Nichole R. Mercier, director of the Office of Technology Management (OTM) at Washington University in St. Louis, has received a first-place Innovations in Research and Research Education Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The award recognizes her efforts to support women in innovation and technology.
Mercier started the Women in Innovation and Technology program at Washington University in 2014, with the goal of increasing the number of women working with OTM to disclose and patent their discoveries and commercialize their research through licensing technologies or founding new startup companies.
The program has provided resources to help women overcome some of the barriers in technology transfer, including helping with commercialization, nurturing an internal network of people who can help women with different resources, and boosting connections with and support for one another.
Read more on the School of Medicine site.