Confronting Implicit Bias in Your Day-to-Day Life

Fred Smyth the director of undergraduate studies in the department of psychology at the University of Virginia. He directs the Full Potential Initiative, an NSF-funded longitudinal study of the development and influence of implicit attitudes about intellectual ability and academic belonging. An ongoing focus of Fred’s research is the causal role that varying implicit associations may play in shaping identities and contributing to perseverance in scientific studies and careers. His publication topics have included analyses of ethnic and gender differences in science graduation at selective colleges, standardized testing in college admission, comparisons of web- and laboratory-based implicit cognition experiments, and the relationship between implicit and explicit attitude measures.

Anne M. Etgen, PhD, is currently professor emerita of neuroscience, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, obstetrics & gynecology and women’s health, and pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. During her career at Einstein, her research on steroid hormone action in the brain was funded by NIMH, NICHD, NINDS, NIA, and the National Science Foundation (NSF). She is a two-time MERIT awardee from NIMH and served as editor-in-chief of the journal Hormones and Behavior from 2004-2008. Etgen has also contributed to Einstein’s efforts to foster the training of faculty in the clinical and translational research arenas, working through institutional K-12 programs, the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellowship program of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health, and as chair of the Scientific Advisory and Review Committee of Einstein’s Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. Etgen has won several awards and served on committees dedicated to training the next generation of neuroscientists and fostering diversity in the biomedical workforce. She now leads a national program called SEED (Scholarships to Enhance and Empower Diversity) aimed at enhancing the recruitment and retention of diverse early career neuroscientists into academic positions.

Kathie L. Olson is an associate professor of neuroscience at George Mason University. In addition her work in the area of hormones and behavior, Olsen has demonstrated immense commitment to promoting the professional development and equitable treatment of women in science throughout her career. She designed an NSF funding mechanism focused on mid-career development for women in science and engineering, and later strengthened programs designed to increase opportunities for women in the sciences. As deputy director of NSF, Kathie co-sponsored a White House conference on girls in science and technology with the Department of Education and helped to develop educational materials for girls interested in scientific careers with scientific organizations and the Girl Scouts of America. Kathie earned her PhD from the University of California, Irvine.