According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, up to 50% of female medical school faculty experience sexual harassment at work. Women in biological sciences are even more likely to experience sexual harassment (up to 60%). Unfortunately, there are no known effective interventions to decrease sexual harassment at work.  Using a randomized controlled trial design, the previously NIH-funded E-STOP tests a specific multimodal intervention based on recommendations from the EEOC and others addressing civility, upstanding, implicit bias, microaggressions, upstanding, and sexual harassment.

• This research aims to address sexual harassment (SH) in biomedical research using a robust conceptual model based on rigorous prior research. The educational program is designed to empower leaders such as Principal Investigators (PIs) and faculty mentors to intervene and reduce sexual harassment, thereby enhancing the retention of women, especially those with intersectional identities, and sexual and gender minorities in the biomedical workforce. The target audience of this intervention is faculty involved in biomedical research training programs such as T32s, R25s, K24s, etc.
• This innovative intervention incorporates best practices in sexual harassment, diversity, and prejudice reduction research and addresses the importance of civility and upstander interventions. The training is conducted virtually, making it easily scalable for a broader impact. It comprises eight modules covering civility, upstanding, implicit bias, microaggressions, upstanding, and sexual harassment and incorporates interactive role-playing via video gaming elements.
• The study enrolls two cohorts in consecutive years. Each cohort will participate in initial assessments, the intervention, and follow-up assessments to evaluate both immediate and long-term effects for faculty and trainees.
• The educational content aims to improve knowledge about the aforementioned topics and, most importantly, prepare principal investigators and faculty to address sexual harassment when they see or hear about it happening. 

• To learn more about this study, please read the articles from Stanford Medicine and Yale School of Medicine.

   

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Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs

• What is E-STOP?

E-STOP stands for Ending Sexual harassment: Teaching of Principal Investigators. This is a formerly NIH-funded study to assess an intervention aimed at decreasing sexual harassment in biomedical research. Faculty participants will be randomized to either a control or treatment condition. The control condition will be focused on research ethics. The treatment condition will be a multi-modal intervention covering civility, microaggressions, implicit bias, and sexual harassment.

• Why is E-STOP needed?

Sexual harassment is a major problem in science, affecting up to 60% of women researchers. Sexual harassment is associated with worse mental and physical health and a higher risk of attrition among those who experience it. Unfortunately, the extant interventions to address sexual harassment do not seem to decrease its incidence. Thus, an intervention to effectively decrease sexual harassment is sorely needed.

In addition, our data from T32 PIs and mentors show they do not feel very confident in their ability to respond to sexual harassment and are interested in further education on this topic. Thus, E-STOP responds to this specific need.

• Why should I participate in E-STOP?

Up to 60% of women in biological sciences research experience sexual harassment. Sexual harassment not only makes it more difficult for people to do their job, it also contributes to attrition from the profession. E-STOP aims to help faculty create more inclusive working environments to improve the retention of women and other marginalized people, such as sexual and gender minorities. Anyone who cares about science should consider participating.

• If I, as the PI of a training program, enroll in this study, does everyone else in my lab have to enroll?

Although everyone else’s enrollment is contingent on the PI enrolling, the PI’s enrollment does not imply or require the participation of anyone else in the lab. Their participation is completely voluntary. Nota bene: Mentors and trainees who are currently part of and funded by your training program are eligible to participate. Former mentors and trainees are not eligible to join.

• Can mentors or trainees enroll if the PI doesn’t enroll?

No, mentors and trainees cannot participate without their PI. 

• When will E-STOP start? 

E-STOP is ongoing, and the next cohort is enrolling as of July 2025.

• How will participants of E-STOP be compensated?

PIs will receive up to $300, mentors are eligible for up to $250 in compensation for participating in this study, and trainees are eligible for up to $100 total for survey completion. PIs and mentors in both conditions will be eligible to receive up to 3 CME credits. Trainees may utilize a portion of the dataset while ensuring the confidentiality of participants' data for secondary analyses following the completion of data collection. Additionally, participants in the control group will be offered access to the treatment group's content upon completion of the study.

• How long is the follow-up period for the study?

The last follow-up will be up to two years after the completion of the educational program.

• How much time will it take to finish the study?

The study asks for about 3 hours of time from mentors and PIs over the period of about six months plus a little additional time to complete 3 total surveys over 2 years. The study asks trainees to complete up to 4 short surveys over 3 years.

• Who funds E-STOP?

E-STOP was originally funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences prior to being terminated early in June 2025.

• Why do you need 3 hours of my time?

Research suggests that diversity-related interventions shorter than several hours are unlikely to be effective. Recognizing how busy everyone is, we have packaged the content into digestible 20- to 30-minute sessions spread out over months.

• How many surveys will I need to do?

PIs and mentors will be asked to complete 3 surveys, one before the start of the program, one immediately after, and the last one one year later. Trainees will be asked to complete up to 4 surveys: one before the start of the program, one immediately after, one one year later, and the last one two years later.

• Who created the educational content?

The content has been created by the E-STOP team. You can learn more about our team members here.

• What’s the deal with the video games?

We have incorporated video game elements as choose-your-own-adventure experiences to allow participants to test out different responses to challenging situations and see how those responses play out. This gives participants a chance to experiment in a low-stakes setting in which they receive detailed feedback to inform real-life interactions.

• What happens if I try to do something suggested in the content and it backfires?

The information contained in the content is simply intended to provide background knowledge you may choose to draw upon in your life. We cannot predict how anyone will react to anything you might do or say, but we hope this educational material will help you have thoughtful conversations with those around you.

• How can I enroll?

If you are interested in enrolling, please contact estopstudy@stanford.edu or visit our contact form here. You may also contact Tiffany Do, who oversees our recruitment efforts, at tdo12321@stanford.edu.

• Who can enroll?

Principal investigators of T32s, TL1s, K24s, R25s, and R38s can enroll.

E-STOP flyer