solution.
3. Create safe and supportive areas for frank and candid discussion about what has worked and what has not worked.
4. Recognize that COPD, and other important diseases, may not have a robust pipeline of young scientists, and particularly women scientists, to solve the difficult problems of the future unless something changes.
5. We know we have a powerful resource in the current research activities in the field of chronic lung disease.
6. We know we have big data sets, and skills amongst our senior scientists in using those data sets.
7. We know we have an online social platform that has served 56,000 patients, providers and caregivers and can be used to support the social community of the scientists.
8. We believe by making this ecosystem built around COPD, can serve a second purpose for women scientists mentoring women scientists.

The COPD Foundation has successfully designed, launched and maintained two online social communities, both fully integrated into their respective websites. We can utilize this model to develop ‘The Hatchery’ which would feature  dynamic functionality including but not limited to social groups for each disease states, activity feeds, question and answer threads, gamification, ideation, blogs, events and content management features. The foundation of this commercial platform is an open-source web application framework called DNN. It has proven to be flexible, scalable and user friendly. COPDF has the internal expertise to facilitate and maintain this website. 

The COPD Foundation has 25 full-time employees, and 26 contractors and consultants.

The Hatchery team includes: 
Four board members: Val Chang, COPD Patient and Attorney; Risa Stack PhD, and career in venture capital (Kleiner Perkins, GE Ventures); MeiLan Han MD, Physician Scientist and Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care. 
CEO (Jean Wright MD)
COPD Gene Investigator(Dawn DeMeo MD)
Communications & Marketing Officer (Crystal Rothhaar)
VP of Bronchiectasis and NTM (Delia Oliver)
Chief Corporate Social Responsibility (Elisha Malanga)
Community and DEI Leadership (Linda Walsh )
Experienced researcher, product designer, and entrepreneur (Sheryl Flynn PhD)
Recent grad, and first year researcher in Cell Biology (Maresa McDowell, PhD (Liberty '23))

The Foundation has been working on social innovation in COPD and Bronchiectasis for 20 years.  The foundation has been helping emerging scientists build successful careers in COPD research for decades. 

The Foundation has been helping women scientists access opportunities with the COPD Gene Project, Bronchiectasis, and pulmonary rehabilitation. Recently, we have added women entrepreneurs and scientists to the Board.  Dr. DeMeo has been leading the Women in COPD research in the COPD Gene Project.  And, the current and previous two CEOs were women.

The phrase "The Hatchery" crystallized after learning about the MIT Solve Challenge for Gender Equity in STEM. 

The COPD Foundation (COPDF) is committed to being a compassionate leader for equity and acceptance while striving to grow a community where all have access to resources, opportunities, and support in order to thrive. 

At the COPDF, our core values are the tenets of our diversity, equity, and inclusion program. 

We are:
• Inclusive - We respect and value cross-cultural diversity and are dedicated to inclusion and equitable treatment regardless of race, ethnicity, color, creed, age, gender identification, medical journey, or socio-economic status.
• Transparent - We endeavor to earn trust through authenticity and accountability.
• Courageous - We persevere to eliminate the "just like me bias" and echo of "sameness" while embracing the challenging work ahead.
• Compassionate - We strive to meet all people where they are without judgment.
• Empowering - We boldly champion our community to advocate for themselves.

The COPDF established the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Council to address health inequities while also ensuring representation of the unique needs of the entire COPD community.

The objective is having an engaged DE&I Council that provides the voice of patients, caregivers, and health care professionals to all efforts of the COPDF and its interactions with the community, the staff, and other healthcare and advocacy organizations.  

The DE&I Council is diverse as its members come from varied backgrounds and all bring their unique experiences to help progress the common cause: educate, empower, and engage individuals with COPD and related lung conditions to improve the quality of life of all those who are affected by the disease, participate in clinical research, and promote the acceleration of the development of new and more effective therapies.

One of the goals for the DE&I Council is supporting COPDF programs and operations to ensure implementation of DE&I objectives across the organization and community. The Council holds COPDF accountable for carrying out the program objectives and goals of the DE&I program.

We see DEI as the formula and the steps necessary to create the desired result of belonging. This requires intentionality, goal setting, and monitoring.

COPDF’s leadership is dedicated to DE&I in its hiring strategies and HR policies. One of the goals for this year is providing DE&I training across the organization from Staff to Board Members including education on Environmental Justice.

COPDF has successfully translated educational and awareness materials into 8 languages as well as provides Spanish language support telephonically and via email. In addition, COPDF utilizes diverse representation in imagery across all its collateral.

As the COPD Foundation expands its volunteer participation in research opportunities, advocacy and awareness events, and committee work, our recruitment efforts remain focused on our DE&I principles.

Our advocacy and public policy efforts prioritize access to safe, effective, affordable and equitable therapies, medications, as well as vaccines.

This reflects where COPDF is currently today and the path we’re on as we continue working to create more equitable opportunities and inclusive environments so that all may thrive in the COPD community.

(Upload our Business MODEL canvas here) 

Our business model is under development.  At the first stages of the Hatchery, donations and grants will cover the costs of the social engagement platform, the communications requirement, the hosting of webinars, and online classes.  Over time, the Hatchery could expand to other patient advocacy / research groups and provide Social Enterprise as a solution – including the software support, patient registry hosting, and Continuing Medical Education costs.  

Our business model is under development.  

At the first stages of the Hatchery, donations and grants will cover the costs of the social engagement platform, the communications requirement, the hosting of webinars, and online classes.  Over time, the Hatchery could expand to other patient advocacy / research groups and provide Social Enterprise as a solution – including the software support, patient registry hosting, and Continuing Medical Education costs.  

The COPD Gene Project is a 10-year effort that has involved multiple funders (NIH, Pharma, COPD Foundation) and multiple academic and clinical recipients.  Total funding related to the project is approximately 100 million dollars.

The COPD Foundation currently has a grant under review for $30 Million Dollars.

Dr. Wright was the Principal Investigator of the Beacon Grant in 2010 – 2013, and that was 15.9 million.

The COPD Foundation currently has over 12 Million Dollars in its research pipeline.