Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The Emory NGP values diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and we are committed to supporting our students, faculty, and staff in actionable ways that reflect our understanding of these challenges. While all individuals encounter obstacles on the path to graduate school and beyond, we recognize the existence of long-lived systematic barriers that disproportionately affect entry and thriving of women, PEERS (persons excluded based on their ethnicity or race), the LGBTQIA community, individuals with disabilities, and other under-represented minorities (URM) in science (see Notice of NIH's Interest in Diversity).

This is a living document that we will expand and update to be current and consistent with our values.

NGP Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Committee

The NGP's DEI Committee is a student-led programmatic committee within the Neuroscience program, with both student and faculty members. The DEI Committee is designed to integrate the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and justice into the NGP curriculum, policies, and culture. We aim to promote an environment that will support the success and well-being of NGP students, faculty, staff, and affiliates throughout their development academically, professionally, and personally.

The NGP DEI Committee aims to balance programmatic initiatives (i.e., within the Neuroscience Graduate Program) with campus-based advocacy (i.e., working with GDBBS, LGS, or Emory at large) to address systemic inequities in higher academia while promoting an inclusive environment within the Neuroscience program. Each member on the NGP DEI Committee is also deeply committed to self-education, reflection, and personal growth, aiming to foster a welcoming environment for those of all backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, abilities, and identities.

NGP DEI Committee members join one of 3 subcommittees: the Accountability Subcommittee, the Events Subcommittee, or the Internal Affairs Subcommittee. More information about each subcommittee's activities and goals can be found here, and general member roles can be found here.

The NGP DEI Committee's goals include:

• Identifying, promoting, and working towards specific actionable tasks that will help enhance and promote DEI within the NGP;
• holding the program accountable in its internal processes, procedures, and policies in relation to DEI-related values and best practices (e.g., faculty accountability, curriculum content, admissions procedures);
• hosting educational DEI-focused programming (e.g., seminars, discussions, book clubs, trainings) to foster conversations related to DEI between students, faculty, and staff within the program,
• collaborating with on-campus groups to promote the equity & inclusion for all NGP-affiliated students, staff, and faculty; and
• working with the graduate school at large to address systemic inequities, challenges, and barriers in higher-education and the academic workplace.

Co-Chairs: Saahj Gosrani (2nd year of term) and Hadassah Mendez-Vazquez (1st year of term)

Events & Outreach Lead: Trinidi Prochaska

Accountability: Aziz Elbasheir

Accessibility: Genevieve Craig

Internal affairs: Aryanna Wiggins-Gamble

Student members: Aziz Elbasheir, Eli Chlan, Maxine Robinette, Aryanna Wiggins-Gamble, Camille Trautman, Katie James, Genevieve Craig, Trinidi Prochaska

 Faculty representative: Mar Sanchez

If you're interested in joining or want more information, please email the committee at nsdeicommittee@emory.edu.

Enrollment and Graduation Statistics

As a community, the NGP is committed to creating an inclusive environment where all students feel valued, supported, and encouraged to pursue their academic pursuits. We encourage applications from all qualified students, including minority students, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities.

The Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (GDBBS) enrolls and graduates a diverse assortment of students. Diverse Education's Top 100 Degree Producers ranks the GDBBS 3rd nationally for graduating African American students and 14th for graduating all minority students from our PhD programs. Since Diverse Education began reporting the Top 100 Degree Producers rankings of the institutions that confer the most degrees to minority students in 2010, Emory has consistently ranked in the top degree producers in the country (see the Top 100 Archives).

Up-to-date data about admissions and enrollment at the Laney Graduate School, GDBBS, and Neuroscience Program level can be found on the Degree Program Statistics Dashboard. A snapshot of the enrollment statistics for the Neuroscience Program are provided below.*

(* Demographic categories reflect students' self-reported status in Emory's student information systems. Race and ethnicity categories reflect IPEDS categories. For more information, see Explanatory Notes on the Dashboard linked above.)

Fostering Diversity

Annual Learning about Laney Visitation Day

The NGP actively participates in the Annual Learning about Laney Visitation Day organized by the Laney Graduate School. For this event, LGS invites promising, highly qualified, prospective doctoral scholars from diverse backgrounds and experiences to virtually explore 35+ programs offered at Emory University. This visit is designed to familiarize potential LGS scholars with our graduate programs, faculty, staff, and current scholars while providing insight into the life of a PhD scholar. During the visit, NGP faculty and students have the opportunity to meet and discuss various aspects of our graduate program with the participants. All participants receive an application fee waiver for doctoral programs in The Graduate School.

Participation in Diversity Initiatives

Emory received a grant award from the NIH to fund the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD), which is a reflection of our commitment to increase the diversity within the scientific workforce. The IMSD program focuses on multi-level mentoring, research integrity, and career preparation and planning to foster competitive graduate school and postdoctoral applications. Additionally, Emory is one of ten schools who is partnering with Xavier University on a large NIH grant entitled " Project PATHWAY: Building Integrated Pathways to Independence for Diverse Biomedical Researchers". The objective of this grant is to develop new approaches to engage student researchers, including those from underrepresented backgrounds, and prepare them to thrive in the NIH-funded workforce. Faculty and students in the NGP attend and participate as judge in the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) meeting. In addition, NGP faculty actively participate in the recruitment and training undergraduate students from diverse institutions supported by the NIH-funded Blueprint initiative " Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity through Undergraduate Research Education Experiences (ENDURE)", a training program that aims at raising interest and opportunities in neuroscience research for individuals who are typically underrepresented in the field.

Undergraduate Research

Faculty in the NGP participate in the LGS-SOAR (Laney Graduate School-Summer Opportunity for Academic Research), a program that hosts potential Laney Graduate School applicants (non-Emory undergraduates only) who wish to explore, experience and conduct full-time independent and mentored research in the biomedical, biological, natural and public health sciences along with scholarly inquiry in the humanities and humanistic social sciences for the summer.

Graduate Fellowships

The Graduate School offers three types of highly competitive fellowships for biomedical science students: the George W Woodruff Fellowship, the Centennial Scholars Fellowship, the Women in Natural Sciences Fellowship and the Laney Graduate School Fellowship. These programs supplement the standard graduate fellowships offered to all students. The NGP has been very successful in competing for these awards to support the new students admitted in the program.

Accessibility

Emory provides all persons an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs and services afforded to others. The office of Department of Accessibility Services assists qualified students in obtaining a variety of services (i.e., alternative testing, notetaking, interpreting, advocacy, mobility/transportation, etc.) and ensures that all matters of equal access, reasonable accommodation, and compliance are properly addressed. Students and employees must register and request services from Disability Services at Emory University or Oxford College. Confidentiality is honored and maintained.