About

Epidemiology Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Science (Epi IDEAS)

Our Mission

In 2016, a grass-roots initiative later named the Epidemiology Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Science (Epi IDEAS) Workgroup was formed in the Department of Epidemiology in response to political uncertainty in the United States. More specifically, the group drafted a letter, which was distributed by departmental leadership to Epidemiology students, fellows, staff, and faculty to allay concerns and detail the actions the department would take to protect essential rights. The self-created mission of the group is to:

  • Liaise between trainees, staff, faculty and departmental leadership to promote inclusion, diversity, anti-racism, and equity
  • Provide training in communicating epidemiologic science to broad audiences
  • Promotes epidemiology that engages in public health advocacy

Goals

In alignment with the mission, the goals of the group are:

  • To provide training opportunities to empower students, fellows, staff, and faculty to communicate epidemiologic findings to broad audiences
  • Address how diversity influences epidemiology and race and honor the diversity in the audiences of our science
  • Foster a culture of diversity and inclusion in the department

To achieve these goals, the Epi IDEAS Workgroup provides technical support to department leadership on issues of inclusion, diversity, and equity, and anti-racism remains a hallmark of the Epi IDEAS Workgroup from its founding. Another hallmark of the Workgroup is a focus on efforts that result in creating structural change within the Department, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins University. The group consciously attempts to embed initiatives and events into existing structures and activities in the department to create structural change.

Resources