Department of Biomedical Engineering

Appoint Director of DEI initiatives for BME

Appointed Kennita Johnson, Ph.D. who has been with the BME Department for 10 years

Dr. Johnson has been able to make connections at both UNC and NCSU and outside the universities for the Joint BME Dept.

Person/Dept Responsible: Kennita Johnson

Formed a Diversity Committee comprised of Faculty, Staff and Students

Committee has met twice and is now forming subcommittees (Departmental Policies, Evaluation and Pipeline Programs) to implement activities in the BME department.

General Body BME Diversity Committee has a regular meeting time of every other month. In the interim, subcommittees meet and conduct business. Subcommittees consists of 32 permanent volunteers of grad students, faculty and staff.

Person/Dept Responsible: Kennita Johnson

Create a space for diversity on our website that incorporates our values and actions

Gathering information for website.

Person/Dept Responsible: Kennita Johnson

Interview faculty of color for new faculty positions in the department

Made faculty offers to URM candidates.

Continue to recruit faculty of color for open positions within the department.

Person/Dept Responsible: Paul Dayton

Graduate student support and mentoring

The DGS and GPC match URM applicants with research advisors to increase likelihood of matriculation.

Person/Dept Responsible: Caterina Gallippi

Supporting URM students financially

Prioritizing URM student applicants for UNC graduate school and NCSU COE fellowship nominations.

Person/Dept Responsible: Caterina Gallippi

Revision of the graduate program

Revisions to the graduate program from 2019 external assessment are being implemented. New strategies provide a more equitable path to graduation and more professional skills such as teaching.

The modification of the graduate program vision statement to be more inclusive.

Person/Dept Responsible: Caterina Gallippi

Developing a mentoring program in BME to help undergraduate URM students retention

Research effective strategies.

Person/Dept Responsible: Pipeline DEI Subcommittee

Support UNC students interested in BME through National Society of Black Engineers

Financially supported students attending a NSBE national conference for the past two years and financially supported a regional NSBE meeting

Dr. Johnson has become the faculty advisor for NSBE.

Person/Dept Responsible: Lianne Cartee, Kennita Johnson

Engage our students in Minority Engineering Programs (MEP) from NCSU COE

Dr. Johnson has connected with Ms. Angie Daniel, MEP Director. Dr. Johnson presented in the NCSU E144 class for minority freshman engineering students to inform them about the BME department. Dr. Johnson has also had the opportunity to speak to high school students about BME through MEP. 

Person/Dept Responsible: Kennita Johnson

Create research experiences for undergraduates for URM

COVID restrictions has not allowed undergraduates into the laboratory in summer 2020 and we are still uncertain for summer 2021. Dr. Sturdivant is developing a virtual program for summer 2021.

A committee was formed (Drs. Sturdivant, Freytes, Rahima Benhabour and Johnson) to develop an undergraduate research experience that would incorporate both sides (UNC and NCSU) of our department.

Person/Dept Responsible: Nasya Sturdivant

Participate in the NCSU College of engineering (COE) recruitment events for both undergraduates and graduates

Kennita Johnson attended the Virtual Society of Women Engineers conference and talked with undergraduates about graduate school with COE recruitment.

As a part of the Graduate Diversity Recruitment Subcommittee at NCSU, Dr. Johnson facilitated a workshop to teach undergraduates about the application process, which was attended by several schools.

Person/Dept Responsible: Kennita Johnson

Increase our Latinx Population

Sending Danny Freytes to Puerto Rico with Linda Krute for recruiting at University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Mayaguez

Drs. Danny Freytes and Kennita Johnson attended a virtual job fair at UPR Mayaguez. Drs. Freytes and Johnson are also developing direct partnerships with UPR Mayaguez faculty.

Person/Dept Responsible: Danny Freytes

Increase our Black and Latinx graduate population

Booth participation in ABRCMS for the last three years, with two URM grad student representatives from BME present at the booth to assist with recruiting along with the GPC.

We were not able to attend ABRCMS this year but we did receive names from colleagues that attended and followed up with those students.

Person/Dept Responsible: Vilma Berg, Caterina Gallippi, Kennita Johnson

Recruit a more diverse graduate population

Temporarily suspending, and depending on results in the next few years, very likely removing the GRE requirement for grad applicants.

Applications for graduate students are under review. Currently evaluating the effectiveness of removing GRE requirement and recruiting efforts.

Person/Dept Responsible: Caterina Gallippi

Recruit a more diverse undergraduate population

Use a holistic admissions process for undergraduates by including an essay so admission is not solely based on grades.

Dr. Sturdivant has evaluated the demographics of students that have entered the department. Found that URM students who apply to the department gain admission but there is a low number of URM applicants.

Person/Dept Responsible: Lianne Cartee, Nasya Sturdivant

Increase the number of speakers of color at departmental seminars

Graduate students invited Dr. Manu O Platt from Georgia Tech to speak at the seminar series

Person/Dept Responsible: Frances Ligler

Formed a diversity subcommittee that addresses departmental policies

The Departmental Policies Subcommittee consists of faculty, staff and graduate student. Have made recommendations to adjust departmental policies to safeguard an inclusive environment.

Person/Dept Responsible: Kennita Johnson

Participate in pre-college activities to build a robust start to the biomedical science pipeline

Biomedical engineering summer camp for local high school students (2020 was virtual)

Plans are underway for summer 2021. Seeking to give need-based scholarships to camp so high schools from all socioeconomic groups can attend. Pipeline committee has other programming for high school and middle.

Letter of support for NIH SEPA project, Spectrum: Building Pathways to Biomedical Research Careers for Girls and Women of Color (Ms. Tifferney White, Chief Learning Officer at Discovery Place) Individual faculty, staff and student advocacy work.

These projects have been combined into the Pipeline DEI Subcommittee.

Person/Dept Responsible: Graduate Student Association, Pipeline DEI Subcommittee, Kennita Johnson

Increase interaction with honors colleges of HBCUs

Met with NC A&T and NC Central representatives. Will expand

Person/Dept Responsible: Nasya Sturdivant, Kennita Johnson

Increase interaction with NC A&T BME students and faculty.

The DGS and DGP going to NC A&T to deliver a research seminar and to promote the Ph.D. program.

Since NC A&T has joined the UNC-NCSU BME seminar and because of the COVID restrictions, BME faculty has not had an opportunity to present at NC A&T. We NC A&T BME students and faculty are participants in our weekly departmental seminar.

NC A&T BME students and faculty were able to successfully attend virtual department seminars in Fall 2020. This relationship will continue for the Spring 2021.

Person/Dept Responsible: Caterina Gallippi, Frances Ligler

Build stronger relations with the SOM Graduate Education Office and the Graduate School Diversity Success Programs

Dr. Johnson continues to make connections at both UNC and NCSU to understand where key resources are for the members of the BME department.

Person/Dept Responsible: Kennita Johnson

Support diversity programs that promote biomedical sciences

Letters of support for NIH R25 – Transforming Kidney Care through Patient Centered Problem Solving: the UNC Kidney Technology Incubator (Dr. Prabir Roy-Chaudhury, Kidney Center)

Person/Dept Responsible: Kennita Johnson