The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) is pleased to welcome Elizabeth Ochola as the newest at-large member of our Steering Committee. Elizabeth is a global health researcher at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and was selected from among 32 applicants from 12 countries following a November 2022 open call for a new at-large Steering Committee member in Africa.
Elizabeth says, “As a member of the DORA Steering Committee from sub-Saharan Africa, I am interested in advancing a balanced assessment of scientific output that does not rely on journal titles and impact factors but examines the significance of findings and the strength of evidence for positive mental health and career progression of early career scientists.”
DORA’s Steering Committee is an international, multidisciplinary body composed of representatives from publishers, funders, scholarly societies, and research institutions. Committee members play an integral role in the implementation of DORA globally by supporting DORA’s vision, approving policies, and steering strategic priorities. In 2022, DORA reviewed and updated its operational structure to better address structural inequities that limited participation in the Steering Committee and to distribute power outside of Europe and North America. Elizabeth will serve as one of three at-large members based in Africa.
Stephen Curry, the chair of DORA, says, “I very much look forward to welcoming Elizabeth to the Steering Committee. Reform of research assessment is a worldwide challenge and DORA draws great strength from the breadth and depth of experiences that members of the Committee bring from all corners of the globe.”
Elizabeth has also been a member of the eLife Early-Career Advisory Group since 2021 and currently serves as the early-career representative on the team supporting eLife’s Code of Conduct too. Stuart King, the Research Culture Manager at eLife who also sits on DORA’s Steering Committee adds: “Elizabeth is a passionate champion for the inclusion of early-career voices and the need for greater diversity and equity within research. She has been a valuable advisor to eLife and I am now thrilled to congratulate her on her new role with DORA too.”
This announcement has been co-published on the DORA and eLife (here) websites.