Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in the research workforce is a critical and necessary step to eliminate inequities in health. Yet, despite significant investment in policy change at NIH, in academia, and in other societal institutions, diversification of research staff, leadership, and research participants has remained unchanged. The underpinnings of this lack of change are multilevel and systemic and involve challenges in science education of underrepresented groups as well as difficulty recruiting and retaining scholars from diverse backgrounds. Leaders within the Duke School of Medicine and at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) recognized that to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the biomedical sciences, it is critical to design, implement, and support initiatives to engage students at the undergraduate and graduate levels and create opportunities for research collaboration amongst area universities that offer excellence in research and education and diversity in the student body and faculty.
To achieve the goal of increasing DEIA in clinical and translational science, the Duke NCCU Partnership, endorsed by leadership at both institutions, was formally established on September 15, 2017. Between 2017 and 2022, multiple initiatives launched including a new clinical research sciences certificate program and undergraduate clinical research sciences bachelor’s and minor degree programs at NCCU, infrastructure for enabling NCCU student internships within the Duke School of Medicine, pilot research partnerships, ethnodramas, and research tours to educate the community, and a junior faculty development program. The partnership was supported by the Duke School of Medicine with funding separate from grant awards and by NCCU with mostly in-kind donations (faculty and staff participation and resources). In July 2021, the Duke-NCCU Bridge Office (Bridge Office) was established and is housed administratively within the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Leadership of the Bridge Office includes partners from both academic institutions who support opportunities for multidisciplinary collaborations and ensure that faculty, investigators, and trainees at all career levels have access to interprofessional development and education; student internships; community engagement opportunities; core resources and services to do innovative research; and pilot program funding.
Outcomes of the partnership and interventions include the following:
Importantly, the overall partnership and each of the interventions implemented over the last five years are directly in line with the NIH UNITE initiative to promote workforce diversity through policy, culture, and structural change.
Moving forward, the leadership, faculty, trainees, and students of Duke and NCCU are strongly committed to building a long-term sustainable partnership, addressing strategic priority areas, and addressing critical issues related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in the research workforce is a critical and necessary step to eliminate inequities in health. Yet, despite significant investment in policy change at NIH, in academia, and in other societal institutions, diversification of research staff, leadership, and research participants has remained unchanged. The underpinnings of this lack of change are multilevel and systemic and involve challenges in science education of underrepresented groups as well as difficulty recruiting and retaining scholars from diverse backgrounds. Leaders within the Duke School of Medicine and at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) recognized that to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the biomedical sciences, it is critical to design, implement, and support initiatives to engage students at the undergraduate and graduate levels and create opportunities for research collaboration amongst area universities that offer excellence in research and education and diversity in the student body and faculty.
To achieve the goal of increasing DEIA in clinical and translational science, the Duke NCCU Partnership, endorsed by leadership at both institutions, was formally established on September 15, 2017. Between 2017 and 2022, multiple initiatives launched including a new clinical research sciences certificate program and undergraduate clinical research sciences bachelor’s and minor degree programs at NCCU, infrastructure for enabling NCCU student internships within the Duke School of Medicine, pilot research partnerships, ethnodramas, and research tours to educate the community, and a junior faculty development program. The partnership was supported by the Duke School of Medicine with funding separate from grant awards and by NCCU with mostly in-kind donations (faculty and staff participation and resources). In July 2021, the Duke-NCCU Bridge Office (Bridge Office) was established and is housed administratively within the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Leadership of the Bridge Office includes partners from both academic institutions who support opportunities for multidisciplinary collaborations and ensure that faculty, investigators, and trainees at all career levels have access to interprofessional development and education; student internships; community engagement opportunities; core resources and services to do innovative research; and pilot program funding.
Outcomes of the partnership and interventions include the following:
Importantly, the overall partnership and each of the interventions implemented over the last five years are directly in line with the NIH UNITE initiative to promote workforce diversity through policy, culture, and structural change.
Moving forward, the leadership, faculty, trainees, and students of Duke and NCCU are strongly committed to building a long-term sustainable partnership, addressing strategic priority areas, and addressing critical issues related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
