The Opportunity, Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) initiative—now called Project Access—hosted the first in a series of webinars on May 19, 2020.
This first webinar, Diversity Initiatives in the Workplace: Evidence-based Approaches and Outcomes, had two invited expert speakers who shared their knowledge and experience about the benefits of creating a diverse and inclusive organizational environment.
The invited experts, Prof Molly Carnes and Gabriela Rojas, demonstrated how both academia and industry benefit from implementation of diversity and inclusion initiatives that lead to improved productivity, enhanced communication, and better organizational performance.
Carnes illustrated how the mere existence of group stereotypes can lead to automatic cognitive biases that thwart efforts to diversify the scientific and medical workforce. She also highlighted strategies that—when practiced at an individual level—have delivered long-term pro-diversity institutional outcomes, and she presented research demonstrating the efficacy of those methods. Drawing from years of experience leading diversity initiatives in the pharmaceutical industry at Johnson & Johnson Enterprise, Rojas demonstrated how to set up volunteer networks to promote diversity, inclusion, and encouraged webinar participants to reflect on how inclusive practices can become a core component of innovation and enhance the AO’s mission.
The next webinars are in development and will feature invited expert speakers, sharing their insights and experiences on topics such as diversity and inclusion, as well as mentorship and sponsorship.
The working group is looking for members of the AO community who are motivated, passionate about, and/or who have expertise in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Mentorship to participate in the task forces that will drive the initiative forward in the coming months.
If you are willing to participate and want more information, please read the FacultyFocus article on the initiative here , and register your interest via the online form available here.
Molly Carnes, Virginia Valian Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry and Industrial & Systems Engineering, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin; School of Medicine and Public Health; Director of Center for Women’s Health Research, School of Medicine and Public Health, and Co-director of Women in Science and Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI,) College of Engineering
Gabriela Rojas, Vice-President Global Strategic Capabilities, DePuy Synthes, Johnson and Johnson; Women´s Leadership and Inclusion Global Steering Committee, Johnson and Johnson Enterprise; Global Office of Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board, Johnson and Johnson Enterprise
"It is a thought-provoking subject matter that is profoundly valid and relevant, especially in a very diversified society and the environment we live in. We need to sympathize and be sensitive to the differences in cultural background, color, gender, religion, and social status of individuals. We should be inclusive so that we can harness the talents and contributions of individuals to reach our goals in whatever organization we are involved with."
Francis V. Roasa
MD Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery University of Santo Tomas Hospital Manila, Philippines
Chair, AOCMF Asia Pacific Board