CCR is dedicated to an equitable and inclusive work environment and community. As outlined on our Commitment to Inclusion page, we have identified several steps toward building and cultivating a fully equitable and inclusive environment and community at all levels of our organization. On this page, you’ll learn more about our initiatives and available resources.
We value diversity of thought and experience as it is essential in our mission to create the cancer medicines of tomorrow. An equitable community at CCR is one in which:
- All members feel welcome regardless of the identities they hold
- Diversity of thought and experience is celebrated and valued
- Everyone can fully participate and achieve their potential
- We acknowledge that different people have different needs to have the same access to opportunities
- We are transparent about opportunities for leadership
- Accountability is paramount
- We continually examine our policies and procedures to ensure progress
Aligned: Moving Forward Together
Aligned: Moving Forward Together is a blog created by our Office of Equity & Inclusion. It discusses diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) and highlights various ways we can all be involved in creating a more diverse scientific workforce.
Resources
Staff Resources
CCR has numerous resources available for staff to learn more about DEIA, find community, share experience and develop a sense of belonging which is essential to creating equitable community.
- On the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility section of our intranet, staff can find a host of resources on trainings, programs focusing on diversity and inclusion recruitment, and community-building opportunities including affinity and scientific interest groups.
- Our Office of Equity & Inclusion hosts seminar series across a variety of subjects for our community to learn more about DEIA.
- NIH is home to a variety of groups aimed at community building and sharing collective experiences.
- "Group of Groups” is a quarterly meeting for labs and branches with diversity-related groups to convene and discuss both barriers and successes in becoming more equitable and inclusive.
- As part of broader efforts to make CCR policies and procedures more transparent and equitable CCR:
- Ensures each CCR committee has a written charter including membership terms and eligibility
- List all CCR boards/committees on CCR's intranet (staff only) with current rosters
- Hold bi-annual calls for nominations for open positions
NIH Reasonable Accommodation Program
Per federal law, the NIH is obligated to provide reasonable accommodation(s) for physical and mental needs to staff, applicants and visitors. The NIH Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion has created a program to assist managers and employees in navigating the reasonable accommodation process.
Communication
Communication around DEIA can be complicated and requires great care. We strive to support our community in navigating these conversations and learning about diverse experiences.
- The NCI Equity & Inclusion Program created the Equity Toolkit. The Toolkit provides staff with resources and a framework to engage in conversations about race, social inequity and other facets of DEIA.
We created and developed an Equity & Inclusion section in CCR News. Here, you can find all DEIA-related news items such as stories celebrating the varied cultures represented at CCR, patient features and Q&As with some of our staff.
Training
- All staff can take the Groundwater Institute training. The one-and-a-half-day workshop helps attendees understand the institutional and structural forms of racism.
- Annually, all staff are required to take anti-harassment and implicit bias training.
- The NIH Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion also provides trainings for supervisors and employees year-round.
Site Visit Workshop
Every four years, our principal investigators and their labs are reviewed during a site visit conducted by experts from around the country, which assesses their research and laboratory. A prominent review criterion is the environment and scientific community they have created.
To help our investigators consider their role in diversity and inclusion at CCR, we include a DEIA section in their reports requiring investigators to demonstrate their commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion and belonging in their research groups. To guide our investigators and clearly communicate our expectations we developed a workshop titled, “Developing an Equitable & Inclusive Research Environment: Lessons for the Site Visit and Beyond.” The workshop:
- Imparts why DEIA is important to biomedical research
- Highlights potential barriers to inclusion
- Focuses on important topics such as bias, representation and psychological safety
- Outlines CCR DEIA expectations
- Encourages leaders to be change agents by sharing resources for recruitment and retention
Additional Initiatives
Beyond our work here in CCR, our Office of Equity & Inclusion participates in numerous NCI and NIH-wide initiatives aimed at increasing DEIA and creating an equitable and inclusive community.
NIH UNITE
The UNITE initiative was established to identify and address structural racism within the NIH-supported and the greater scientific community.
NIH Office of EDI
The NIH Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion strives to cultivate a culture of inclusion and make NIH a welcoming place for diverse talent.
NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD)
The COSWD leads NIH’s thought in the science of scientific workforce diversity. They lead Diversity Catalysts, which CCR contributes to.
NCI Equity and Inclusion Program (EIP)
The NCI EIP strives to increase the diversity of the cancer research workforce, build a more inclusive and equitable NCI community, address cancer disparities and advance health equity.