Discover the future with Black Women in Biotechnology Research Foundation!

The Data

• Black women make up less than 2% of the biotechnology workforce in the U.S.

• Fewer than 5% of biotech PhDs are awarded to Black women annually.

• Black women-led biotech ventures receive under 1% of venture capital funding.

• In clinical research, Black women are rarely principal investigators, despite being disproportionately affected by the conditions biotech aims to treat.

These numbers reflect systemic exclusion—not a lack of talent. From lab benches to boardrooms, Black women face barriers in mentorship, funding, authorship, and institutional recognition.

Our Response: Innovation Rooted in Healing

The Black Women in Biotechnology Research Foundation exists to change this. We center Black women’s leadership in biotech by merging rigorous science with trauma-responsive care—especially through medical cannabis therapeutics.

Merging Biotechnology with Medical Cannabis Therapeutics

Medical cannabis is one of the most dynamic intersections of biotechnology and healing. It involves the use of cannabinoids—such as THC, CBD, CBG, and terpenes—to treat a wide range of conditions, including:

• PTSD, anxiety, depression

• Epilepsy, chronic pain, cancer

• Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

• Sickle cell disease, inflammatory disorders, and more

Biotechnology enables:

• Compound isolation and optimization: Extracting and refining cannabinoids for targeted therapeutic use

• Dosage mapping and delivery systems: Designing formats that respond to neurobiological and cultural needs

• Genetic and cellular research: Understanding how cannabinoids interact with the endocannabinoid system across diverse populations

• Digital engines and prescribing protocols: Translating complex science into scalable, trauma-responsive care

Why This Matters

When Black women lead in biotechnology and cannabis therapeutics, the field becomes:

• More responsive to trauma and lived experience

• More inclusive of cultural and community knowledge

• More innovative in its approach to care, access, and authorship

It’s not fringe science. It’s a frontier of precision medicine. And Black women are uniquely positioned to lead it.