August, 2022
A Message from the COSWD, Marie A. Bernard, M.D.
I invite you to register for our first Scientific Workforce Diversity Seminar Series (SWDSS) event of the 2022–2023 season, “How Does Diversity Affect Innovation in Pharma?,” on Wednesday, September 14, from 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET. Afterward, all trainees are invited to a special career development session from 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET. I highly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity to further engage with the seminar panelists.
The five events in our inaugural SWDSS had more than 4,200 attendees, exceeding our expectations. I hope you are looking forward to our new season of stimulating conversations.
This newsletter highlights our Implicit Bias Training Course, recently updated with a new learning module and a short refresher course. Meanwhile, our 2020 COVID-19 survey findings report describes how the pandemic impacted the research workforce, particularly vulnerable and underrepresented groups.
I appreciate the thoughtful input from all respondents to our Request for Information on a potential prize competition to reward and promote inclusive excellence. We are reviewing comments and will provide an update this fall.
Thank you for your continued interest in COSWD endeavors. I hope you enjoy reading about our recent progress below.
COSWD News Roundup
Progress Addressing NIH Racial and Ethnic Funding Gaps: A June COSWD and Office of Extramural Research blog post presents the latest data on NIH's progress toward narrowing racial and ethnic funding gaps across all grant mechanisms.
New Implicit Bias Training Course: Our Implicit Bias Training course has a new module, and we added a refresher course for those who have completed the original. Both help users learn what bias is, how to recognize it, and how to minimize its impact.
COVID-19 Workforce Survey Findings Report: Two 2020 COVID-19 surveys assessed the pandemic’s impact on the NIH research community. Our recent report describes the survey methodology, key findings, and implications for the scientific workforce.
FIRST Program Faculty Recruitment: Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) program awardees are recruiting cohorts of early-stage investigators. Please share these positions with your networks.
In Case You Missed It: Recent Posts from the COSWD Blog
- Register Today for "How Does Diversity Affect Innovation in Pharma?"
- Welcoming Dr. Ericka Boone, New Director of the NIH Division of Biomedical Research Workforce
Mark Your Calendar
Upcoming Seminar: How Does Diversity Affect Innovation in Pharma? Register today for this SWDSS event on Wednesday, September 14, from 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET. A panel of experts will discuss how enhancing diversity and inclusion impacts creativity and innovation in pharma. Then the panelists will discuss their professional pathways in a session for trainees from 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET. Follow COSWD on Twitter and LinkedIn for SWDSS updates.
Question of the Month
Which of the following are among the many approaches the NIH uses to enhance biomedical and behavioral research workforce diversity?
1. Collecting voluntarily, self-designated demographic information about key personnel on research project grant applications to enable understanding of the diversity of researchers supported by NIH funding.
2. Funding the Diversity Program Consortium, a network of institutions improving training and mentoring for scientists from diverse backgrounds.
3. Charging the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity with leading NIH’s thought on diversifying the national scientific workforce.
4. All the above.
5. None of the above.
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