BMB Diversity and Inclusion

In April 2016, a collection of BMB trainees, staff, and faculty had the first meeting of a team that would become the BMB Diversity and Inclusion Committee.  This committee, co-chaired by departmental administrator Kear Wright and Professor Janice Evans, has worked in partnership with leaders in the university community, such as the Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Cultural Competency and the School of Public Health Office of Student Life, to foster awareness in the department of these important societal issues.

In spring of 2017, the committee issued a Cultural Competency Needs Assessment survey, and held a kickoff event titled "Cultural Competency and the Future of BMB," presented by Eloiza Domingo-Snyder, Deputy Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Cultural Competency for Johns Hopkins Medicine, and James Page, Johns Hopkins Medicine Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion. This kickoff event was followed by an experience-sharing activity at our departmental research retreat in early April. 

This committee will be hosting and sponsoring more events and forming partnerships with the overall goal of enhancing the diversity climate in the department and in the School. The committee welcomes the input and ideas from BMB alums as we strive to achieve the goals defined by our mission statement: 

"The mission of the BMB Diversity and Inclusion Committee is to advance the Department’s valuing of a diverse and inclusive community, and to develop a welcoming, supportive environment for trainees, staff, and faculty.  By educating department members of the importance of diversity, equal opportunity, and civility, we seek to nurture the Department’s multicultural community and champion diversity in the biomedical sciences and academia."

PHOTOS COURTESY OF  TARA BISER