On February 4, 2021, Marie A. Bernard, M.D., deputy director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), was awarded the 2020 Elizabeth Kirk Rose Women in Medicine Award. Sponsored by the Elizabeth Blackwell Society and Penn Medicine Development and Alumni Relationships, the award recognizes the extraordinary record of commitment and contributions to advancing the education and careers of women in academic medicine by a UPenn alumna, faculty, or staff member. Dr. Bernard earned her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and participated in the Wharton School of Executive Development program.
As NIA’s Deputy Director and senior geriatrician, Dr. Bernard serves as the principal advisor to the NIA Director. In addition, she currently serves as the acting National Institutes of Health (NIH) Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity. As part of her responsibilities, Dr. Bernard co-chairs the NIH Inclusion Governance Committee that oversees inclusion in clinical research by sex/gender, race/ethnicity, and age — inclusive of pediatric and older adult subjects. She chairs the Women of Color Committee of the NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers, and she serves on the Diversity Working Group and was a founding member of the NIH Equity Committee.
Dr. Bernard has held numerous national leadership roles, including serving on the National Institute on Aging Advisory Council, during which she chaired the Council’s Task Force on Minority Aging Research; chair of the Clinical Medicine Section of the Gerontological Society of America; chair of the Department of Veterans Affairs National Research Advisory Committee; board member of the American Geriatrics Society; president of the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education; and president of the Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs. She has lectured and published widely in her area of research, nutrition, and function in older populations with special focus on underrepresented minorities, as well as related to geriatric education.
Dr. Bernard credits UPenn for providing the foundation and inspiration that led to her many accomplishments, robust experiences, and current career roles.