Diversity and Equity in the Joint Department
Our stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion is grounded in three core values: innovation, collaboration, and translation.
- Diversity drives innovation. Each person brings their unique talents and abilities, cultivated by their lived experience, to the process of solving engineering challenges. Because our particular field of engineering innovation focuses on medicine, representation is especially critical to support the health needs of North Carolinians and worldwide populations.
- Finding health solutions for all communities requires that diverse viewpoints join in the collaboration. We strive to promote an environment where each person feels valued for being their authentic self. Accordingly, we expect each person in our department to take personal responsibility for fostering an inclusive climate that generates connectedness and nurtures a sense of belonging.
- It is only through this foundation that translation of ideas and discoveries from the department into the community can occur, and that knowledge of medical needs and concerns can flow from the community to inform research within the department.
SUPPORT DIVERSITY INITIATIVES
If you would like to support our diversity program within the joint department, please consider contributing to our Biomedical Engineering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fund. Support from this fund will go directly to promoting inclusiveness within the department, including providing collaborative opportunities for students to integrate our diversity mission beyond the classroom.
Contribute to the Diversity Fund Here
DIVERSITY SUBCOMMITTEES
We acknowledge that systematic barriers have limited access to participation in biomedical sciences for potential innovators and for those who could benefit from medical innovation. Dismantling these intangible systems and establishing equity in science and engineering will be a great feat. We will rise to this challenge. Undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, faculty and staff, are committed to translating our words into action through education, research and outreach. Our efforts are organized through our diversity committee with three distinct subcommittees:
The Pipeline Subcommittee is committed to strengthening diversity in biomedical engineering across all levels by enhancing the recruitment of students, trainees, and faculty. This will be accomplished through actively engaging and empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds to pursue and remain in the field. Collaborations with local K-12 schools, community colleges, and minority-serving universities will be vital for achieving this mission. *Check our BME UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH GUIDE, introducing research to undergraduates from all backgrounds * Interested in becoming a member of a BME Diversity Committee? Sign up here. Together, we will reach our benchmark of having a department that is reflective of the North Carolina population of 27-33% underrepresented groups. We will accomplish this goal by harnessing the rich resources of both universities, seeking active partnerships with neighboring institutions and industries and constructing new programs to meet the needs of underrepresented groups. We recognize the magnitude and urgency of this moment and accept our responsibility to initiate and implement change. Diversity is not a single pathway but requires a complex strategy to build a strong department with an enduring legacy of diversity and inclusion. Together, we will secure that legacy and exceed the high expectations we set for ourselves. We encourage you to find a BME Community that aligns with your identity here. The BME Communities are designed for our department to grow strong connections across campuses (UNC/NCSU) and across roles (student/faculty/staff) through our shared identities. These affinity groups are a support system of other individuals who understand what daily life is like for you based on your identity and our shared interest in biomedical engineering.
Ensuring an Equitable and Inclusive Environment Everyday
The Departmental Policies Subcommittee will work with BME leadership to create, review, revise, and implement departmental policies to ensure that the diversity of our students and personnel is recognized and encouraged in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Broadening Access for Potential Innovators and Innovation Recipients
Holding Ourselves Accountable
The Evaluation Subcommittee’s role is to assess the department’s progress on diversity and provide evidence for the impact of initiatives implemented by the Departmental Policies and Pipeline subcommittees. Departmental surveys and census data will be compiled into an annual report summarizing the current standing and climate of the department. This will demonstrate our progress on diversity issues and uncover areas that need further development.
FUTURE LEGACY OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
RESOURCES LINKS
Accessibility Policies and Resources
African American Cultural Center
College of Engineering Diversity and Inclusion
GLBT Center at NC State
Graduate School: Diversity
Military and Veterans Services
Multicultural Student Affairs
NC State Inclusive Excellence Certificate
University Office of Inclusion Equity and Diversity (OIED)
Vet School: Diversity
Women’s Center at NC State
Women and Minority Programs (Undergraduates)
Accessibility Resources and Services
African Studies Center
American Indian Center
Asian American Center
Carolina Asia Center
Carolina Center for Jewish Studies
Carolina Latinx Center
Carolina Veterans Resource Center
Center for European Studies
Center for Faculty Excellence: Diversity and Inclusion
Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies
Center for the Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies
College of Arts and Sciences: Diversity
Graduate School: Diversity
Institute for the Studies of the Americas
LGTBQ Center at UNC
Office of Diversity
Office of Graduate Education – School of Medicine
Office of Inclusive Excellence (School of Medicine)
Stone Center for Black Culture and History
UNC Dei Certificate (School of Medicine)
UNC DEIR (Diversity Equity and Inclusion in Research)
Women’s Center at UNC
American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
Biomedical Engineering Society
National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development (NCFDD)
National Institutes of Health
National Postdoctoral Association
National Science Foundation Broadening Participation
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
Out to Innovate (formerly known as National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals)
Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
Society of Women Engineers (SWE)