I&D Officer at Cell Press

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I am very excited to announce that I am the incoming Inclusion and Diversity Officer at @CellPressNews. Here are a few of my thoughts… 🧵

Over the past year plus, I have learned so much from my colleague @galette86 — Cell Press’s inaugural I&D Officer. It’s been an amazing privilege to work with and learn from her. There is no replacing her — and luckily, I don’t have to as we will continue to work together.

Right now, examples of the intersections between social justice, human rights, public health, science, medicine and diversity, equity and inclusion #DEI are legion.

The COVID pandemic illuminated longstanding health inequities; white nationalism is now mainstream; two plus years after the murder of George Floyd, some wonder whether anything has changed. npr.org/2022/05/25/1101135486/on-2nd-anniversary-of-george-floyds-killing-black-buffalo-residents-feel-the-wei

The curtailing of abortion rights threatens hundreds of thousands of people’s access to safe health care, particularly those from underrepresented groups.

Gun violence in the US is a **public health crisis** that also disproportionately affects minority groups.

The widespread anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment sweeping through the US, UK and elsewhere targets the already highly vulnerable, in some cases with legislation that criminalizes medical standards of care. The rhetoric and vitriol I read towards these communities is appalling.

Scientific misinformation abounds as political groups misappropriate the language of science and medicine to endanger individual and public health — again, disproportionately affecting the disenfranchised. twitter.com/isabelgoldm/status/1528715665045082113?s=21&t=XFeRwqv5CV11pDoNZZNUxA

The ability for scientific misinformation to go viral and the downstream (including health & violent) consequences that come from that are, in my mind, some of the the biggest threats we face. cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)00848-0?dgcid @dr_brein

The targeting of children’s hospitals based on false information is the latest example of what can happen when scientific misinformation takes hold — Boston Children’s experienced a bomb threat the other night. npr.org/2022/08/26/1119634878/childrens-hospitals-are-the-latest-target-of-anti-lgbtq-harassment

Against this anti-science and anti-DEI backdrop, it is imperative that scientific publishers not only foster and promote #DEI but work to combat these counter efforts.

Lack of diversity in STEM hurts us. "When groups of talented and qualified individuals lack opportunities to participate in the advancement of science and medicine, this causes harm to physicians, researchers, patients, and society.” @JulieSilverMD cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)00795-4

To maximize the effectiveness of DEI efforts, we need to move DEI initiatives “from opinion to evidence.” This is challenging, but @marcus_phd & @phdgprotein86 provide a roadmap for us. cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(22)00136-7#%20

A first, simple but essential step is elevating DEI work to make it equal to other work. That sounds a lot easier to do than it is. I think of DEI like exercise — unless you make it a priority, it’s the first thing to go once the day inevitably turns busy. twitter.com/isabelgoldm/status/1519660676293304320?s=21&t=nadtgwxaClNwtOT4blARuA

A sense of belonging is important — it’s critical for institutions to create such an environment. One thing they can and should do to help with this is stand up to anti-DEI agendas. You want to know that your institution/company has your back. twitter.com/isabelgoldm/status/1519660687143936001?s=21&t=1fZJ6s34C_fuiLwy5tfaNw

Inclusive language is important too. Using language that maximizes inclusion while guarding against exclusion benefits everyone — it widens our circle and unites us. When we are inclusive, we are a stronger group. And inclusive language helps achieve that goal.

Anti-DEI forces want to divide us. They want us to quarrel about “pregnant people.” But, “We can recognize that [abortion rights] impacts women while also recognizing that it impacts other groups. Those things are not mutually exclusive.” vox.com/2022/7/12/23205239/josh-hawley-abortion-rights-khiara-bridges

There is a resistance to changing language — often times, it’s as simple as, “we’ve always said that.” But we can evolve. Alternative phrases can promote inclusion and minimize exclusion. We can dispense with words and phrases like “blinded” and “native speaker.”

Finally, viewing DEI through an intersectional lens is paramount. E.g., when we talk about advancing #womeninstem, are we looking through the right lenses to make sure we are promoting women from historically marginalized groups?

I can’t look at the discussions around abortion rights, e.g., and not see racism, misogyny, anti-LGBTQ+, socioeconomic inequities, transphobia, among others, at every turn. If we look solely through a “women's rights” lens, I think we miss a lot and weaken our resistance.

I’ve watched how some in the LGBTQ+ community have climbed up the marginalization ladder only to turn back and facilitate the oppression of those on lower rungs. “No one is free until we are all free.”

If you made it this far, thanks for reading my stream of DEI-related thoughts. All of this is really to say: there’s a lot to do! I’m excited to tackle many of these issues and share my thoughts along the way.