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About COSWD

About COSWD

The COSWD is the NIH thought leader in the science of scientific workforce diversity, helping to build biomedical and behavioral research capacity through a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible scientific workforce. Our efforts focus on the NIH intramural, extramural, and external communities, including NIH-funded institutions. NIH established the COSWD role in 2014 as a pivotal advisor to the NIH Director and catalyst for programs across NIH.

Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity

Marie A. Bernard, M.D.

Marie A. Bernard, M.D., is the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD). As the COSWD, she leads the thought regarding the science of scientific workforce diversity, assuring that the full range of talent is accessed to promote scientific creativity and innovation.

Dr. Bernard co-led the development of the Fiscal Years 2023-2027 NIH-wide Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) and is working on its implementation. She is cochair of the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director Working Group on Diversity, the NIH Steering Committee Working Group on DEIA, and the NIH UNITE initiative to end structural racism. Read Dr. Bernard's full bio.

Our Vision & Mission

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Our Vision

To enable NIH and NIH-funded institutions to benefit from a full range of talent, fostering creativity and innovation in science.

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Our Mission

To use evidence-based approaches to catalyze cultures of inclusive excellence as NIH’s thought leader in the science of scientific workforce diversity.

Strategic Plan

Our Strategic Plan

The 2022–2026 COSWD Strategic Plan outlines how we are pursuing our goal of promoting and sustaining DEIA in the biomedical and behavioral research enterprise by building, disseminating, and acting on the evidence.

NIH DEIA Strategic Plan

The Fiscal Years 2023–2027 NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) outlines how NIH will advance DEIA across its operations, workforce, and the research it supports in a transparent and accountable manner.

Read the plan

 

COSWD's Role Within NIH

NIH organization chart showing the components of NIH, with the NIH Director; followed by Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) Working Group on Diversity (WGD), COSWD, and NIH Steering Committee DEIA Working Group; followed by the NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs), which include NCI, NEI, NHLBI, NHGRI, NIA, NIAAA, NIAID, NIAMS, NIBIB, NICHD, NIDCD, NIDCR, NIDDK, NIDA, NIEHS, NIGMS, NIMH, NIMHD, NINDS, NINR, NLM, FIC, NCATS, NCCIH, CC, CIT, and CSR.