Working Title: You’ve had your first diversity and inclusion meeting – Now what? : A model for sustaining meaningful conversations on diversity and inclusion within STEM training environments

Short Summary of Presentation: In the wake of nationwide movements for racial and social justice, scientists are more aware than ever of the problem of building and sustaining diverse research and training environments. In this presentation, we report on an intervention intended to foster ongoing dialogue about diversity and marginalization in biomedical research science. The data come from the intervention arm of a randomized-controlled trial of a novel coaching intervention consisting of small groups of trainees and faculty coaches. The data reveal how this model was effective in sustaining meaningful dialogue on diversity and building capacity for inclusion practices in biomedical research science. 

Abstract: The events of 2020, including the growing visibility of the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd, catalyzed a movement for racial justice unlike any since the Civil Rights Movement. Across academia, students, faculty, and leaders are increasingly engaging with issues of racial equity and justice. Within the context of STEM training, there has been a dramatic shift in awareness of these issues. Questions like, “Should we talk about race, gender and other differences within mentoring relationships?” evolved into more actionable questions, like: “How do we make these conversations possible?” “How do we accomplish something we have failed to do for decades? “What is the most effective way to build and sustain dialogue about diversity?” Interventions targeting these questions of diversity and inclusion have developed over the past few years. For example, the Culturally Aware Mentoring program (CAM) is a workshop-based approach for teaching faculty and trainees to engage in diversity dialogues in academic science. Studies of CAM have demonstrated its immediate impacts on faculty and administrators, as well as longer-lived impacts on some (1,2). As comprehensive and effective as CAM is in the short-term, it is unlikely that a single-event intervention will be sufficient to initiate the ongoing dialogue required to foster sustainable changes in inclusive insights and practices to eradicate barriers to equity and inclusion in academic science. 

Beginning in 2011, our research team at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine began an experiment involving faculty-led coaching groups, with the long-term goal of increasing and sustaining diversity in biomedical faculty ranks (3,4). The Academy for Future Science Faculty (the Academy) paired groups of ten PhD students with trained faculty coaches from outside of the students’ home institutions. Annual in-person meetings occurred over a period of two to three years and coaching groups continued to meet virtually for about three years following the initial meetings. Coaching groups were heterogeneous, and equally balanced by gender and race/ethnicity to foster conversations across identity groups. The intervention employed a novel, intensive introduction to: 1) social science theories that underpin progression and barriers within social systems, including STEM; and 2) the history of and ongoing realities of how racism and privilege result in differential treatment of racial and ethnic minorities, women, and other minoritized groups. The frameworks introduced to students, and activities of the Academy, allowed them to engage in deep and meaningful discussions of diversity. The study team continues to follow participants through annual in-depth interviews; these interviews have revealed how the Academy affected their perceptions of diversity, discrimination, and the importance of building and sustaining diverse research environments. 

This presentation draws on interviews with Academy participants conducted at least four years after the end of the coaching group virtual meetings. The interviews have captured participants’ lasting memories of and reactions to group-based exposure and dialogue related to diversity and inclusion. In particular, the data reveal how participants continue to apply the social theories introduced in the intervention, such as microaggressions, imposter syndrome, and cultural capital, to make sense of and navigate science as a social system. Similarly, participants continue to recall the group discussions on the meaning and importance of diversity and inclusion. The data reveal strong and lasting impacts for many participants. Some participants reported drawing on their experiences in the Academy to engage in or lead diversity efforts in their current positions. Others have reflected on perspective changes and the importance of sustaining diverse research environments. These impacts occurred among participants from across gender and racial/ethnic groups, and were notable among traditionally well-represented students. Among the many examples of transformative perspective changes are new strategies for navigating and responding to racism, increased engagement in proactive diversity and inclusion efforts, and the ability to observe and name instances of marginalization. For those who elected to continue in academic research science, the impacts of the intervention are likely to be felt in the long-term and allow increased capacity to build and sustain diverse research environments. 

As part of the Deeper Dive discussions, we will explore a number of different designs and approaches groups could adopt, and offer guidance on how to facilitate these groups. Done effectively, such efforts could be effective in reshaping the norms and expectations for cross-cultural understanding so essential for effective mentoring.

References:

1. Byars-Winston, A., Womack, V., Butz, A., McGee, R., Quinn, S., Utzerath, E., Thomas, S. (2018). Pilot study of an intervention to increase cultural awareness in research mentoring: Implications for diversifying the scientific workforce. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, 2(2), 86-94. PMCID: PMC6191051
2. Womack VY, Wood CV, House SC, Quinn SC, Thomas SB, McGee R, et al. (2020) Culturally aware mentorship: Lasting impacts of a novel intervention on academic administrators and faculty. PLoS ONE 15(8): e0236983. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236983 PMCID: PMC7413486
3. Thakore BK, Naffziger-Hirsch ME, Richardson JL, Williams SN, McGee R Jr. The Academy for Future Science Faculty: randomized controlled trial of theory-driven coaching to shape development and diversity of early-career scientists. BMC Med Educ. 2014 Aug 2;14:160. doi: 10.1186/1472-6920-14-160. PMCID: PMC4121509.
4. Williams SN, Thakore BK, McGee R. Coaching to Augment Mentoring to Achieve Faculty Diversity: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Acad Med. 2016 Aug;91(8):1128-1135. PMCID: PMC4909583



So you've had your first diversity and inclusion event...Now What?

Several cross-sectional studies have provided evidence of a dramatic and largely one-way exodus from an interest in academic research careers among biomedical scientists in training. However, new data from the National Longitudinal Study of Young Life Scientists reveal a much more complicated and nuanced picture. Annual interviews with 147 biomedical PhD students conducted from the beginning of the PhD through graduation reveal how differentiation into and away from academic research careers follows many different paths. Over the course of PhD training, as many students shifted towards academic research as shifted away, with no measurable differences across gender and racial/ethnic groups. Almost half (19 out of 39) of those who finished the PhD with the intention to pursue an academic research career had expressed limited or no intention towards this career at the beginning of the PhD. 

This presentation illustrates the factors that influence differentiation into academic research careers. Patterns vary from gradual evolution to an abrupt change at PhD completion. Some cases reflected pivotal events and insights, while others reflected the aggregation of small events and decisions over the years. Understanding and recognizing this complex differentiation process is essential for assisting the development of young scientists. While cross-sectional surveys may point to broad trends across a population at a point in time, longitudinal analysis reveals far more complexity across individuals in career decision-making.

Speaker bio:Christine Wood, PhD is an assistant professor of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

A counter narrative to generalized decline in academic research careers: New insights from longitudinal data

There is increasing interest in assisting graduate students and postdocs in identifying and pursuing a variety of careers with their PhDs. Efforts such as the NIH BEST programs have focused on designing approaches for this level of support. However, to best guide those approaches, it is critical to understand how trainees make decisions during the course of the PhD and postdocs. The way doctoral students make career decisions during and immediately after PhD training is not well understood. 

Based on annual interviews, this presentation displays the career intentions of 147 students from the start of graduate school through graduation. Career intentions are connected across years for each student in order to reveal individual trajectories. While previous research on the "interest," "desirability," or "attractiveness" of careers offer many useful insights, we used qualitative interviews to understand the career intentions of students in each year of the PhD.

The data reveal extensive fluidity and complexity in career decision-making, with most students changing their career intentions several times before gradually differentiating into the career they plan to pursue after graduation. Contrary to cross-sectional studies, these data also reveal: 1) only modest differences across gender and racial/ethnic groups in their intentions to pursue various careers; 2) the total number of students planning to pursue a career as an academic PI is nearly unchanged from the start of PhD to graduation, although individual students moved into and out of this career intention at about the same frequency; and 3) students differentiated into an intended career at various time points over the course of doctoral training. Taken together, these findings offer a new perspective on career decision-making while also cautioning against overgeneralizing results from single-time point, cross-sectional surveys.

Speaker bio:Remi Jones, MA is a research associate with the Scientific Careers Research and Development Group at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

A Longitudinal Exploration of Career Differentiation from the Start of the PhD through Graduation

The National Longitudinal Study of Young Life Scientists (NLSYLS) is the integration of two ongoing studies of biomedical PhD students from 132 programs across the U.S. from the time they began their PhDs through differentiation into the many career options open to them. In the first study, annual in-depth interviews were conducted with 276 students across the U.S. (Wood, et al. 2020). The second study, the Academy for Future Science Faculty (the Academy) enrolled 297 students in a randomized controlled trial of a group-based coaching intervention (Williams, et al. 2017). Across these two studies, participants were asked a set of core interview questions which solicited their reflections on topics like career goals and planning, PI/mentor relationships, and lab environments. Interviews were conducted in a semi-structured manner, allowing the interviewers to follow-up and adapt to the answers of an interviewee. Together, the prospective study designs and in-depth qualitative data allow unprecedented insights into all aspects of PhD and postdoctoral training, including what leads students into different career paths and additional challenges and barriers encountered by minoritized individuals.

The varying nature of mentor-mentee relationships represents a key area of interest in efforts to understand career outcomes, with scholars suggesting that mentorship programming may be a crucial intervention toward greater science engagement (Lewis, et al. 2017). The PI role involves a variety of demands which are sometimes in competition with each other, such as developing and leading a line of research, grant-seeking, authoring manuscripts, publishing, and career advising. Thus, mentors regularly decide among activities which promote trainee futures and activities focused on their own careers – decisions which stand to shape trainee trajectories. Our in-depth, longitudinal approach allows us to explore consequences of mentors’ low or high engagement with trainee career goals from the trainee perspective. Given that not all mentors will closely follow former students as they settle into careers, trainee perspectives are most elucidating for how mentor efforts shape trainee outcomes. Through case studies of NLSYLS participants with different career outcomes, we identify a small number of cases which illustrate, from the trainee perspective, the pivotal role that some mentors play in student trajectories. While trainee outcomes may be attributable to factors both within and beyond quality of mentorship, we focus on crucial turning points in career planning as moments when participants encounter PI intervention that can radically change outcomes. 

Preliminary analysis focuses on two sets of cases. Our first set of cases highlights the influence of enthusiastic guidance from highly engaged mentors. These participants described mentors who thoughtfully considered their mentees’ futures, encouraged pursuit of difficult career goals and intervened when low morale jeopardized persistence toward these careers. Our second set of cases represent the opposite end of the spectrum – participants who attributed derailment from initial career goals to the actions of mentors who prioritized their own success over mentee futures. 

By focusing on cases at opposite ends of the spectrum, we will illustrate divergent ways in which mentorship can be highly impactful. We will discuss specific mentor behaviors and their consequences for mentee trajectories to illuminate implications for mentorship-focused interventions. Analysis of clear cases of PI intervention at these crucial turning points may also explicate strategies for improved day-to-day mentoring.

Mentors Changing the Course of History for Biomedical PhD Trainees

Deeper Dive 5: You've had your first diversity and inclusion meeting - Now what? : A model for sustaining meaningful conversations on diversity and inclusion within STEM training environments

technical paper

The annual UI conference has grown from a meeting to a community of more than 6,000 researchers, program officers, evaluators, program directors, training faculty, and others within STEM, and now operates with a mission to mutually inform scholarship and practice, develop and enhance the community interested in educational interventions, and provide professional development for all STEM persons. UI held its first Virtual conference in December of 2020 in response to Covid-19 restrictions that forced the cancellation of the original March 2020 in person meeting. Born out of necessity, the virtual conference introduced a format that provided pre conference availability of symposia, Deeper Dives and Poster presentations. The 13th Annual Understanding Interventions Conference will continue with that design and we foresee future conferences adopting aspects of that format in reaching a virtual audience as well as those who attend the conferences in-person.

Attendees will experience plenaries, workshops, symposia, and poster presentations on hypothesis-based research on interventions and initiatives that broaden participation in STEM careers. The conference will continue to facilitate the dialogue among education, behavioral, and social science researchers, evaluators, and faculty in STEM fields who participate in intervention programs. Graduate students in these fields are strongly encouraged to attend. Workshops, sessions, and posters will communicate effective strategies from successful STEM intervention programs, present results from empirical research studies, and synthesize the translation of research findings into practice on STEM learning, undergraduate research, graduate education, and student retention.

The cost to attend the conference is $150. There are special rates for post-doctoral fellows and graduate students, as well as conference grants that can be provided for those with need. Registration for the conference is open, with additional information to come.

13th Conference on Understanding Interventions 2021

The annual UI conference has grown from a meeting to a community of more than 6,000 researchers, program officers, evaluators, program directors, training faculty, and others within STEM, and now operates with a mission to mutually inform scholarship and practice, develop and enhance the community interested in educational interventions, and provide professional development for all STEM persons. 

Methodologies for Studying STEM Participation

UI is excited to announce the rescheduled 12th Annual Conference on Understanding Interventions December 10 & 12, 2020! As you may recall, the original conference scheduled back in March 2020 had to be cancelled due the worsening global conditions, and further declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay tuned for details regarding the virtual conference.

On December 10, 2020 from 12:00-5:00pm (EST), and December 12, 2020 from 11:00am-5:00pm (EST), UI will host the Virtual 12th Annual Understanding Interventions Conference powered by Underline. Attendees will experience plenaries, workshops, symposia, and poster presentations on hypothesis-based research on interventions and initiatives that broaden participation in STEM careers. The conference will continue to facilitate the dialogue among education, behavioral, and social science researchers, evaluators, and faculty in STEM fields who participate in intervention programs. Graduate students in these fields are strongly encouraged to attend. Workshops, sessions, and posters will communicate effective strategies from successful STEM intervention programs, present results from empirical research studies, and synthesize the translation of research findings into practice on STEM learning, undergraduate research, graduate education, and student retention.

12th Conference on Understanding Interventions 2020

12th Annual Understanding Interventions Conference continues to facilitate the dialogue among education, behavioral, and social science researchers, evaluators, and faculty in STEM fields who participate in intervention programs. Workshops, sessions, and posters communicate effective strategies from successful STEM intervention programs, present results from empirical research studies, and synthesize the translation of research findings into practice on STEM learning, undergraduate research, graduate education, and student retention.

Poster Session 2

poster

### Welcome to the 2025 Understanding Interventions Annual Conference

This year’s event promises to be an enlightening experience, filled with opportunities for sharing, networking, engagement, and inspiration.

Our mission? To foster an inclusive environment where the science communities can come together to discuss, collaborate, and strategize on how to broaden participation in science careers. Whether you’re an educator, researcher, policymaker, or passionate advocate, this conference is designed to provide valuable insights and practical solutions.

Get ready for:
* **Cutting-edge Research:** Explore the latest trends and findings in interventions aimed at enhancing diversity and inclusion in science fields.
* **Networking Opportunities:** Connect with like-minded professionals, forge new partnerships, and exchange ideas that can drive meaningful change.
* **Inspiring Keynote & Speakers:** Gain insights from renowned speakers who are leading the charge in promoting diversity and equity in science.
* **Global Perspectives:** Engage with experts from around the world to gain diverse perspectives and approaches to addressing common challenges.
* **Professional Development:** Enhance your skills and knowledge through workshops, panel discussions, and interactive sessions tailored to your professional growth.
* **Seed Funding Opportunities:** Learn about funding opportunities and resources available to support initiatives aimed at increasing diversity in STEM.

To access this event page, you need to log in with the **email address you registered with**. <br>Access credentials were sent to your email from Underline -  subject line "Welcome to 2025 Understanding Interventions Annual Conference". Please be sure to check your spam email folder if you do not see an email confirmation right away.

Thank you for visiting Understanding Interventions 2025 Annual Conference event page.<br><br> In order to gain full access, please register [**here**](https://understandinginterventions.swoogo.com/ui2024/begin).

Please register!

2025 Understanding Interventions Annual Conference

Don’t miss out on this invaluable opportunity to be part of a movement towards a more inclusive and equitable future in science. This year’s event promises to be an enlightening experience, filled with opportunities for sharing, networking, engagement, and inspiration.
Mark your calendars, spread the word, and join us for the 2025 Understanding Interventions Annual Conference on February 7-8th.

Remi Jones

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So you've had your first diversity and inclusion event...Now What?

A counter narrative to generalized decline in academic research careers: New insights from longitudinal data

A Longitudinal Exploration of Career Differentiation from the Start of the PhD through Graduation

Mentors Changing the Course of History for Biomedical PhD Trainees

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