Achievements
2021 Achievements
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Hosted diversity and inclusion monthly journal club. Topics included systemic racism, representation in science textbooks, creating an inclusive lab environment, disability and accessibility in academic
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Organized outdoor activities including hikes at the Yale golf course and East Rock park.
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Paired current first-years with a graduate student buddy and implemented the faculty-trainee buddy program.
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Created action items based on laboratory feedback from discussions. Established an annual DEI speaker in the seminar program. Hosted Professors Richard Goldsby, Elijah Anderson and Mary Lui.
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Sends monthly newsletter with outreach opportunities, taught classes in Pathways to Science on immunology and vaccination to high school students,
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Brought up the difficulty in obtaining a therapist via Yale’s system to DGS and have planned to hold faculty-student luncheons.
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Surveyed the department to generate ideas and create action items on how to increase engagement within our department during and after the pandemic.
Prior Achievements
- IWGDI designed and conducted a survey to evaluate diversity-related perceptions and concerns in the department. A departmental townhall was convened to discuss the results with Dean Darin Latimore in 2019, resulting in more interest in engaging in STEM outreach and increasing diversity in the IBIO department. We have received multiple requests from other departments, such as Genetics for the survey.
- Recommended elimination of GRE requirement for IBIO PhD admissions program and accepted by the department.
- Pronouns added to name tags at recruitment to increase a sense of belonging
- Faculty attend SACNAS and ABRCMS annually
- Now roughly 50:50 representation of women and men at weekly invited seminar series
- Workshop for faculty and for trainees on reducing bias in writing letters of recommendation led by Dr. Suzanne Young, Director of Graduate and Postdoctoral Teaching Development at the Poorvu Center.
- Organized and held a department town hall in July 2020 to increase awareness about systemic racism in academia and to identify solutions. Associate Dean Rochelle Smith introduced key concepts and facilitated a discussion among the 100+ participants on zoom.
- Encouraged lab-wide discussions about systemic racism with prompts to discuss what we can do as individuals and as leaders within the scientific community. The IWGDI prepared 3 case studies/scenarios and reading materials.
- Posted images and messages on bulletin boards that educate and raise awareness of diversity and inclusion.
- Started a social/networking group for postdocs.
- Built connections for science outreach activities to the New Haven community and will teach several classes this summer.