New Issue Out Now: DIVERSITY IN NEUROSCIENCE

Putting together this issue of the newsletter, we’ve been surrounded by a swirl of geopolitical controversy about religious, ethnic, and sexual minorities.  As scientists, we’re often far removed from the headlines, yet still have to confront the reality that often, research is only accessible to a small group of people worldwide. Looking around at our MedNeuro cohort, it’s hard not be inspired: we’re multinational, multilingual and incredibly diverse! Who better to start talking about making science more democratic and accessible?

This issue of the newsletter was originally meant to be part of International Women’s Day celebrations (March 8^th), and as such, many articles revolve around the role of women in (neuro)science. As such, we check out just what’s up with the Leaky Pipeline (page 3) and take a closer look at the cold, hard facts on women in science (including specifically at the Charité, pages 10,11 and 19). However, these data are complex, and not everyone agrees on what lies behind these trends (pages 6,7 and 20).

However, we also realized that it’s equally important to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of individuals from other types of minorities in science. Several articles are about individuals with physical disabilities and socioeconomic disadvantages (pages 13 and 16), as well as those from different countries trying to make it in Germany (page 15). We also take a special look at scientists who identify as being on the autism spectrum (page 9), though some argue the label itself is harmful (page 16).

Finally, we have both exciting and sad news about the newsletter. First, our long-time editorial team member Claudia Willmes (née Bentz) has been busy putting up articles on our new website, cns-newsletter.blogspot.de Check it out! This will be the final issue from our co-editor-in-chief, Ahmed Khalil. Ahmed will be stepping back to focus on finishing his PhD, and working toward a bright future in neuro/radio-logy. Stepping in to take his place is Helge Hasselmann from AG Otte/Paul. Welcome Helge, good luck Ahmed, and above all, happy reading!

Constance Holman and Ahmed Khalil - Editors-in-Chief