View Program - 63rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference

A major challenge for the scientific community is that structural inequities in our society create barriers to success in science that disproportionately affect people from currently and historically marginalized groups. These inequities include institutional policies and practices that favor nonmarginalized groups, socioeconomic factors, and societal norms that perpetuate historical biases. They are pervasive, encompassing individuals’ experiences both inside and outside of the scientific community, and are often invisible to those who align with or benefit from these systems. The result is that our processes for identifying and promoting individuals based on merit fall short, and thus the scientific community cannot reach its full potential. Because these inequities have multiple causes, a sustained and multifaceted set of strategies are needed to address them. UCSF has a long history of valuing diversity and pursuing efforts to promote and advance justice, equity, and inclusion. I will discuss our recent efforts to increase the diversity of our graduate student population, and to cultivate and sustain a learning and training environment in which students from all backgrounds are able to thrive. Specifically, I will describe the establishment of our new postbaccalaureate program, PROPEL, which aims to provide trainees from historically marginalized backgrounds with the research experience and career mentorship needed to be competitive for top-tier biomedical science PhD and MD/PhD programs; the holistic review process we use for graduate program admissions; and new initiatives to strengthen mentor-mentee relationships in a diverse community. In addition, I will discuss the process we are using to engage students, faculty, and administrators in the development of these initiatives as well as the methods we are using to assess their efficacy. We know that creative solutions to address structural inequities are being developed at many different institutions around the country, and we are eager to share ideas and learn from one another.

Strategies at UCSF for addressing barriers in science that disproportionately affect people from marginalized groups.