JUNE, 2020
Department of Global Health Diversity & Inclusion Committee Updates
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We would be completely remiss if we did not start off by saying unequivocally that
Black Lives Matter
. Full stop.
In addition to the stressors of COVID-19 over the last months, the attacks on people of color across the country and the subsequent response to the protests has added further stress and risk to members of our community. On the one hand it has made us very grateful for being part of a team like this and the SPH community, but on the other hand it has made us realize how superficial our “gains” in diversity really are. Highlighting how much work there is still to do and how important this group is.
As a Diversity and Inclusion Committee we collectively feel strongly that we must recognize while the racist events of the past weeks have highlighted the additional burden and risk carried by people of color this is not something new, we need to speak out and act now but we also need to think about ways to sustain the conversation and action in the future.
While we may often feel we are at a loss for words, it would be an injustice to remain silent and pass the burden of speaking up solely to people of color. As a committee,
- We support change to build an anti-racist culture in our community and in our work as we see racism affecting health both here in the US and globally.
- We ask members of our department to provide us feedback on activities they would find helpful in starting, supporting and sustaining action.
- We listen. We remain fully committed to listening to each other and marginalized, underrepresented voices, and challenging our own biases, stereotypes, and prejudices. Through listening we learn and we do better.
We hope everyone will attend today'
s 5:00 pm
Conversation on Race and Policing
,
led by SPH students, staff, and faculty; an opportunity for us to have a conversation as a community about these issues.
~The DGH Diversity & Inclusion Committee Core Working Group
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In 2019 we formed a Diversity & Inclusion committee to give us a better understanding of ourselves and those we serve, while helping us to
Think. Teach. Do.
more innovatively as an equitable, conscious department. We held early meetings in the spirit of listening and learning. We brainstormed on the purpose and direction of our committee and completed strategic goal-setting exercises.
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We kicked off 2020 with an Action Planning Meeting in January where we synthesized your suggestions and input, and workshopped a draft mission and vision statements, over-arching goals, and purposed operational guidelines.
We formed a
Core Working Group
comprised of faculty and staff committed to the operationalization of the committee and the planning and implementation monthly events.
We launched the
Monthly D&I Dialogue Series,
an open, respectful, and collaborative learning opportunity for faculty and staff. It is our hope that through dialogue we can learn from one another and grow in our collective understanding and commitment to a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable department.
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DGH D&I Core Working Group Members 2020
Pawandeep Kaur,
Co-Chair
Thomas Lee Jr.,
Co-Chair
Zaina Kiragu
Lawrence Long
Lisa Messersmith
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Dialogues to-date have covered
Teaching Beyond the Gender Binary in the University Classroom,
How to Be An Anti-Racist,
and
Gendered Power on a World Scale.
Additionally we set out to organize monthly D&I trainings and presentations from experts outside of our department. Admittedly, this was hindered by COVID-19 and remote working. However, we are fully committed to implementing these opportunities moving forward.
We thank everyone one of you for your interest, engagement, and support. All are fully invited to participate in any and all of programming. Please let us know if there is any way we can make our committee more accessible and accommodating. We openly welcome feedback, suggests, and constructive criticism.
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Commemorating Pride Month
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Happy Pride Month! Around the world LGBTQIA+ people, leaders, advocates, and allies are joining together to
commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots
and to celebrate identity, diversity, and human rights.
2020 is particularly momentous as the usual annual marches and parades have been postponed or moved online to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. LGBTQIA+ organizations worldwide are
working even harder to keep queer people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic
.
However, that won't stop the LGBTQIA+ community and our allies from marking the pivotal victories in the fight for equality and against homophobia, transphobia, hate and bigotry worldwide.
As global health researchers, educators, and practitioners we are afforded the amazing opportunity to promote the health and dignity of people worldwide with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. From the field to the classroom creating inclusive spaces goes a long way to support members of this community, especially our students.
I highly encourage each of you to take a moment to explore some resources, attend an event virtually, think critically, and generate ideas on how to make our department and school a more welcoming, safe institution.
Suggested Resources
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JUNE 10
COVID-19 in Developing Nations and Among Refugee Populations
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3:00-4:00 PM - A panel discussion with DGH's Associate Professor Monica Onyango, Assistant Professor Elaine Nsoesie, and Assistant Professor Lawrence Long.
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JUNE 15
A Follow-Up Conversation on Race and Policing
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1:00-2:30 PM - A
follow-up dialogue to the SPH-wide conversation (June 3) and learning o
pportunity for the Department of Global Health facilitated by the Associate Dean of Practice, Craig Andrade.
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JUNE 24
Monthly Dialogue - How to Survive a Plague; Book/Documentary Review
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3:00-4:00 PM - In commemoration of Pride Month 2020. A riveting, powerful telling of the story of the grassroots movement of activists, many of them in a life-or-death struggle, who seized upon scientific research to help develop the drugs that turned HIV from a mostly fatal infection to a manageable disease. Ignored by public officials, religious leaders, and the nation at large, and confronted with shame and hatred, this small group of men and women chose to fight for their right to live by educating themselves and demanding to become full partners in the race for effective treatments. Around the globe, 16 million people are alive today thanks to their efforts.
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BU D&I's COVID-19, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Online Series
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June 4 | 11 am - 12:30 pm
Mental Health, Race, and COVID-19
June 10 | 1 - 2:30 pm
COVID-19 and the LGBTQIA+ Experience
June 16 | 1 - 2:30 pm
Social Class—Impacts and Considerations in Higher Education
June 22 | 1 - 2:30 pm
COVID-19 and Living with Disabilities
June 30 | 1 - 2:30 pm
Religious Practice, Spirituality, and COVID-19
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Announcements & Recent News
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COVID-19 and LGBTQ Populations
SPH experts weigh in on how the coronavirus is affecting sexual and gender minorities in the US and around the world.
Features DGH Staff member Thomas Lee Jr.
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South Africa Expects 3.4 to 3.7 Million COVID-19 Cases by November
Assistant Professor Brooke Nichols is helping governments make informed decisions about the coronavirus as part of the South African COVID Modeling Consortium.
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Faculty Spotlight: Clarissa Valim
Spotlights Research Associate Professor of Global Health Clarissa Valim who advances public health through collaborations within the field and across sectors.
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Sexual and Gender-Based Violence during COVID-19: Lessons from Ebola
Disease outbreaks like COVID-19 threaten the health of all. But women and girls are disproportionately affected.
Written by Associate Professor Monica Onyango.
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"As a Muslim from Nigeria, I want to explore how religion and culture play a role in women's experiences of domestic violence."
Bilqis Williams, a second-year MPH student (Global Health Context Certificate) from Nigeria, shares her experience as an international student, and her interest in bringing awareness to intimate partner violence (IPV).
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Professor Wins Two Education Awards
Professor Matthew Fox received the Society for Epidemiologic Research Excellence in Education Award and the BU Provost’s Scholar-Teacher of the Year Award.
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Integrating Domestic Violence Prevention and Mitigation into Global COVID-19 Preparedness and Relief Efforts
Nafisa Halim, research assistant professor of global health, reflects on the recent reports of a potential global surge in domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic for
BMC
.
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What About Men of Color?
Neonatal Intensive Care Units are
stressful e
nvironments for fathers, as well as mothers, but nurses often ignore stressed fathers to care for mothers.
Written by MPH candidate Edward Alexander.
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Counting Trans Health
Transgender people are particularly vulnerable to a variety of poor health outcomes including depression, HIV, substance use, and suicide.
Written by MPH candidate Gray Babbs (Sex, Sexuality, and Gender Context Certificate).
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Staff Member Appointed Vice-Chair of BU LGBTQIA+ Network
Thomas Lee Jr. will develop activities and goals for the initiative, one of four new Faculty & Staff Networks to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion across the university.
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June SPH and Around BU Events
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JUNE 3
A Conversation on Race and Policing
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5:00-6:00 PM - SPH will be hosting a virtual space for the community to come together to discuss current events surrounding race and police brutality. We will be joined by students to start conversations with faculty and staff, followed by space for community input.
Learn More
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What's Next: A Town Hall with Boston University's Black Community facilitated by UMOJA - The Black Student Union
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5:00-6:00 PM
Zoom Meeting ID:
810 3229 2502
Password:
1qT5ru
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JUNE 4
Dean's Symposium - Teaching Public Health: Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Justice: Part 1 - Inclusivity in Course Design and Education Policies
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4:30-6:00 PM - SPH biennial symposium, split across sessions over three weeks, on teaching public health will explore best practices in inclusive pedagogy. Speakers will address educational policies, course design, content, and other approaches that optimize learning for all students.
Learn More
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JUNE 5
Collective Space for Community in Crisis
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1:00-3:00 PM -
The BU Office of Diversity and Inclusion welcomes members of the BU Community to join in reflecting on recent events and sharing excerpts, materials, and other resources that have helped them stay centered, focused, connected, and to, in these very difficult, troubling times, remain hopeful for a different, better future.
Learn More
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JUNE 9
Dean's Symposium - Teaching Public Health: Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Justice: Part 2 - Best Practices in Teaching More Inclusively
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4:30-6:00 PM - SPH biennial symposium, split across sessions over three weeks, on teaching public health will explore best practices in inclusive pedagogy. Speakers will address educational policies, course design, content, and other approaches that optimize learning for all students.
Learn More
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JUNE 12
Remote Teaching and Learning Series - Student Voices: Examining Success and Identifying Areas of Opportunity
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10:00-11:00 AM - Remote teaching is only half the story. Students in leadership roles, athletics, graduate students and members of BU’s Cross-Disability Club, and more, share their remote learning experiences, discuss what they miss about the on-campus experience, and elements of remote instruction they most appreciate.
Learn More
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JUNE 17
Staff and Faculty Extend BU Disability Support (SAFEBUDS) - Staff Chat
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12:00 PM
Meeting ID: 978 2830 5102
Password: 231311
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Dean's Symposium - Teaching Public Health: Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Justice: Part 3 - Keynote Address and Reaction from the Classroom
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4:30-6:00 PM - SPH biennial symposium, split across sessions over three weeks, on teaching public health will explore best practices in inclusive pedagogy. Speakers will address educational policies, course design, content, and other approaches that optimize learning for all students.
Learn More
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JUNE 19
Staff and Faculty Extend BU Disability Support (SAFEBUDS) - Faculty Chat
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2:00 PM -
"Taking Our Masks Off & Having Tea: Breathing, Sipping, and Conversing Together as Faculty Living with a Disability in COVID-19"
Meeting ID: 985 1165 2490
Password: 928586
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JUNE 25
Dean's Symposium - Teaching Public Health: Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Justice: Part 2 - Best Practices in Teaching More Inclusively
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4:30-6:00 PM - SPH biennial symposium, split across sessions over three weeks, on teaching public health will explore best practices in inclusive pedagogy. Speakers will address educational policies, course design, content, and other approaches that optimize learning for all students.
Learn More
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