Increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the fields of nutrition and obesity: A roadmap to equity in academia

Samantha L. Martin, UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Michelle I. Cardel, University of Florida College of Medicine
Tiffany L. Carson, Moffitt Cancer Center
James O. Hill, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Takara Stanley, Massachusetts General Hospital
Steven Grinspoon, Massachusetts General Hospital
Felicia Steger, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Loneke T. Blackman Carr, University of Connecticut
Maxine Ashby-Thompson, Columbia University
Delisha Stewart, Department of Nutrition
Jamy Ard, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Raziel Rojas-Rodriguez, Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Mabel Toribio, Massachusetts General Hospital
Gabrielle Page-Wilson, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Ursula White, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Glenn Rowe, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Marine Saint-Cyr, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Rita Brookheart, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Lauren Adele Fowler, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Gwen Twillman, American Society for Nutrition
Felicia Price, American Society for Nutrition
April Stull, Baylor University
Sonia Vega-Lopez, Arizona State University
Tony Comuzzie, The Obesity Society
Catherine M. Kotz, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Francoise Knox Kazimierczuk, University of Cincinnati
Monica L. Baskin, UAB Department of Medicine
Robert Newton, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Andrew Greenberg, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging
Camile E. Powe, Massachusetts General Hospital
Dympna Gallagher, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
David H. Burk, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Elissa S. Epel, University of California, Los Angeles
Paul S. MacLean, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2023

Abstract

Research shows that a diverse faculty improves academic, clinical, and research outcomes in higher education. Despite that, persons in minority groups, usually categorized by race or ethnicity, are underrepresented in academia (URiA). The Nutrition Obesity Research Centers (NORCs), supported by the NIDDK, hosted workshops on five separate days in September and October 2020. NORCs convened these workshops to identify barriers and facilitators for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and provide specific recommendations to improve DEI within obesity and nutrition for individuals from URiA groups. Recognized experts on DEI presented each day, after which the NORCs conducted breakout sessions with key stakeholders who engage in nutrition and obesity research. The breakout session groups included early-career investigators, professional societies, and academic leadership. The consensus from the breakout sessions was that glaring inequities affect URiA in nutrition and obesity, particularly related to recruitment, retention, and advancement. Recommendations from the breakout sessions to improve DEI across the academe focused on six themes: (1) recruitment, (2) retention, (3) advancement, (4) intersectionality of multiple challenges (e.g., being Black and a woman), (5) funding agencies, and (6) implementation of strategies to address problems related to DEI.

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