Department of Epidemiology
Learn how we advance public health globally by researching the frequency, distribution, and causes of human disease, and shaping health policies and practices.
677 Huntington Avenue
Kresge, 9th Floor,
Boston, MA 02115
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) Committee
The Department of Epidemiology’s EDIB committee is an advisory group consisting of a diverse membership of faculty, researchers, students, and staff who are committed to promoting equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging throughout the department in various ways.
Working closely with department leadership, the committee has met once a month since it was established in the spring of 2021. The group consults regularly with the Harvard Chan School’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), to align priorities and goals.
Three priority areas were defined by the School’s ODI :
- Leadership & Institutional Systems
Goal: Build institutional systems and policies coupled with leadership practices and organizational resources that allow for sustainable diversity best practices and progress across core functions of the school. - Learning Culture at Harvard Chan School
Goal: Establish institutional policies, practices, and expectations for our leaders and all community members that center the development of awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary for fostering cultures of belonging and inclusion. - Diversity of Our People & Their Success
Goal: Increase representation of historically marginalized communities, underrepresented Black, Indigenous and communities of color, and access to resources, programs, and networks that promote success and value unique perspectives in an anti-oppressive environment.
Departments are asked to use these as a guide when defining areas of focus, opportunities, and objectives. Each year, the committee sets specific department goals that align with these areas.
Committee Goals for Academic Year (AY) 2024-2025
Action Item: Address concerns raised by Population Health Sciences (PHS) students around “racist comments” from faculty & staff in a multi-step approach. The initial phase (AY23-24) focused on better understanding concerns with the help of a Pedagogy Fellow, by evaluating existing data, including past course evaluations and Epi-specific data listed in the PHS survey, and collecting new data through 1:1 office hours. For the next phase, we plan to have our EDIB subcommittee review disaggregated/anonymous data for trends within specific courses and specific substantive content. Then, share trends and higher-level concerns directly with the department leadership and provide high-level guidance on tracking and addressing issues around classroom climate and discrimination in our curriculum.
Action Item: Revamp the previously organized “Epi Postdoc Journal Club” to be “Epi Postdoc Networking Group” to create opportunities for our postdoc fellows to expand their networks and collaborate across the department, and to reduce the feelings of being siloed to their respective research groups.
Action Item: As a broader effort to increase the diversity of our graduate program applicants through earlier outreach and opportunities for exposure to the public health field – particularly epidemiology – engage HPREP to form a partnership and pitch epidemiology-focused content to be included in their AY25-26 program. AY24-25 will be focused on developing a proposal for epi content/curriculum to be pitched to HPREP leaders and forming a partnership. Based on the success of this partnership, the committee may expand upon this effort in subsequent years with other programs.
Action Item: Evaluate the artwork and decorations around the 9th floor of Kresge building (central to our department) and make recommendations to create a space that is more representative of the department.