Janine Austin Clayton, M.D., FARVO, Associate Director for Research on Women’s Health and Director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is the architect of the NIH policy requiring scientists to consider sex as a biological variable across the research spectrum. This policy is part of NIH’s initiative to enhance reproducibility through rigor and transparency. Dr. Clayton was recently elected to become a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). In 2021, Dr. Clayton was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). As co-chair of the NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers with the NIH Director, Dr. Clayton also leads NIH’s efforts to advance women in science careers. Dr. Clayton has been instrumental in leading NIH efforts for the White House Women’s Health Research Initiative, established by Executive Order 14120, for which she serves as a co-chair for Data Standards and Research Methods.   

Prior to joining the ORWH, Dr. Clayton was the Deputy Clinical Director of the National Eye Institute (NEI) for seven years. A board-certified ophthalmologist, Dr. Clayton’s research interests include autoimmune ocular diseases and the role of sex –related differences in health and disease. She is the author of more than 120 scientific publications, journal articles, and book chapters.

Dr. Clayton has received numerous awards, including the Senior Achievement Award from the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2008 and the AMA Nathan Davis award for Outstanding Government Service in 2017.  In 2023, Dr. Clayton received the American Medical Women’s Association AMWA Presidential Award. In 2024, Dr. Clayton received the Society for Women’s Health Research Health Public Service Visionary Award and was recognized as a Precision Medicine World Conference (PMWC) Luminary Honoree.