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The Prevention Science program faculty were recently asked “ how they plan to make diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority in and out of the classroom. ” This generated a discussion among faculty that resulted in the list below representing faculty’s actions and ideas about how we commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our teaching, scholarship, and service. We would like to continue this discussion with faculty and students throughout the year and grow this list of ideas and actions. Our goal is to create a space where we can all learn from each other about ways to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in and out of the classroom. |
- I commit to creating a course curriculum that explores the contributions of all cultures to health knowledge and prevention science and also critiques the current state of the field to identify how the scientists perpetuate the status quo with their research questions and methods.
- When I invite a guest speaker to give a presentation in class, I talk with them in advance about our prioritization of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and I ask that they speak to this in their presentation.
- I aim to select articles for class readings that not only speak to values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, but are authored by scholars from diverse backgrounds.
- When organizing conference sessions or other professional panels, I invite presenters who represent diverse backgrounds.
- In teaching and research, I aim to critique my scholarship and that of others from a perspective of how such work may perpetuate inequity by ignoring or reinforcing practices and systems that sustain it.
- In teaching and research, I aim to make visible how the dynamics of privilege, power and oppression shape education and work for people across all levels of privilege, including how privilege is sustained by oppression.
- When asked to be part of an invited panel at a meeting or conference, I inform the organizers that I will only participate if the panel includes diverse representation.
- Addressing health disparities and promoting health equity is the primary focus of my research.
- My research team and I make active dissemination plans from the start of our research projects to facilitate our research findings getting into the hands of the communities who could benefit from the findings.
- When I teach, I do my best to follow best practices in creating an inclusive learning environment such as, modeling inclusive language, making accommodations for students with disabilities, creating multiple ways for students to participate, not asking people to speak for an entire group, learning students names, including photos of people of a variety of races/ethnicities and body sizes, etc.
- Annually, I review the latest research on creating an inclusive classroom environment and adjust my teaching strategies accordingly. Multiple times a year, I attend trainings by the Teaching Engagement Program on topics that aid me in creating an inclusive classroom environment.
- I am participating in the university’s Common Reading this year, listening to and reflecting on the 1619 Project audio series.
- I engage my research team in conversations about our positionality and relationship to our research and how we as a team can promote diversity and inclusion and better serve students from historically underrepresented groups. Then we make concrete plans to carry out our plans each term.
- I continue to challenge microaggressions when observed (in or outside of the classroom) and strive to become comfortable with the discomfort of these discussions.
- I respect that there is no one-fits-all approach to learning and use a variety of teaching methods to be responsive to students’ diverse experiences and ways of knowing to promote equity in educational outcomes.
- I continue to provide my advisees with recommended resources and readings on strategies for engaging in dialogues about race, and then provide opportunities for discussion and reflection on how those strategies might be useful in their personal and professional lives.
- My research, practice, and community service focuses on increasing access to high-quality evidence-based interventions for underserved populations.
- I regularly attend professional development training seminars on promoting racial equity in higher education, incorporating anti-racist practices into the classroom, and strategies for dismantling racist policies and practices in higher education.
- I continue to volunteer my time and donate money to organizations dedicated to promoting social justice and battling structural inequality.
