Proteomics: Pegging Protein Function to DNA Sequence Molecular Medicine: Breast Cancer Protein Shown to Be Highly Tuned Molecular Medicine Cell Biology: Cell Death Pathway Found with Link to Alzheimer's Leadership: Nancy Andrews Chosen to Direct Medical School's MD–PhD Program Administration: Survey Examines Salary Equity by Gender Drug Targets Resistant HIV, Awaits FDA Approval Meta-Study Shows Alcohol Cuts Heart Disease Risk New Angiogenesis Inhibitor Identified Cytokine Block Prevents Post-Immune Suppression McLean Lab to Analyze Child and Adolescent Brain MRIs Western Blot Story Faculty Appointments Satellite Broadcast Opens Up Neighborhood Dialogue Honors and Advances How Does Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Crisis Affect Its Residency? Front Page

ADMINISTRATION Survey Examines Salary Equity by Gender Massachusetts Institute of Technology's public admission last spring that the university had been guilty of subtly and pervasively depriving women in the School of Science of their share of salary, lab space, and other resources raised serious concern among HMS women faculty. If it could happen at MIT, why not here? In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services contract awarded to the National Center of Excellence in Women's Health, a collaborative center including HMS, CareGroup, and Partners, made a salary equity study top priority. To make sure that institutional obligations to pay equitable salaries, regardless of gender, are being met, Medical School dean Joseph Martin requested in November that all clinical department heads examine their own departmental salary structure to determine whether disparities exist that need to be addressed. Salary equity is clearly a complex determination, with many factors contributing to individual salary levels. Nevertheless, departments should be able to analyze these figures taking into account length of time in rank, external research funding record, teaching and clinical contributions, and other departmental contributions. Other issues, besides salary, that might be considered at the same time are departmental research support, space allotment, and clerical support. Martin's request to department heads is not the first time that salary equity has been examined at HMS. A salary and space equity study of Quad-based HMS departments, undertaken last spring, considered gender, years in rank, dollars from funded research, size of laboratory, and research density. "Overall, required salary or space adjustments were minimal and were not correlated with gender," says Paul Levy, executive dean for administration. In addition, at a meeting of the Conference of Department Heads last May, Victor Dzau, chair of the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, reported on his study of salaries related to time in rank and gender. Following this survey, he implemented a plan to ensure equity at all faculty ranks. "We don't know whether there is a salary equity problem within HMS clinical departments or not," says Eleanor Shore, dean for faculty affairs. "Our obligation is to ask each department head to analyze the data. This survey is a to-be-continued story." —Peta Gillyat