Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity in Research Education

The Center for Immunology in partnership with The University of Minnesota Office for Equity and Diversity, The Graduate School, the Office for Diversity in Graduate Education and with the Medical School's Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Our goal is to create a welcoming environment for all students, staff and faculty at the University of Minnesota.

April 2021
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed a rise in racist incidents against members of the Asian community; culminating in the shooting in Atlanta. In response, we wanted to offer our support to those dealing with the stress and trauma of current and past events. We hope this letter of support marks the beginning of an end to the culture of silence around discrimination experienced by AAPI members of the CFI. Now is a time when we can renew and reflect on our commitments to create an inclusive work environment and actively engage in work that counteracts bias in the CFI community.
For those who are seeking an outlet to communicate their experiences and/or recommendations, feel free to contact either AIRE or CFI leadership.  Additional university resources to navigate experiences of harassment and discrimination are below.
                            Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) Office
                            Student Conflict Resolution Center (for students, faculty, and staff)
Warm Regards,
Association of Immunologists for Racial Equity (AIRE, formerly ReJUS) leadership team
Marc Jenkins, CFI Director
Kris Hogquist, CFI Associate Director

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

University of Minnesota (UMN) Center for Immunology (CFI) leaders are responsible for carrying out CFI’s mission to coordinate and promote efforts in basic immunology research, education, and clinical applications at the UMN.

CFI leaders believe that the talents needed for excellence in immunology research, education, and clinical application are distributed equally among people from different racial groups and with different gender and sexual orientations. Therefore, CFI leaders believe that the frequency of people in these groups in the CFI should match the society at large. However, we recognize that the frequency of people in CFI from under-represented racial groups, or who are women, or who have a LGBTQ+ sexual identity currently does not match the society at large. Therefore, these groups are under-represented within the CFI.

CFI leaders believe that a humane, diverse, and inclusive environment will help all members maximize their contributions to immunology research, education, and clinical application. Based on our own 2020 survey data, however, we have also come to realize that CFI members from under-represented racial groups, or who are women, or who have a LGBTQ+ sexual identity feel dismissed, diminished, or ignored while working in CFI more often than people in majority groups.

These beliefs and evidence commit CFI leaders to the following actions:

Develop novel strategies to recruit top-notch immunologists from under-represented racial groups and/or who are women for faculty, staff, and trainee positions at the CFI. Progress will be evaluated after a five-year period of intense effort.
Support the work of CFI-sponsored Empowering Women in Science (EWIS) and Association of Immunologists for Racial Equity (AIRE, formerly ReJUS) groups.
Provide training on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues for all CFI members and require this training for all incoming members. Training will include a video from the CFI Director on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion to the CFI community.
Perform the CFI work climate survey annually to assess progress in the diversity, equity, and inclusion area.
Hold CFI members to the Board of Regents Code of Conduct
Provide research and career discovery opportunities for science-oriented students who are people of color and/or women.
Work to improve the UMN tenure code’s emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion work.
Host educational seminars on race and gender equity in the sciences.
Establish a hot line where CFI members can report incidents during which they were dismissed, diminished, or ignored.

To view information regarding the full CFI 2020 Climate Survey Data, refer here.

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UMN and Medical School Resources

For Students and Staff

For Faculty

Twin Cities Resources

National Programs & Resources

Annual Biomedical Research Conference For Minority Students
Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty
Black In Immuno
Leading Edge Symposium
National Institutes of Health Research Education Program
National Organization on Disability (NOD)
National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals(NOGLSTP)
North Star STEM Alliance
Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science
SITC Women in Cancer Immunotherapy (WIN) Leadership Institute
The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) presents the SITC Women in Cancer Immunotherapy
Network (WIN) Leadership Institute. The program seeks to empower emerging female leaders in cancer
immunotherapy. To meet the needs of women in the field seeking professional development opportunities,
this year’s WIN Leadership Institute will be held both in person in Chicago, IL at the Fairmount Hotel on Sept.
28–29, 2023, and also held virtually on Aug. 9–10, 2023. Registration is free to accepted applicants. Apply
here for one of these opportunities.

UMN Workshops

The Office for Equity and Diversity also offer Workshops that focus on a wide range of equity and diversity issues in higher education. They can also be customized for individual unit needs and concerns.

For more info. access OED's resource guide for a listing of books, articles, videos, websites, and blogs tied to equity and diversity.
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PROJECT IMPLICIT: Project Implicit is a nonprofit organization and international collaboration between researchers who are interested in implicit social cognition - thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness and control. The goal of the organization is to educate the public about hidden biases and to provide a “virtual laboratory” for collecting data on the Internet. Learn more or take a test here >>
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LEARNING FROM THIS MOMENT: UNDERSTANDING PRIVILEGE AND ADVANCING RACIAL EQUITY

View a recording of a special webinar--Learning from this Moment: Understanding Privilege and Advancing Racial Equity--presented by the Staff Advancing Diversity and Inclusion (SADI) Leadership Committee and featuring guest speaker Anne Phibbs, PhD, Founder and President of Strategic Diversity Initiatives.

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Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation (ISRDI) Summer Diversity Fellowship Program

The Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation is recruiting students for ISRDI's Summer Diversity
Fellowship program. The Diversity Fellowship is designed to help recruit diverse undergraduate and graduate
students to work with Minnesota Population Center (MPC) and Life Course Center (LCC) member faculty and
with its demographic data resources. This is an excellent opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate
students, at any point in their career, interested in sharpening skills and exploring interests in quantitative data
analysis, data processing, statistical software packages, etc. More project details and application instructions
are provided here.

Reading and Media Resources

Faculty Fighting Racism >
An online, curated set of books, articles, videos, and podcasts for graduate faculty intended to serve as a first step in understanding what it means to be anti-racist.

EQUITY & DIVERSITY EDUCATION PROGRAM RESOURCES