Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

My goal is to have equitable practices at the center of all my activities. In addition to the elements of the BUSPH motto: Think. Teach. Do. For the Health of All, I include Learn. It is essential that I continue to learn and educate myself around diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility.

Think. I strive to create an inclusive research environment where all members of my team feel valued. I believe a part of this inclusion is the ability for students and researchers to see themselves in the data being examined. This belief led to, for example, a decades long collaboration with the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), which when established was the largest genetic study of African Americans. The BU Summer Institute for Biostatistics (SIBS) welcomed JHS speakers and used JHS data as part of the curriculum, broadening the exposure of SIBS students to diverse data sets.
Recognition of the focus on white populations within my own research in genetics goes back 25 years (Levy et al 2000; PMID: 11040222). I appreciate the recent emphasis on diverse populations within genetic studies and currently strive to incorporate the concepts from TOPMed (PMID: 36119389) and the NASEM publication “Using Population Descriptors in Genetics and Genomics Research: A New Framework for an Evolving Field” in my research. I served as the co-chair of the ad hoc committee on Race, Ethnicity and Ancestry for the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project to help identify best practices for this large project focused on whole genome sequencing in diverse populations related to Alzheimer’s disease.

Teach. I am grateful for the opportunities that have been available to me at BU to learn and to teach related to DEI. In 2018-2019 I participated in the Inclusive Practitioner Cohort, which fostered multiple connections across the university. In 2018 I took on the role as Graduate Affair Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion, supporting these important issues across all graduate programs at BU. Working with co-fellow Tyrone Porter and then Simone Gill, we developed and implemented programs across three pillars: Pillar 1: Diversify recruitment, Pillar 2: Encourage best practices for admissions, Pillar 3: Build community and positive experience. Under Pillar 1 I coordinated BU exhibitor presence at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) and Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) conferences and participated in virtual recruitment events via Howard University Karsh STEM Scholars program, San Diego State University & the Black Doctoral Network. We also developed and implemented virtual and in-person BU visit programs for prospective PhD applications from populations historically underrepresented in the academy. Much of the work for Pillar 2 on equitable admissions was done in concert with the Equity In Graduate Education (EGE) consortium led by Dr. Julie Posselt. BU participated as a founding EGE consortium partner and I served as one of the BU consortium liaisons. Via the consortium I received facilitator training for two workshops on equitable graduate admissions and have had the pleasure of running them multiple times at BU with co-facilitator Vincent Stephens. It was always a pleasure, as part of Pillar 3, to meet with underrepresented BU graduate students and connect them with each other. And to provide support the BU SACNAS chapter and the UGSO (Underrepresented Graduate Student Organization). I believe it is essential to gain and then share knowledge. After I completed the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project (ISTP) and participated in a BU Learning Community, it was a wonderful experience to partner with Dean Yvette Cozier and twice offer the ISTP to the BU Medical Campus community and co-facilitate the Learning Community with her. I have served as co-chair of the BUSPH Biostatistics DEI committee since its inception in 2019. I currently am the Biostatistics representative on the BUSPH-wide DEIJ committee.

Do. I am grateful for the opportunities provided to me via Chary Ortiz, a long-time BUSPH co-worker and friend to engage with her community that surrounds the BU Medical Campus. In the summers of 2016 through 2019 we implemented a “Celebrate Urban Birds” event at the Blackstone Community Center. Over the four years, these events introduced over 100 campers to science, birding, data visualization (histograms), and greening their community.
https://celebrateurbanbirds.org/community/events/blackstone-community-center-celebrates-urban-birds/
https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2019/celebrating-urban-birds-science-and-conservation/

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