The Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI) hosted the first Faculty of Color Network (FCN) event on November 28, 2022. The event was the official launch of the FCN. Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer Diane Forbes Berthoud, Ph.D., President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, and Provost Roger Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA, welcomed and introduced the network to the full-time University of Maryland, Baltimore faculty of color. Participants learned about professional development resources, provided feedback on what they thought would be most beneficial from the network, and had an opportunity to network with faculty from across the university.

Read about the Fall 2022 Faculty of Color Network Event.

On April 24, 2023, the second Faculty of Color Network event was hosted at the National Museum of Dentistry. President Bruce Jarrell and Dr. Ward welcomed participants, and Dr. Forbes Berthoud presented on the OEDI 2022-2023 Year in Review.

The featured faculty, Laundette P. Jones PhD, MPH Associate Professor, EPH Preventive Medicine Interim Co-Director, Program in Health Equity and Population Health Associate Director, STAR-PREP (Postbaccalaureate Research and Education Program) from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, presented on Moving from Theory to Practice: Building Comprehensive Partnerships to Advance Health Equity.

The event ended with time for faculty to network. 

Read about presenter Dr. Laundette Jones  (phonetically pronounced “Lawn - det - ta”)  

Dr. Laundette Jones' unique background and training in the biomedical sciences and public health guide her current research efforts to address health disparities by understanding the interplay of biological, environmental, and social factors. This academic work also translates into service at her multicultural church home, where she partners with Bridgeway Community Church to build bridges to the community.  Most recently, Dr. Jones and Bridgeway community church have initiated a unique partnership that seeks to build trust and research capacity among the community and relevant partners to ultimately design structural interventions that are relevant and beneficial for local communities.

The Fall 2023 Faculty of Color Network featured a guided discussion with special guests Dean Renée McDonald Hutchins, JD of the Francis King Carey School of Law and the Vice Provost Dean Kenneth Wong, PhD of the Graduate School.

In a setting that fostered engagement, the deans walked attendees through their personal and professional journeys, shared their visions of equity, diversity, and inclusion at their schools, and answered audience questions. Both deans set a tone that was engaging, interesting, and inspiring, allowing space for authentic connection.

Questions both deans answered:

1. 1. Please describe your journey into leadership particularly as a person with your intersectional identities. 
      
      
   2. Please describe your research interests as a faculty member, particularly as they impact your current leadership role.
      
      
   3. How would you describe your leadership style?
      
      
   4. What gives you the greatest joy in your work as a dean?
      
      
   5. How do you envision creating the next generation of diverse leaders at UMB?
      
      
   6. What is one of the biggest opportunities you see for increasing belonging, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in your school?

The Spring 2024 Faculty of Color Network was hosted on April 16 in the SMC Campus Center. The event featured UMB panelists Gregory B. Carey, Ph.D., Diana N. Carvajal, MD, MPH, and Wendy E. Shaia, EDD., MSW, discussing their efforts and leadership in advancing equity and justice through community-based programs and research and impactful efforts that improve the lives of historically marginalized populations. 

Moderated by OEDI's Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer, Diane Forbes Berthoud, PhD, each panelist answered questions about their work as leaders and researchers. They briefly described their work as community-engaged researchers or leaders in equity and the greatest benefits and challenges of their work. Before answering audience questions, the panelists shared what research advice or perspectives they would give to people interested in pursuing community-engaged research. 

Panelist Bios 

Gregory B. Carey, PhD serves as Assistant Dean of Student Research and Education, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology (tenured) and Executive Director of Student Research and Community Outreach at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM), Baltimore MD. 

He is a first-generation high school and college student. He received his AA degree in biology with a chemistry minor from College of the Bahamas, Nassau Bahamas and his BSc in Biology with a chemistry minor from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, VA. Dr. Carey then completed his PhD in Biochemistry at VCU/Medical College of Virginia (VCU/MCV) and this was followed by postdoctoral studies at the Guthrie Research Foundation, Sayre PA and the Jerome H. Holland Laboratory of the American Red Cross (ARC), Rockville, MD. Dr. Carey was promoted to the position of Scientist at the ARC before being recruited to UM SOM, Baltimore in 2004.Dr. Carey has taught in courses in the Schools of Dentistry and Medicine and still teaches specialized signal transduction in the GPILS program. 

His NIH/NCI-supported research has investigated signals governing life and death decisions in lymphoma and other cancers. He has been supported on NIH awards as PI and Co-I since 2000. He is a passionate teacher and mentor and is dedicated to broadening diversity, inclusion, achievement and participation in science and medicine. As a lab P.I., he has mentored students and trainees across a continuum from grade school to the junior faculty levels. Forty three percent (43%) of these trainees are from groups under-represented (UR) in science and medicine. He has served institutionally and nationally to expand diversity, inclusion, participation, excellence and achievement. In addition to his faculty and leadership duties, he has developed, leads or serves on several funded mentored research education pipelines and programs for middle- and high school-, undergraduate- , post-baccalaureate-, and medical-students (CURE, UM Scholars, STAR-PREP and PRISM). The trainee alumni from these programs combined exceed 600 in number to date. Dr. Carey has received the NCI’s award for outstanding service and mentoring, commemorated on recognizing 21 years of CURE, the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB’s) Martin Luther King Jr. Faculty Award for Diversity and Inclusion, and, separately, the UM SOM’s Dean’s Faculty Award for Diversity and Inclusion. In 2022, he received the University of Maryland System Regent’s Award for exemplary mentoring and service in broad and DEIA capacities. Lastly, in 2022, he received Maryland’s Healthcare Hero award for contributions to mentoring, teaching and service. 

Dr. Carey is active in local and global health education, service and community outreach and has won a number of national, institutional and state awards for his accomplishments and service. This includes a mentoring and research award in 2017 from the NCI celebrating 21 years of CURE. He is also President, CEO and co-founder of EmPAcT Global, a 501(c)3 which is dedicated to “Empowering People through Access and Training”. Dr. Carey, his wife, Dr. Indira Carey and their two adult children live in the Baltimore/Washington DC area. 

A National Institutes of Health-funded researcher, Dr. Diana N. Carvajal co-leads the research section in the Department of Family and Community Medicine while also practicing clinical medicine and leading the residency’s Reproductive Health Education in Family Medicine (RHEDI) program. 

She is a advocate for reproductive justice, social justice, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. Dr. Carvajal’s research focus is on addressing inequities in reproductive health, and she studies how clinicians can support and communicate with patients of all backgrounds, especially those who have been historically marginalized, about reproductive health decisions. 

Dr. Carvajal has helped to develop the social justice curriculum in the family medicine residency and is a leader for the residency’s health justice track. She is also an inaugural member of the UMSOM Educational Content Review Committee, specifically reviewing lectures and other materials that will be presented to medical students to ensure that content is as free from biased, discriminatory, and micro- or macro aggressive themes as possible. She also worked with an ad hoc committee of clinicians from across UMSOM to propose the elimination of race-based kidney function estimates in the University of Maryland Medical System, an effort that was ultimately successful. 

Nationally, Dr. Carvajal serves as director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Strategic Planning for the national RHEDI program, working to develop and implement programs aimed at diversifying the reproductive health workforce in family medicine.  Dr. Carvajal works tirelessly to advocate for a medical system that is equitable and just and is using her research and academic influence to increase diversity in the field of family medicine. In February 2022, she received the Dean’s Faculty Award for Diversity and Inclusion in recognition of her work. 

Dr. Wendy Shaia is a Clinical Associate Professor and Executive Director of The Center for Restorative Change at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, where she earned her Master of Social Work degree. Wendy obtained her Doctor of Education in Human and Organizational Learning from The George Washington University. She has more than 30 years of experience developing, implementing, and leading organizations and programs. In New York, she developed and operated a shelter for unhoused pregnant and parenting young women in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and built transitional and affordable housing in East New York, Brooklyn. Most recently, Wendy worked as a strategic planner for the Department of Defense, where she led change management efforts, and developed strategies around Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity. Wendy is also the founder of the Positive Schools Center at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Her work focuses on creating positive school climate and reducing the disproportionate suspensions and expulsions of children of color and children with disabilities from Maryland schools. She also developed the SHARP framework for providing services to people who have experienced poverty and oppression. She enjoys gardening, dancing swing, and writing fiction. Her first novel, The Black Cell, a work of Afro-futurism, was recently released.  

Dr. Tonya J. Webb is a tenured Associate Professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). She earned her B.S. in Biology/Chemistry at Prairie View A&M University. She completed a doctoral degree in Microbiology and Immunology at Indiana University, with studies focused on investigating the role of CD1d1 molecules and NKT cells in antiviral immunity. Her post graduate work includes postdoctoral fellowships at Indiana University School of Medicine and at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. 

Dr. Webb’s academic career at UMSOM has included positions of increasing responsibility in Microbiology and Immunology; studies on oncology at the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC); and as a member of the Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. She currently serves as the Assistant Director of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Program at the UMGCCC. She has received numerous honors and awards throughout her career, including those from the NIH, AACR, and a host of professional and academic societies. She founded a biotech company, WebbCures, LLC in 2016. Dr. Webb also contributes significant time to local and national service to increase diversity and equity in academic medicine and healthcare. She enjoys mentoring and sharing her experiences with STEM scholars and aspiring scientists.