There have been recent gains in the percentages of people from underrepresented groups receiving doctorates in the biomedical sciences, but growth in the number of faculty from these groups has not kept pace. According to a survey conducted by NSF, women represent 38 percent of the academic workforce in science and engineering, while underrepresented minorities and people with disabilities each represent only 9 percent of that workforce (1). Soliciting strategies to enhance faculty diversity from the biomedical community, NIH reported the most commonly identified solution as “institutional responsibility” (2). Academic institutions need to further diversify the faculty who train and mentor the next generation of scientists.
In this webinar, two institutional leaders will discuss their institutions’ successful strategies to diversify their faculty and create an inclusive environment where faculty can thrive and serve as role models to trainees. Cristina Alfaro, provost chair of faculty diversity and inclusion at San Diego State University, and Philip Kass, vice provost for academic affairs at the University of California, Davis, will share their insights on cultivating strong support for and commitment to diversity and inclusion at the departmental and institutional levels.
Topics covered in this webinar will include:
- The scope of the problem in neuroscience and related disciplines.
- Principles and practices for advancing progress toward faculty diversity and inclusion.
- The myth that faculty diversity requires lowering academic standards.
- The need for strong commitment and leadership at the highest levels of administration to build a diverse faculty.
- Changing departmental culture surrounding diversity and inclusion.
- Developing curriculum and assessment metrics for faculty professional development in equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Navigating challenges to progress in equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Speakers
Cristina Alfaro, PhD
Cristina Alfaro, is provost chair of faculty diversity and inclusion at San Diego State University. She is a professor and immediate past chair of the dual language and English learner education department in the College of Education. She leads a team of equity professors charged with providing faculty and staff professional development on equity, diversity, and inclusion and becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution.
Philip Kass, DVM, PhD
Philip Kass is vice provost for academic affairs and a professor of analytic epidemiology at the University of California, Davis. Prior to this, he held the inaugural position of associate vice provost for faculty equity and inclusion. As an epidemiologist and biostatistician, Kass studies issues of importance to faculty success, including academic advancement, salary equity, enhancing an inclusive academic environment, promoting work-life integration and leadership, building community, and establishing a more diverse faculty. He holds doctor of veterinary medicine, master of preventive veterinary medicine, master of science in statistics, and doctor of philosophy in epidemiology degrees, and is board certified in epidemiology in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the UCLA School of Public Health and was recently named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Keith Trujillo, PhD
Keith Trujillo is a psychology professor and director of the office for training, research, and education in the sciences at California State University San Marcos. Previously, he was a researcher and teacher at the University of Michigan. As a psychopharmacologist and behavioral neuroscientist, his research interests lie in the neurobiology of emotion and the effects of drugs on the brain and behavior. Trujillo is a national leader working to increase diversity and inclusion in the sciences, alongside the Society for Neuroscience, the Marine Biological Laboratory, the National Hispanic Science Network, and others. He is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has an Associate’s degree in biological sciences from Shasta College, undergraduate degrees in biology, psychology and chemistry from California State University, Chico, and a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of California Irvine.
