Commitment to Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism

Department Value Statement

We, members of the Boston University Health Sciences Department, affirm unequivocally that Black Lives Matter, and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, with Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and with all who have and continue to be affected by the racist structures of our society, and injustice.

We condemn the brutality and racist hate, violence, and murder of BIPOC-identified individuals, not only recently but across many centuries. We recognize that centuries of racism persisting in America does not equate to centuries of addressing and eradicating racism, and there is significant work to be done in achieving a truly equitable society. While, primarily, individuals from marginalized communities have been combating oppression throughout history, larger societal movements to tackle systemic racism in this country only started less than 100 years ago. We recognize that racist, oppressive systems have persisted within many organizations, communities, and institutions for much longer. 

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Furthermore, we recognize that Boston has significant racist roots, including but not limited to disparities in opportunities offered to Bostonians in housing, education, access to healthcare, transportation, and other resources necessary to live and thrive. Specifically, Boston still suffers from the lasting effects of discriminatory urban development and housing practices that correlate with significantly different health outcomes between neighborhoods within the city (see this article from the BU School of Public Health , this piece in Boston Magazine, and this article from EGC Boston). Our commitment to equity and justice in the classroom extends into our communities as well.

We recognize many diversity, equity, and inclusion statements are often read as performative, and were created in reaction to the recent events that have taken place that have received significant media attention. We recognize that these recent events merely scratch the surface of the oppressive and violent roots that this nation was founded upon. In the hopes of being proactive in our determination to achieve equity, we have concluded this statement with actions that are currently being taken, and actions that we are working to bring to the fore to reify our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We cannot remain silent. We acknowledge this statement as a starting point for our socially just, antiracist, anti-imperialist, anti-heteronormative, and anti-ableist work, rather than an end point in and of itself. We are committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in science and beyond, and strive to counteract the underrepresentation of many racial and ethnic, disability, economically disadvantaged, female-identifying and LGBTQIA+ identities in the scientific community.

The healthcare, educational, and social systems where we live, learn, and work are built upon, and maintained by systemically and structurally racist and oppressive systems. We recognize the violations of ethics, human rights, and crimes against humanity that have taken place within these institutions. Historically, health sciences as a field has exploited marginalized individuals and communities in the pursuit of scientific gains meted out to the privileged. The consequences of this history remain evident and influential today and the structures of racism are reinforced by omission of the fact that our society created the systems that allowed these events to happen. Therefore, it is especially important for us as members of the Health Sciences Department to clearly recognize and identify, and then disrupt/dismantle, these historical and perpetuated systemic barriers that oppress certain individual experiences.

Action Plan

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We recognize the actions mentioned above are simultaneously non-exhaustive and not enough. Science and practice are ever changing. We, as members of the Health Sciences Department, are committed to a process of unlearning and relearning, grounded in humility when we make mistakes, and incorporating lessons learned from our mistakes to move forward in our work as individuals and as a department as a whole toward the achievement of a diverse, inclusive, and equitable department.

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  • Development and provision of program-level ongoing trainings on inclusive pedagogy and antiracism for faculty and staff.
  • Addition of supplemental quantitative and qualitative course evaluation questions designed to assess inclusion in health sciences course classroom spaces. Currently, the course evaluation system allows for the creation and addition of questions to gather student feedback about courses beyond that obtained through the “rating” portion of the evaluations. The Department of Health Sciences will position itself as a leader within the university on this initiative. We propose to encourage the adoption of two additional questions to be added to course evaluations beginning fall semester, 2022.
  • Addition of discussions during faculty and staff annual evaluations of faculty/staff performance regarding actions faculty and staff have taken to improve diversity and inclusion in programs, classrooms, and the department.
  • College-level discussions regarding the communication of the established reporting processes for instances of bias, discrimination and harassment complaints made against BU staff or faculty members (Equal Opportunity Office), or against students (Office of Judicial Affairs) as well as instances of sexual misconduct (Title IX department of the Equal Opportunity Office).

Resources

We have developed a resource list for department members to access for support of self or others who may want/need additional information on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This list is intended for students, faculty, and staff. These resources range from support/mental health services, community forums, trainings on racial identity, information on antiracist pedagogy, and sources for a more inclusive history of health sciences.

 

We are dedicated to making long-term, sustainable changes and appreciate feedback from our alumni and students. Along with other departments at Sargent College and Boston University, we aim to create a more inclusive profession for both our students and the individuals we serve, including those from marginalized communities and with consideration for race, gender expression, sexual orientation, nationality, neurodiversity, and ability. We are committed to reducing racial disparities in the field and strive to educate our students to be inclusive, antiracist clinicians and colleagues.

Note: This statement was developed as a collaboration between faculty, staff and student members of the Department of Health Sciences. It is intended to be a living document that we will update as our department learns, grows, and adapts to the needs of our students and communities.

Please direct any questions, comments, or resource recommendations to Professor Shelly DeBiasse at debiasse@bu.edu.