8
Moving Forward with Urgency
The workshop was structured to include informal discussion among the committee co-chairs in a fireside chat format, followed by opening the conversation to other presenters and participants. It closed with a keynote by Roundtable member Cora Marrett, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin–Madison).
“FIRESIDE CHAT”: DR. VIVIAN PINN, DR. SHIRLEY MALCOM, DR. ALTHA STEWART, AND DR. EVELYNN HAMMONDS
Dr. Pinn opened the session by noting that when she, Dr. Malcom, and Dr. Hammonds tapped into the literature to plan the workshop, they found the research on the need to build resilience early in life particularly striking. She also commented that the frequent conversations they held as co-chairs reinforced their bonds. Dr. Malcom reflected on the importance of “checking in with each other” at all stages of life. She continued:
What is important—no matter how old you get, how far you go, how distinguished the awards you get, we still encounter the same problems we had earlier in our careers. We face many of the same problems, in terms of isolation, in terms of low expectations from others. I just learned how to handle them differently.
Keynote presenter Dr. Stewart (see Chapter 2) responded to Dr. Malcom’s comments. She stressed the value of conversations around wellness. “I really want us to shift our language so that being well is the natural state,” she said. She agreed with Dr. Malcom’s observation about facing low expectations and being underestimated by the majority community. “I enjoy that look on people’s faces when they realize that I am present, I am all there,” she said. This is part of her cultural wealth, she said. “I have to point out to people that not recognizing that in me is their problem.” She noted she continues to honor and emulate role models, and she stressed the responsibility that she and others have to shepherd and protect younger professionals. Dr. Hammonds observed that many issues young people are dealing with today, such as how to navigate the system, have persisted for years. Despite the presence of many programs and resources, she said, “I don’t understand why we still can’t get this information to the people who need it. Where are we failing our younger people?” She urged development of a repository of information to facilitate access, to which Dr. Stewart added the need for an accountability structure.
Dr. Malcom suggested that actions to assist early-career scientists could include a requirement that National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding require the existence of a mentoring compact between a mentor and mentee, one of the tools for effective mentoring suggested by a recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
committee.1 Another issue to hammer out, she continued, relates to graduate students receiving appropriate credit as co-authors in papers or co-inventors in patents. These are rules that graduate students must learn and work out ahead of time, and they need guidance in knowing them.
Referring to Ms. Harriot’s conversations with her principal investigator (PI; see Chapter 7), Dr. Hammonds stressed the importance of faculty and students setting expectations in a supportive way. Students should not have to be fortunate enough to “fall into” helpful situations, she said. “The problem to me is building the capacity and holding accountable the people who are in charge of educating students in STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics],” she stated.
The default, Dr. Stewart observed, is for those in power to help those who are like them. “If I am not like you, I do not come to your attention when it comes to decisions about who gets into a program, who you go looking for to recruit into the program,” she commented. “We are not the natural thinking point.” She suggested the NIH UNITE program (see Chapter 5) may open the door by tying the need for more inclusive recruitment and working climates into the distribution of funds.
“We have to remember that we did not create these spaces,” observed Dr. Malcom. “They were created by people for their lives and experiences. And that’s okay—but do not put barriers in my way.” In a recent presentation to the National Science Board, she emphasized not just the quality of research but also the quality of the research environment, because “you will not get a good return on investment in an environment of exclusion.”2 These comments touch on the theme of the workshop, observed Dr. Pinn. “As demographics, the scientific workforce, and our mentality about ourselves have changed, the system needs to change to accommodate us, not us having to change to fit in,” she said. She pointed to SEA Change, the program that Dr. Malcom directs at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which provides a systems look and accountability structure.3
Dr. Hammonds returned to Ms. Harriot’s comment about approaching science with a sense of wonder (see Chapter 7). The sense of wonder
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1 For more information on this and other tools, see “The Science of Effective Mentoring in STEMM,” https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/the-science-of-effective-mentoring-in-stemm.
2 A recording of her August 10, 2021, presentation may be seen on the National Science Board’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbIFM0KHEao.
3 For more information about SEA Change, see https://seachange.aaas.org.
that draws young people to science should not be lost in the struggle to get through the system, she said. Dr. Pinn urged following through with ideas that have brought success, rather than continuing to “spend years talking about where we need to go.” Dr. Stewart agreed models exist that are ready to go to scale. She urged funders to come together to make long-term commitments to support programs that start in middle school. The commitment, she continued, must establish metrics and outcomes with the end goal to increase the pool of trained, culturally responsive professionals.
TOWN HALL
To open up to a town-hall format, Dr. Pinn first asked Dr. Stewart to reflect on what she heard during the workshop since setting the stage with her opening keynote (see Chapter 2). Dr. Stewart began by stressing:
It is okay to say I am not okay. Let’s start there. Whether we are talking about the high school student with an interest in STEM or the practicing physician or the more seasoned clinician—at every stage of life. It is particularly important to say that out loud in communities of color because we are so tuned into stigma and discrimination and the assumption that we are not up to the task. It is critical to set aside that myth, because people are not seeking out the services they need.
She continued that if young professionals are having the same experiences that more senior professional had years ago, “We have no choice. It is our fundamental responsibility to say, ‘no more’ and to make a difference. The reality is we can muster the psychological strength with the support of others. The reality is that racism does exist, and people do not want us to succeed in large numbers.”
There are solutions, she continued. A workshop like this can bring together those with lived experience and the content expertise to craft blueprints for action. “We are the solution we have been waiting for. We are the right people to put this in front of the right person, agency, or organization,” Dr. Stewart said.
Kenneth Hill, reflecting on his experience setting up programs in Detroit and Chicago (see Chapter 3), said he crystallizes his thoughts into three sentences: “First, our children are brilliant. Second, our parents want
their children to do well. Third, if we can get together to help our parents help their children excel at early age, in my opinion that is the key.”
Roundtable member Lynne Holden, M.D. (Albert Einstein College of Medicine), shared four lessons that she has learned through Mentoring in Medicine, the nonprofit organization she leads that has helped 500 students get into and through medical school. First, listen to the students, parents, and educators to learn their needs and perceived obstacles. Second, start young to teach children to ask questions and nurture their intellectual curiosity. Third, provide supplemental help through after-school and other programs. Fourth, embed social and emotional intelligence in programming so students can deal with implicit bias, imposter syndrome, and other challenges.
Several comments centered on the value of early intervention. Roundtable member Charles Bridges, M.D., Ph.D. (Janssen Pharmaceuticals), commented on what he has learned through involvement in a Philadelphia math and reading enrichment program.4 With appropriate resources, a group of 25 Black public school students in grades 3 and 4 who had below-grade math and reading scores were at or above grade level within several years. Mr. Hill reported that the W. K. Kellogg Foundation is funding development of an algebra concepts program for K–3 in which parents and children learn side by side. Ms. Harriot commented that she was shaped to become a scientist through STEM magnet programs in middle and high school.
Dr. Felix recommended advocating to ensure faculty of color are supported as they serve as mentors. Many are the only person of color in their department or organization, and they are at capacity. Dr. Pinn concurred with the challenge for faculty of color who are asked to serve on multiple committees while also trying to do their own research. She acknowledged the debate over this issue. She said for her, committee involvement increased her exposure and “got me to the table.” Dr. Malcom said tenure and promotion criteria must be addressed so that faculty are not just judged by the number of grants and publications, but how they are teaching, mentoring, and coaching diverse student populations.
In response to a question Dr. Hammonds asked about increasing the numbers of African Americans working in mental health fields, Dr. Stewart reiterated her call for the breaking down of stigma barriers, as well as ensuring the field is in tune with what is beneficial to Black people. She suggested
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4 See Kumon Math and Reading Program, available at https://www.kumon.com/.
three strategies. First, the Black Psychiatrists of America and other groups should outline strategies to reach out to students in the early stages of medical training to consider specializing in psychiatry. Second, psychiatric training programs and residencies must have diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a priority. Third, agencies such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Institute of Mental Health should support long-term training plans to grow the workforce to meet their diversity targets.
Roundtable member Gilda Barabino, Ph.D. (Olin College of Engineering), commented that the discussion reflects the challenges that Black STEM professionals face, no matter their position on the career ladder. She emphasized the need to start early and stay with students throughout their entire pathway. “The time is now—and it is the time for us to take ownership and not wait for someone else to do it,” she said.
CLOSING KEYNOTE
Dr. Marrett reflected on the presentations and participants’ comments, noting the emphasis on how to put into action what was shared. She also shared the question from one participant who asked “if we are preaching to the choir.” Dr. Marrett responded, “Yes, but what’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with trying to strengthen voices and enhance harmony if we want to have a choir to sing in ways that others are going to hear.” Returning to the “singing of the choir” analogy during her remarks, she reviewed what she saw as takeaways throughout the workshop.
She echoed Dr. Altha Stewart’s call for protective factors to help navigate challenges in moving forward. “We must provide our own protective veneer,” Dr. Marrett stressed.
She also observed that the explanations given for limited participation by persons of color in STEM have changed over time. Inequities are no longer attributed, at least publicly, to limits in African Americans’ abilities and talents. A more prevailing view, often implicit, is that the reasons for underrepresentation lie within the targeted communities. Presentations from the workshop dispute this view, she pointed out. Dr. Kevin Cokley and Dr. Sonya Douglass Horsford (see Chapters 2 and 3) discredited the argument that curiosity and willingness to work hard are absent from targeted communities. Further evidence from Mr. Hill and others (see Chapter 3) point to strong parental support for children’s achievements and learning. And Dr. Ebony McGee (see Chapter 2) described the pursuit
by many graduate students to achieve in STEM fields despite being under financial and psychological stress. In summary, she stated, “A number of the assumptions about what is lacking do not hold up under close scrutiny. That is an issue that is important for the Roundtable and for whom we interact with.”
Dr. Marrett noted support by many participants for Dr. Gordon’s statement that the Black community must create conditions to foster young people’s achievements (see Chapter 3). However, she cautioned that models and strategies must be appropriate for given circumstances. For example, the concept of mentoring is universally endorsed, she observed, but mentoring models are often taken off the shelf and do not reflect the experiences and needs that can exist. She called attention to successes at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Morehouse School of Medicine, among others (see Chapter 4).
Several speakers raised the question of resistance to change, Dr. Marrett pointed out. When resources are expanding, she observed, diversity initiatives are generally supported. However, she said, “when there are limits on the resources, we see very different kinds of approaches. We see resistance.” Further, she said, the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion often are “thrown together,” but they have different outcomes. “Diversity—having numbers based on representation in the population—is not the same as inclusion, with full engagement and participation,” she said. Quoting a workshop participant, Dr. Marrett said, “The DEI lens needs to be agreed upon. There are so many models that it makes measurement difficult and makes the pursuit extremely difficult.” It takes more than the existence of a DEI plan.
A multitude of reports start with statements that diversity is important for the nation and the world, Dr. Marrett said, but sometimes these are just words. Instead, she said, “if we believe deeply that the advances and future of the nation depends on how well we use all our resources, how well we reach out to the talent that is there, if that is what we have in mind, then we need to stand behind how this is more than words, more than a mission or vision statement.” She continued:
There is comfort in knowing that one is not addressing these problems and issues alone. It can be so easy to feel isolated, and that is not a comforting matter. Engagement with others seems especially important when we are talking about systemic issues. These are not issues that can be easily handled by individuals. It’s
the kind of collective involvement and sense you can derive from having people on the same page—singing from the same hymnal.
Dr. Marrett noted the workshop co-chairs have been attuned to how to use the knowledge, for whom and for what. She concluded by “thanking the choir” for their music, harmonies, and willingness to think about how to get other ears to understand, hear, and interact.
CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE WORKSHOP CO-CHAIRS
Dr. Malcom reiterated the message from Dr. Marrett that “if we are going to make system-level change, we cannot do it alone. Essentially it is a collective effort, not an individual one.” Dr. Hammonds said she felt a sense of transformation from the workshop discussions. Dr. Pinn thanked committee members, participants, and the National Academies staff. “We need to keep thinking about moving forward and preserving mental wellness for all of us, especially for the next generation so [that] they inherit a world in which they can be successful and further the excitement of the science that they will be taking over from us as we move on.”
