OUR MISSION

The BMRL Diversity and Advocacy Committee (DAC) aims to promote open conversations and action related to diversity, inclusion, equity, and multiculturalism in the BMRL's daily activities. We aim to raise our lab's collective awareness about various forms of marginalization/oppression and work together to fight biases as they impact our staff, research participants, and community members. Finally, we aim to improve the quality of our research by collaborating with investigators to incorporate intersectional measures.

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OUR ACTION

Here are some of the ongoing DAC activities involving all lab members: 

• Ongoing monthly emails sharing research papers that expand our knowledge of health inequities, suggestions for social justice-related media, and concrete ways of doing activities for our community

• Reserved lab time to discuss research papers on health inequities, racism, and other forms of oppression as a group

• DAC Social Justice Media Club

  • Past: We Are Visible documentary by Karina Ulrike Sturm

  • Past: "Disclosure" by Laverne Cox (lab discussion)

  • Past: "13th" documentary by Ava DuVernay (lab viewing party and lab discussion) 

  • Past: "RGB" documentary by Julie Cohen & Betsy West (lab discussion) 

  • Past: "I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Built for Whiteness" book by Austin Channing Brown (2-part lab discussion; book suggested by Patrick Finan, PhD) 

• Safe Zone training and follow-up discussion about how our lab collects information about assigned sex at birth, gender identity, and individuals' preferred pronouns

• Sickle Cell Disease Association of America's Walk with the Stars (we're on a 3-year streak!)

• "​Levels of Racism in Academia: Part 1", colloquium presentation by Jenna Pelly, Deborah Fasholé-Luke, and Janelle Letzen

  • This presentation reviewed scholarly literature on forms of institutional racism in academia and identified concrete actions that the BMRL can take to combat institutional racism in our lab.​

• "Levels of Racism in Academia: Part 2", colloquium presentation by Alex Kearson, Chung Jung "Moon" Mun, and Carly Hunt

  • This presentation reviewed scholarly literature on forms of interpersonal and internalized racism in academia and identified concrete actions that the BMRL can take to combat microaggressions and other forms of interpersonal racism in our lab.​

• "Confronting Racism in Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Research", symposium presentation by Drs. Anna Hood, Calia Morais, and Janelle Letzen

  • This presentation reviewed scholarly literature on Critical Race Theory and fourth wave health inequities research and their application for psychiatry and behavioral medicine research. Further, practical examples and suggestions for how to adopt anti-racist research practices were discussed.

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OUR REGULAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS

All BMRL members are always encouraged to participate in DAC activities. The lab members below play a key role in organizing and leading these activities.