Sample DEI Statements

Statement 1
My commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion manifests in two primary ways. First, I serve on the
Department’s Diversity Committee. My role thus far has been to assist in a faculty search by providing
feedback on the diversity of the applicant pool, including advocating for applicants that augment the diversity
of the applicants. Second, as a First Year Group leader, I am in charge of mentoring first year BBSP students
and my students often include members of typically underrepresented groups in the sciences. As such, I do my
best to provide these students with a nurturing environment during their first year, and routinely liaise with the
IMSD program to foster their development. I also currently mentor one graduate student in my laboratory who
comes from an under-represented group, and I have sought to provide them with a rich training environment.
Through these experiences, I have become aware of how gender, race, and socioeconomic status influence
training opportunities and outcomes, and how this hinders the diversification of the faculty body.

Statement 2
Supporting diversity in the laboratory. I support diversity in my own laboratory by providing research
experiences to both graduate and undergraduate students. I have a strong record of supporting and training
female scientists including two female PhD students (one an underrepresented minority) and 3 female
postdoctoral associates. In addition, I have hosted 9 female undergraduates in my lab as summer interns, for
class credit or as volunteers. I have also supported diversity in my laboratory through my involvement with two
summer internship programs. I have hosted 3 students from the UNC Summer of Learning and Research
(SOLAR) program. SOLAR prepares minority students for graduate research and careers in science. My three
SOLAR students have gone on to continue their education in the sciences – one is currently a graduate student
at UNC, another has a research fellowship at the University of Maryland and the third recently matriculated to
UNC from a 2-year institution. I have also hosted three interns from the NIDA Summer Research program.
This program supports undergraduate students with a focus on increasing underrepresented populations in
drug abuse and addiction research. I also hosted a female graduate student from Iran who was in the United
States while her husband completed a fellowship at a neighboring institution. The time she spent in the
laboratory opened my eyes to the hardships and barriers to success in other countries that lack access to
research resources we take for granted every day.

Supporting diversity at the University level. My main contribution to promoting diversity at the University level
comes from my service on departmental chair, faculty and staff search committees and, most prominently in
my role as a committee member for BBSP graduate student admissions. For the last two years I have served on
the BBSP admissions committee for neuroscience. One of the main goals of the BBSP admissions committee is
to recruit candidates with different interests, background and perspectives. I find it gratifying to be involved in
graduate student recruitment at this level because I believe a diverse pool of graduate students adds
considerably to the UNC research community.

Supporting diversity in the community. The time I have available for community service is limited due to family
and work obligations but I make every effort to be involved in efforts to help members of our community in
need. I have been involved with the PORCH organization since it began in 2010. PORCH is an organization
started to help adults and children in our community who are “food insecure” by collecting monthly donations.
The organization supports a diverse group of people in Chapel Hill/Carrboro including African-American,
Caucasian, Hispanic and refugees from Burma, Syria and Congo. The work at PORCH to provide food to those
in need is especially important for school aged children that need regular access to food in order to focus in the
classroom and get the most of out the education opportunities that are available. My involvement with PORCH
at this time is limited to making regular food and monetary donations but I intend to become more involved
with PORCH and organizations like it as time allows.
Statement 3
I am a firm believer that all higher educational institutions, particularly universities should strive to build
community of individuals with diverse backgrounds and life experiences, free of discrimination based on racial
and ethnic origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, social economic status or religious belief. Unfortunately,
academic environments often fall severely behind these goals, failing to address systemic inequalities in
education, bias in hiring and mentoring relationships, and underrepresentation of women and under-
represented minorities in prominent academic positions. For example, the underrepresentation of women and
minorities on panels at scientific conferences, a subject of much recent debate, has been rather well
documented1. Research projects involving human subjects are also subject to inequalities in terms of inclusion
of women and minorities2,3, with additional bias towards including participants with higher socioeconomic
status4. Genetics, my research field, has also been susceptible to disparities in terms of study subject
recruitment. I have been and will continue to be committed to working to build a more diverse and inclusive
scientific environment, through teaching, mentoring, and research.

I have been trying to contribute to building a diverse environment, particularly in the following two aspects.
First, I have been making efforts to mentor students and postdoctoral fellows from diverse background with
mentees in my group from diverse background. Second, one area of my research has been focusing on
studying the under-represented minority populations, particularly the recently admixed African American and
Hispanic/Latino individuals. My group has developed many methods for the analysis of data from these
populations5-10. Focusing on these populations, we have also made serious efforts to advance genetic studies in
these individuals11-17. Creating and maintaining a sustainable diverse and inclusive research environment at
academic institutions is a non-trivial task. I am committed to working to seek for solutions throughout my
career.

Statement 4
I am committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in my clinical work, research and training
programs. I have completed Bias 101 and Safe Zone training, and proudly display an equity sign on my laptop.
On two occasions while using my laptop at a coffee shop, I have been approached by a complete stranger
who said ‘thank you for your support’. In addition, 3 years ago I was asked to serve as a mentor to students
enrolled in the UNC Science Enrichment Preparation (SEP) Program. SEP is an 8-week, honors-level academic
enrichment program that targets first-generation, underrepresented minority, rural, and/or socioeconomically
disadvantaged undergraduates seeking admission into graduate health professional programs. Students
shadow a UNC faculty member in an area of their interest. Over the last 3 years I have mentored 4 students
and remain a mentor to one of them. This activity is one of the most rewarding mentoring experiences for me
because the students are eager, genuine and respond positively to any advice and guidance on their quest for
a career in medicine. As I move forward in my career, I intend to continue to include issues of equity and
inclusion in my bedside teaching. I commit to annually attending a seminar offered by the University Office of
Diversity and Inclusion to learn more about the intersectionality of race, gender, and sexual orientation in
clinical care and medical education, and to confront my own biases and the biases of our medical culture to
improve inclusivity in my environment.