Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Laboratory: Strategies to Enhance Inclusive Laboratory Culture.

Building a diverse laboratory that is equitable is critical for the retention of talent and the growth of trainees professionally and personally. Here, we outline several strategies including enhancing understanding of cultural competency and humility, establishing laboratory values, and developing equitable laboratory structures to create an inclusive laboratory environment to enable trainees to achieve their highest success.

The Black Lives Matter movement mitigates bias against racial minority actors.

Watching movies is among the most popular entertainment and cultural activities. How do viewers react when a movie sequel increases racial minority actors in the main cast ("minority increase")? On the one hand, such sequels may receive better evaluations if viewers appreciate racially inclusive casting for its novel elements (the value-in-diversity perspective) and moral appeal (the fairness perspective on diversity). On the other hand, discrimination research suggests that if viewers harbor biases against racial minorities, sequels with minority increase may receive worse evaluations. To examine these competing possibilities, we analyze a unique panel dataset of movie series released from 1998 to 2021 and conduct text analysis of 312,457 reviews of these movies. Consistent with discrimination research, we find that movies with minority increase receive lower ratings and more toxic reviews. Importantly, these effects weaken after the advent of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, especially when the movement's intensity is high. These results are reliable across various robustness checks (e.g., propensity score matching, random implementation test). We conceptually replicate the bias mitigation effect of BLM in a preregistered experiment: Heightening the salience of BLM increases White individuals' acceptance of racial minority increase in a movie sequel. This research demonstrates the power of social movements in fostering diversity, equality, and inclusion.

Teaching the way I wish I was taught: Design and implementation of a class on historically excluded and underrepresented scientists.

As the first Inupiaq person to earn a PhD in microbiology, I learned the hard way that groups of people have been excluded from science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the United States since the first University was built by Black and Indigenous slaves. Students from historically excluded and underrepresented (HEU) backgrounds typically do not see themselves in textbooks, conferences, or classrooms, especially in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) fields. Similarly, students from these backgrounds and non-excluded backgrounds typically do not understand the history or consequences of exclusion. Here I describe the development and implementation of a class that teaches undergraduate students about the current state of diversity in STEMM jobs in the US, the history of exclusion that resulted in a deficit of people from various backgrounds, the consequences of excluding these people from research specifically, current leaders in research from HEU backgrounds, and how to implement changes. The students are taught how to communicate their findings in oral and written communication to various audiences. Based on decades of experiences, discussions, readings, and more, I teach students the reasons there are so few people from HEU backgrounds in academia and in STEMM specifically, and what can be done at the University level to ensure that people from all backgrounds are represented in STEMM. In this way, I teach students what I wish I had been taught decades ago.

Running a successful STEMM summer program: A week-by-week guide.

While some established undergraduate summer programs are effective across many institutions, these programs may only be available to some principal investigators or may not fully address the diverse needs of incoming undergraduates. This article outlines a 10-week science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) education program designed to prepare undergraduate students for graduate school through a unique model incorporating mentoring dyads and triads, cultural exchanges, and diverse activities while emphasizing critical thinking, research skills, and cultural sensitivity. Specifically, we offer a straightforward and adaptable guide that we have used for mentoring undergraduate students in a laboratory focused on mitochondria and microscopy, but which may be customized for other disciplines. Key components include self-guided projects, journal clubs, various weekly activities such as mindfulness training and laboratory techniques, and a focus on individual and cultural expression. Beyond this unique format, this 10-week program also seeks to offer an intensive research program that emulates graduate-level experiences, offering an immersive environment for personal and professional development, which has led to numerous achievements for past students, including publications and award-winning posters.

Speaking up for the invisible minority: First-generation students in higher education.

A first-generation college student is typically defined as a student whose biological parent(s) or guardian(s) never attended college or who started but did not finish college. However, "first-generation" can represent diverse family education situations. The first-generation student community is a multifaceted, and intersectional group of individuals who frequently lack educational/financial resources to succeed and, consequently, require supportive environments with rigorous mentorship. However, first-generation students often do not make their identity as first-generation students known to others due to several psychosocial and academic factors. Therefore, they are often "invisible minorities" in higher education. In this paper, we describe the diverse family situations of first-generation students, further define "first-generation," and suggest five actions that first-generation trainees at the undergraduate/graduate stages can engage in to succeed in an academic climate. We also provide suggestions for mentors to accommodate first-generation students' unique experiences and equip them with tools to deliver intentional mentoring practices. We hope that this paper will help promote first-generation student success throughout the academic pipeline.

The Diversity of Surgical Trainees Index identifies racial and ethnic disparities among surgical specialties.

OBJECTIVE: Racial and ethnic disparities have been well-described among surgical specialties; however, variations in underrepresented in medicine (URiM) representation between these specialties have not previously been quantified. METHODS: Data collected from Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) annual reports were used to derive the Diversity of Surgical Trainee Index (DoSTI), which was calculated as the proportion of URiM residents and fellow physicians within a given surgical specialty, relative to the overall proportion of URiM trainees within all surgical and non-surgical ACGME-accredited programs in the same academic year. RESULTS: From 2013 to 2022, a total of 108,193 ACGME-accredited residency programs trained 1,296,204 residents and fellows in the United States. Of these, 14.1% (n = 182,680) of trainees self-identified as URiM over the study period. The mean DoSTI among all surgical specialties was 0.80 (standard error, 0.01) compared with all ACGME-accredited programs. High DoSTI specialties incorporated significantly higher proportions of trainees who identify as Hispanic (8.7% vs 6.3%) and Black or African American (5.2% vs 2.5%) when compared with low DoSTI specialties (P < .0001 each). General surgery (1.06 ± 0.01), plastic surgery (traditional) (1.12 ± 0.06), vascular surgery (integrated) (0.96 ± 0.03), and vascular surgery (traditional) (0.94 ± 0.06) had the highest DoSTI (P < .05 each vs composite). On linear regression analysis, only ophthalmology (+0.01/year; R2 = 0.41; P = .019), orthopedic surgery (+0.01/year; R2 = 0.33; P = .047), otolaryngology (+0.02/year; R2 = 0.86; P < .001), and pediatric surgery (+0.06/year; R2 = 0.33; P = .048) demonstrated an annual increase in DoSTI. CONCLUSIONS: The DoSTI is a novel metric used to quantify the degree of URiM representation among surgical specialties. DoSTI has revealed specialty-specific variations in racial/ethnic minority representation among surgical training programs. This metric may be used to improve provider awareness and identify high performing DoSTI specialties to highlight best practices to ultimately recruit a more diverse surgical workforce.

Vascular In-person for Students In the match Trial: An investigation of postinterview site visits to address the limitations of virtual interviews.

PURPOSE: The graduate medical education community implemented virtual residency interviews in response to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this approach has persisted. Although many residency applicants wish to visit in-person prospective training sites, such opportunities could bias programs toward those who are able to meet this financial burden, exacerbating equity concerns. One proposed solution is to offer applicants the opportunity to visit only after a program's rank list is "locked," avoiding favoritism to applicants who visit, but allowing applicants to experience some of the camaraderie, geography, and local effects of an in-person visit. As debate about the optimal format of residency interviews continues, it is important to investigate whether in-person program visits, completed after program rank list certification, provide meaningful benefits to applicants in the residency match process. METHODS: All vascular programs entering the 2023 integrated vascular surgery residency match were invited to participate. Programs agreed to certify their National Resident Matching Program rank lists by February 1, 2023. Applicants then had the opportunity to visit the programs at which they interviewed. The particulars of the visit were determined by the individual programs. Applicants completed their standard rank list and locked on the standard date: March 1, 2023. Applicants then completed a survey regarding the impact of the visits on their rank order list decision-making. Program directors (PDs) completed a survey regarding their experiences as well. Data were collected using REDCap. RESULTS: Twenty-one of the 74 (28%) programs participated. Nineteen PDs completed the postinterview site visit survey (response rate 90%). Applicants interviewing at the participating programs (n = 112) were informed of the study, offered the opportunity to attend postinterview site visits, and received the survey. Forty-seven applicants responded (response rate 42%). Eighty-six percent of applicants stated that the visit impacted their rank list. Most important factors were esprit de corps of the program (86%), the faculty/trainees/staff (81%), and the physical setting (62%). Seventy-one percent of those participating spent ≤$800 on their visit. Eighty-one percent were satisfied with the process. Twenty-one percent of PDs would have changed their rank list if they could have based on the applicants' in-person visit. Sixty-three percent of the visit sessions cost the programs ≤$500, and 63% were satisfied with the process. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to document the impact of in-person site visits by applicants on a graduate medical education match process in one specialty. Our results suggest that this process provides meaningful data to applicants that helped them with their decision-making evidenced by most altering their rank lists, while avoiding some of the critical equity issues that accompany traditional in-person interviews. This may provide a model for future interview processes for residency programs.

Finding Comfort in Discomfort Reflecting on Stories Told.

INTRODUCTION: The 2022 Presidential Address for the Association for Academic Surgery was focused on better understanding the personal and professional challenges faced by surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: As part of this work, we embarked on a listening tour, inviting surgeons from all over the country to tell us their stories. This led to forming a panel of five selected participants based on how their stories crosscut many of the most prevalent themes during those conversations. Here, we present thematic excerpts of the 2022 presidential panel, intending to capture that moment and challenge surgeons to contribute to an ever-evolving movement that pushes us to unpack some of our greatest areas of discomfort. RESULTS: We found that, in many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic brought into focus what many surgeons from marginalized groups have historically struggled with. Dominant themes from these conversations included the role of surgery in informing identity, the tensions between personal and professional identity, the consequences of maintaining medicine as an apolitical space, and reflections on initiatives to address inequities. Panelists also reflected on the hope that these conversations are part of a movement that leads to sustained change rather than a passing moment. CONCLUSIONS: The primary goal of this work was to center voices and experiences in a way that challenges us to become comfortable with topics that often cause discomfort, validate experiences, and foster a community that allows us to rethink what and whom we value in surgery. We hope this work serves as a guide to having these conversations in other institutions.

We Are Not All the Same: Implications of Heterogeneity Among Latiné/e/x/o/a, Hispanic, and Spanish Origin People.

There is great variation in the experiences of Latiné/e/x/o/a, Hispanic, and/or Spanish origin (LHS) individuals in the United States, including differences in race, ancestry, colonization histories, and immigration experiences. This essay calls readers to consider the implications of the heterogeneity of lived experiences among LHS populations, including variations in country of origin, immigration histories, time in the United States, languages spoken, and colonization histories on patient care and academia. There is power in unity when advocating for community, social, and political change, especially as it pertains to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI; sometimes referred to as DEI) efforts in academic institutions. Yet, there is also a critical need to disaggregate the LHS diaspora and its conceptualization based on differing experiences so that we may improve our understanding of the sociopolitical attributes that impact health. We propose strategies to improve recognition of these differences and their potential health outcomes toward a goal of health equity.

How to Create a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Curriculum: More Than Checking a Box.

We are beginning to accept and address the role that medicine as an institution played in legitimizing scientific racism and creating structural barriers to health equity. There is a call for greater emphasis in medical education on explaining our role in perpetuating health inequities and educating learners on how bias and racism lead to poor health outcomes for historically marginalized communities. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI; also referred to as EDI) and antiracism are key parts of patient care and medical education as they empower health professionals to be advocates for their patients, leading to better health care outcomes and more culturally and socially humble health care professionals. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education has set forth standards to include structural competency and other equity principles in the medical curriculum, but medical schools are still struggling with how to specifically do so. Here, we highlight a stepwise approach to systematically developing and implementing medical educational curriculum content with a DEI and antiracism lens. This article serves as a blueprint to prepare institution leadership, medical faculty, staff, and learners in how to effectively begin or scale up their current DEI and antiracism curricular efforts.

Strategies for advancing inclusive biodiversity research through equitable practices and collective responsibility.

Biodiversity research is essential for addressing the global biodiversity crisis, necessitating diverse participation and perspectives of researchers from a wide range of backgrounds. However, conservation faces a significant inclusivity problem because local expertise from biodiversity-rich but economically disadvantaged regions is often underrepresented. This underrepresentation is driven by linguistic bias, undervalued contributions, parachute science practices, and capacity constraints. Although fragmented solutions exist, a unified multistakeholder approach is needed to address the interconnected and systemic conservation issues. We devised a holistic framework of collective responsibility across all research participants and tailored strategies that embrace diversity and dismantle systemic barriers to equitable collaboration. This framework delineates the diverse actors and practices required for promoting inclusivity in biodiversity research, assigning clear responsibilities to researchers, publishers, institutions, and funding bodies. Strategies for researchers include cultivating self-awareness, expanding literature searches, fostering partnerships with local experts, and promoting knowledge exchange. For institutions, we recommend establishing specialized liaison roles, implementing equitable policies, allocating resources for diversity initiatives, and enhancing support for international researchers. Publishers can facilitate multilingual dissemination, remove financial barriers, establish inclusivity standards, and ensure equitable representation in peer review. Funders must remove systemic barriers, strengthen research networks, and prioritize equitable resource allocation. Implementing these stakeholder-specific strategies can help dismantle deep-rooted biases and structural inequities in biodiversity research, catalyzing a shift toward a more inclusive and representative model that amplifies diverse perspectives and maximizes collective knowledge for effective global conservation.

Estrategias para las prácticas equitativas y la responsabilidad colectiva en la investigación de la biodiversidad Resumen La investigación sobre biodiversidad es esencial para hacer frente a la crisis mundial de la biodiversidad, por lo que requiere la participación y la variedad de perspectivas de investigadores de diferente procedencia. Sin embargo, la conservación se enfrenta a un importante problema de inclusión, ya que los expertos locales de regiones ricas en biodiversidad, pero con economías desfavorecidas suelen estar infrarrepresentados. Esta infrarrepresentación se debe a prejuicios lingüísticos, contribuciones infravaloradas, prácticas científicas paracaidistas y limitaciones de capacidad. Aunque existen soluciones fragmentadas, se necesita un enfoque unificado de los múltiples actores para abordar los problemas de conservación interconectados y sistémicos. Ideamos un marco holístico de responsabilidad colectiva de todos los participantes en la investigación y estrategias a medida que abarcan la diversidad y desmantelan las barreras sistémicas a la colaboración equitativa. Se necesitan diversos actores y estrategias para promover la inclusión en la investigación sobre biodiversidad, y deben asignarse claramente las responsabilidades de investigadores, editores, instituciones y organismos de financiación. Las estrategias para los investigadores incluyen fomentar la autoconciencia, ampliar las búsquedas bibliográficas, fomentar las asociaciones con expertos locales y promover el intercambio de conocimientos. Para las instituciones, recomendamos establecer funciones de enlace especializadas, aplicar políticas equitativas, asignar recursos a iniciativas de diversidad y mejorar el apoyo a los investigadores internacionales. Las editoriales pueden facilitar la difusión multilingüe, eliminar barreras financieras, establecer normas de inclusión y garantizar una representación equitativa en la revisión por pares. Los financiadores deben eliminar las barreras sistémicas, reforzar las redes de investigación y dar prioridad a la asignación equitativa de recursos. La aplicación de estas estrategias específicas puede ayudar a desmantelar prejuicios profundamente arraigados y desigualdades estructurales en la investigación de la biodiversidad, catalizando un cambio hacia un modelo más inclusivo y representativo que amplifique las diversas perspectivas y maximice el conocimiento colectivo para una conservación global eficaz.

Leaning in and moving forward: a call to action and review of diversity initiatives in SAGES.

BACKGROUND: Diversity, equity, and inclusion have been an intentional focus for SAGES well before the COVID-19 pandemic and the coincident societal recognition of social injustices and racism. Longstanding inequities within our society, healthcare, and the surgery profession have come to light in the aftermath of events that rose to attention around the time of Covid. In so doing, they have brought into focus disparities, injustices, and inequalities that have long been present in the field of surgery, selectively affecting the most vulnerable. METHODS: This White paper examines the current state of diversity within the field of surgery and SAGES (Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons) approach and effort to pave the way forward to meaningful change. We delineate the imperative for diversity, equity, and inclusion for all. By all, we mean to be inclusive of the diversity of gender and sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, geography, sex, and disability in the field of surgery. RESULTS: SAGES is an organization that lives at the intersection of education and innovation. It has a vital role in assisting the surgical profession in addressing these issues and needs and being a force alongside others for sustained and necessary change. SAGES can only realize these goals through a commitment across all aspects of the organization to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion into our very fabric. CONCLUSION: True diversity, equity, and inclusion within a surgical organization is vital for its longevity, growth, relevance, and impact. Unfortunately, the absence of DEI limits opportunity, robs the organization of collective intelligence in an environment in which its presence is critical, contributes to health inequities, and impoverishes all within the society and its value to all with whom it interfaces. SAGES is an organization that lives at the intersection of education and innovation. It has a vital role in assisting the surgical profession in addressing these issues and needs and being a force alongside others for sustained and necessary change. SAGES can only realize these goals through a commitment across all aspects of the organization to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion into our very fabric. Strategies like those highlighted in this White Paper, may be within our grasp and we can learn yet more if we remain in a place of humility and teachability in the future.

The future of childhood maltreatment research: Diversity and equity-informed perspectives for inclusive methodology and social justice.

A long-standing practice in clinical and developmental psychology research on childhood maltreatment has been to consider prospective, official court records to be the gold standard measure of childhood maltreatment and to give less weight to adults' retrospective self-reports of childhood maltreatment, sometimes even treating this data source as invalid. We argue that both formats of assessment - prospective and retrospective - provide important information on childhood maltreatment. Prospective data drawn from court records should not necessarily be considered the superior format, especially considering evidence of structural racism in child welfare. Part I overviews current maltreatment definitions in the context of the developmental psychopathology (DP) framework that has guided maltreatment research for over 40 years. Part II describes the ongoing debate about the disproportionalities of minoritized children at multiple decision-making stages of the child welfare system and the role that racism plays in many minoritized families' experience of this system. Part III offers alternative interpretations for the lack of concordance between prospective, official records of childhood maltreatment and retrospective self-reports, and for the differential associations between each format of data with health outcomes. Moving forward, we recommend that future DP research on childhood maltreatment apply more inclusive, diversity and equity-informed approaches when assessing and interpreting the effects of childhood maltreatment on lifespan and intergenerational outcomes. We encourage future generations of DP scholars to use assessment methods that affirm the lived experiences of individuals and families who have directly experienced maltreatment and the child welfare system.

Engagement in rapid public health research among young people from underserved communities: maximising opportunities and overcoming barriers.

BACKGROUND: Inclusion in public health research of young people from low-income households and those from minority ethnic groups remains low. It is recognised that there is a need to change the way in which research is conducted so that it becomes more inclusive. The aim of this work was to identify novel and innovative ways to maximise recruitment and inclusion of diverse participants when doing co-production within very short time frames for emergency responses. METHOD: We conducted interviews with young people from low-income and minority ethnic backgrounds, and members or leaders of groups or organisations supporting or representing young people from underserved communities. RESULTS: A total of 42 participants took part in an interview. This included 30 young people from low income or minority ethnic backgrounds and 12 community leaders/service providers. Of the 30 young people, 26 participants identified as female and 12 participants identified as being from a minority ethnic background. Participants discussed a number of interrelated barriers to research involvement and identified ways in which barriers may be reduced. Prejudice and discrimination experienced by young people from underserved communities has led to substantial mistrust of educational and governmental establishments. Rigid and unfamiliar research practices further limit the involvement of young people. Four themes were identified as ways of supporting involvement, including: making opportunities available for young people, adaptations to research governance, understanding and acknowledging challenges faced by young people, and ensuring reciprocal benefits. CONCLUSION: This research explored barriers to engagement in rapid public health co-production. Working with communities to co-produce rapid recruitment and research procedures to suit the needs and the context in which young people live is necessary.

Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Bioethics: Recommendations from the Association of Bioethics Program Directors Presidential Task Force.

Recent calls to address racism in bioethics reflect a sense of urgency to mitigate the lethal effects of a lack of action. While the field was catalyzed largely in response to pivotal events deeply rooted in racism and other structures of oppression embedded in research and health care, it has failed to center racial justice in its scholarship, pedagogy, advocacy, and practice, and neglected to integrate anti-racism as a central consideration. Academic bioethics programs play a key role in determining the field's norms and practices, including methodologies, funding priorities, and professional networks that bear on equity, inclusion, and epistemic justice. This article describes recommendations from the Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) Task Force commissioned by the Association of Bioethics Program Directors to prioritize and strengthen anti-racist practices in bioethics programmatic endeavors and to evaluate and develop specific goals to advance REDI.

Race, Ethnicity, and Other Cultural Background Factors in Trials of Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in developing scalable interventions, including internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT), to meet the increasing demand for mental health services. Given the growth in diversity worldwide, it is essential that the clinical trials of iCBT for depression include diverse samples or, at least, report information on the race, ethnicity, or other background indicators of their samples. Unfortunately, the field lacks data on how well diversity is currently reported and represented in the iCBT literature. OBJECTIVE: Thus, the main objective of this systematic review was to examine the overall reporting of racial and ethnic identities in published clinical trials of iCBT for depression. We also aimed to review the representation of specific racial and ethnic minoritized groups and the inclusion of alternative background indicators such as migration status or country of residence. METHODS: Studies were included if they were randomized controlled trials in which iCBT was compared to a waiting list, care-as-usual, active control, or another iCBT. The included papers also had to have a focus on acute treatment (eg, 4 weeks to 6 months) of depression, be delivered via the internet on a website or a smartphone app and use guided or unguided self-help. Studies were initially identified from the METAPSY database (n=59) and then extended to include papers up to 2022, with papers retrieved from Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane (n=3). Risk of bias assessment suggested that reported studies had at least some risk of bias due to use of self-report outcome measures. RESULTS: A total of 62 iCBT randomized controlled trials representing 17,210 participants are summarized in this study. Out of those 62 papers, only 17 (27%) of the trials reported race, and only 12 (19%) reported ethnicity. Reporting outside of the United States was very poor, with the United States accounting for 15 (88%) out of 17 of studies that reported race and 9 (75%) out of 12 for ethnicity. Out of 3,623 participants whose race was reported in the systematic review, the racial category reported the most was White (n=2716, 74.9%), followed by Asian (n=209, 5.8%) and Black (n=274, 7.6%). Furthermore, only 25 (54%) out of the 46 papers conducted outside of the United States reported other background demographics. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to note that the underreporting observed in this study does not necessarily indicate an underrepresentation in the actual study population. However, these findings highlight the poor reporting of race and ethnicity in iCBT trials for depression found in the literature. This lack of diversity reporting may have significant implications for the scalability of these interventions.

Autistic Perspectives on Employment: A Scoping Review.

PURPOSE: Inclusive recruitment and employment of autistic adults has garnered recent attention in research and policy. To address a need to better understand the experiences of autistic adults in relation to paid employment, we asked the literature, what are the experiences of autistic individuals (from their perspectives) in competitive employment? METHODS: A scoping review was conducted to summarize and consolidate the findings across research to date. A systematic search and screen of the literature resulted in 32 relevant studies. FINDINGS: Key study characteristics, participant demographics, and thematic findings are shared, along with considerations and recommendations for future research and practice. Six key themes were described by autistic participants across the 32 studies: (1) accessibility of employment, (2) workplace relationships and communication, (3) role alignment, (4) sensory needs and/or mental health, (5) colleagues' knowledge and beliefs about autism, and (6) family and community context. CONCLUSION: It is anticipated that the results of this review will be beneficial for stakeholders engaging in discussions and decision-making across research and employment contexts.

Promotion and Tenure Database Creation and Utilization: A 12-Year History.

Trends in faculty demographic composition, promotion success, and retention are important considerations in Academic Health Centers (AHC). This paper reviews the design, implementation, and utility of a faculty promotion and tenure (P&T) database (PROMO/TE©) over 12 years in a large southwestern academic health center. Review of the system design, portfolio creation, P&T tracking, interface with other faculty databases, and lessons learned will be offered. PROMO/TE© was developed to improve the P&T packet creation, application, and review process in one College and was expanded to other colleges at the AHC. The PROMO/TE© system is integrated with Workday® and FACFACTS© to track trends in recruitment, attrition, and P&T trends across gender, underrepresented minorities, and other subgroups. PROMO/TE© has several advantages including improving communication, transparency, uniformity, and efficiency in the P&T packet creation, application, and review process. Increased cost savings ($217,198 annually) were noted with elimination of hard copy packets and decreased time spent. The first college reviewed 743 dossiers in the PROMO/TE© system since its creation in 2012 and there has been on average a 10% increase in P&T approvals since its inception. PROMO/TE© facilitates and tracks trends in the P&T process and has many benefits as well as significant cost savings. PROMO/TE© serves as a potential model for other institutions.

Faces of Oppression: Future directions for Ergonomics and Human Factors.

The growing interest in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) centred work in the field of Ergonomics and Human Factors (EHF) can greatly benefit from Iris Young's Five Faces of Oppression theory, which details how well-intentioned systems can perpetuate harm in a number of ways. We call for a greater focus on systems of oppression in EHF research and practice along with increased collaboration with social sciences to tackle important societal issues. This article reviews the current state of research in the child welfare domain and provides examples for how cognitive engineering approaches can take inspiration from the social sciences to help create a more equitable future. These examples outline the potential mutualism between social sciences and EHF and the way this collaboration might dismantle various oppressive systems.

EHF work is often situated within sociotechnical systems that can generate oppression, or injustices imposed on social groups by societal structures. This publication shows the value that social science frameworks and literature can bring to EHF practice by supporting a more nuanced understanding of these systems of oppression.

Correlation of Gut Microbiota with Children Obesity and Weight Loss.

Children obesity is a serious public health problem drawing much attention around the world. Recent research indicated that gut microbiota plays a vital role in children obesity, and disturbed gut microbiota is a prominent characteristic of obese children. Diet and exercise are efficient intervention for weight loss in obesity children, however, how the gut microbiota is modulated which remains largely unknown. To characterize the feature of gut microbiota in obese children and explore the effect of dietary and exercise on gut microbiota in simple obese children, 107 healthy children and 86 obese children were recruited, and among of the obese children 39 received the dietary-exercise combined weight loss intervention (DEI). The gut microbiota composition was detected by the 16S amplicon sequencing method. The gut microbiota composition was significantly different between obese children and the healthy cohort, and DEI significantly reduced the body weight and ameliorated the gut microbiota dysbiosis. After DEI, the abundance of the Akkermansia muciniphila was increased, while the abundance of the Sutterella genus was decreased in simple obese children. Our results may provide theoretical reference for future personalized obesity interventions based on gut microbiota. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12088-023-01088-3.