IDARE Working and Steering Groups

The Department of International Health IDARE Working and Steering groups include student, staff, and faculty representatives across IH programs, centers, and positions. 

Working Group

The IH-IDARE Working Group was formed in 2020 (previously called DEI Working Group). Working Group meetings are held quarterly and are a place for the Department to get updated on IDARE activities, raise issues, and provide recommendations for future activities. There are approximately 50-60 people in the Working Group.

Specifically, the Working Group

1. provides input into IH-IDARE direction and activities
2. raises IDARE concerns within the department
3. supports IDARE activities

Steering Group

Steering Group members lead key activities related to IDARE within the department and act as important liaisons between programs, faculty, staff, students, and post-doctoral fellows. The Steering Group includes approximately 15-20 people.

If you are interested in being part of the Working Group or Steering Group, please email Rosemary Morgan. All faculty, staff, students, and post-doctoral fellows are welcome to join!

Aim

The overarching aim of the IH-IDARE Working and Steering groups is to: Elevate and promote a culture that supports inclusion, diversity, anti-racism, equity, and decolonization within the International Health Department through ensuring a culture of IDARE is woven into all education, research, policy, practice, and procedural initiatives within the department.

Objectives

The above aim will be achieved through meeting the following objectives:

1. Assist in providing programmatic opportunities that help train and educate faculty, staff, students, and post-doctoral fellows on threats to IDARE such as: unconscious bias, microaggressions, inequities, structural oppression (e.g. racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, heterosexism), and intersectional discrimination, as well as IDARE values and principles, such as anti-racism, decolonization, inclusion, diversity, and equity.
2. Create and promote an environment which faculty, staff, students, and post-doctoral fellows who are from the Black community, Indigenous peoples, and/or People of Color (BIPOC) feel welcomed, supported, and valued.
3. Advise the department on effective strategies for addressing unconscious bias in the screening and selection process for new faculty, staff, students, and post-doctoral fellows.
4. Assist in increasing access to International Health academic programs for the Black community, Indigenous peoples, People of Color (BIPOC), sexual and gender minorities, people with disabilities, and international students, while recognizing intersections of individual identities. 
5. Encourage and promote diverse representation at all career stages and leadership levels within the Department.
6. Assist the department in highlighting the work of diverse faculty, staff, students, and post-doctoral fellows, including from the Black community, Indigenous peoples, People of Color (BIPOC), sexual and gender minorities, people with disabilities, and those from low- and middle-income country contexts.
7. Ensure that the International Health curriculum is representative and inclusive of diverse populations, especially those who have been traditionally excluded or marginalized.
8. Work with the local community to advance issues related to inclusion, diversity, anti-racism, and equity to benefit and learn from the surrounding community.
9. Promote and encourage the Department’s commitment (as outlined in the Strategic Plan) to developing guidelines for ethical approaches to partnerships with overseas organizations and collaborators to help ensure that our work and engagement respects overseas partners’ expertise, helps develop their research, professional, and academic capacity and leadership, and ensures appropriate credit. 

Additional Steering Group Objectives

• Act as a liaison between the IDARE Steering Group/IDARE Associate Chair and the DIH academic and leadership teams, Student Committee, Staff Committee and the School-wide and Department IDARE working groups and committees.
• Ensure that IH IDARE activities are aligned with the Department of International Health Strategic Plan and the JHSPH IDARE Strategic Priorities and Action Plan.