Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research

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Abstract Diversity on science teams has been shown to increase research productivity and creativity, yet the scientific workforce lacks sufficient diversity. The long-term research career goal of the applicant is to develop research interventions and tools that provide guidance on how to bring diverse voices together in the research workplace. The overall objectives in this application are to: 1) gain a clearer understanding of what diversity, equity, and inclusion is and what contributes to it in the workplace through training, 2) design, implement, and test research questions that assess perceptions of inclusivity among underrepresented postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty in academia, 3) disseminate and translate research findings on inclusivity at the institutional level. The rationale for this project is that identification of perceptions of inclusivity among underrepresented individuals in the workforce is the first step to understanding what does and does not work at the institutional level. The parent grant, Building Up study, provides robust infrastructure and support for this work with the following specific aims: 1) Conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial to test the CEED intervention; 2) Study what factors impact participants; and 3) Disseminate the CEED intervention to other institutions. The research proposed in this application is innovative because it assesses perceptions of inclusivity among underrepresented postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty at 25 institutions that are almost all primarily white. During this assessment period, we have the opportunity to assess if underrepresented postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty plan on leaving their institutions and if so, why. This information is of great value because individuals from underrepresented backgrounds are more likely to leave primarily white institutions or academia altogether. The proposed research is significant because it assesses underrepresented individuals’ perceptions of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and procedures, as well as their sense of belonging, autonomy, respect, and inclusion.