Updated 7/17/2023

We acknowledge that science has benefited tremendously from imperialism, racism, and devaluing of marginalized identities.1–7 We further acknowledge that the land our program stands on was acquired from the Duwamish tribe on treaty terms that were never honored.8

Recognizing these injustices, the University of Washington Pathobiology interdisciplinary program is committed to creating a learning environment where diversity (including but not limited to gender, race, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, religion, national origin) is actively sought out and encouraged. We aim to create a community of faculty, staff, and trainees that actively work toward and advocate for equity and inclusivity by committing to the following aims:

Commitments

1. Recruitment

a) Diverse representation on admissions committee
b) Evaluation of all applications by at least three members of the admissions committee 
c) Training of all student and faculty interviewers in interview best practices to reduce bias
d) Implementation of standardized and core value-alignment based evaluation for interviews

2. Retention

a) Development of small groups (“pods”) of faculty and students to facilitate community ​
b) Active highlighting of a wide range of faculty and students at program events

3. Mentoring

a) Active recruitment of diverse faculty into the Pathobiology program
b) Career support for current students that recognizes the diversity of future careers 

4. Teaching 

a) Prioritization of seminar invitations to reflect diverse student interests 


Citations

  1. Tuskegee Study - Timeline - CDC - OS. https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm (2022).
  2. Cramer, M. Henrietta Lacks, Whose Cells Were Taken Without Her Consent, Is Honored by W.H.O. The New York Times (2021).
  3. Holland, B. The ‘Father of Modern Gynecology’ Performed Shocking Experiments on Enslaved Women. HISTORY https://www.history.com/news/the-father-of-modern-gynecology-performed-shocking-experiments-on-slaves.
  4. Blakemore, E. The First Birth Control Pill Used Puerto Rican Women as Guinea Pigs. HISTORY https://www.history.com/news/birth-control-pill-history-puerto-rico-enovid.
  5. Bump, J. B. & Aniebo, I. Colonialism, malaria, and the decolonization of global health. PLOS Global Public Health 2, e0000936 (2022).
  6. Doshi, P. WHO’s malaria vaccine study represents a “serious breach of international ethical standards”. BMJ 368, m734 (2020).
  7. Nazi Medical Experiments. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-medical-experiments.
  8. Stand with the Duwamish. Duwamish Tribe https://www.duwamishtribe.org/stand-with-the-duwamish.
  9. Baker, M. Black Campus Police Officers Say They Suffered ‘Unbearable’ Racism. The New York Times (2021).
  10. writer, J. W. C. People’s History map details the UW’s racist history, emphasizes student movement. The Daily of the University of Washington https://www.dailyuw.com/news/people-s-history-map-details-the-uw-s-racist-history-emphasizes-student-movement/article_a6eb1d4e-28ab-11eb-ac8c-17d071d9f384.html.