Kerem Yucel
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Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism,
and Equity Action Plan
Spring 2021
Inclusion Diversity
Anti-Racism
Equity
2
Table of Contents
Section 1:
Introduction 2
Section 2:
Framework 3
Section 3:
Observations and Findings 3
Section 4:
Recommendations 6
4.1 People 6
4.2 Education 8
4.3 Science 9
4.4 Partnerships 10
4.5 Advocacy 11
Acknowledgments 12
Section 1:
INTRODUCTION
The foundations of public health are found in the people and
communities that we strive to serve. Public health professionals
are entrusted to partner in solidarity with and follow the lead of
communities to ensure the health, safety, justice, equity, human rights,
civil liberties, inclusivity, and engagement of all peoples. Grounded
in these ethical underpinnings and the vision of “Protecting Health,
Saving Lives—Millions at a Time,” we have a collective responsibility to
meet the holistic health needs of all peoples and all communities.
This responsibility includes a commitment to inclusion, diversity, anti-
racism, and equity (IDARE) within the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School
of Public Health as well as in the work that we do as public health
professionals. We present this action plan to create the conditions by
which an IDARE culture can thrive in the Bloomberg School.
This IDARE Action Plan first presents an analysis of the School’s climate
and then outlines our strategic priorities for inclusive excellence and
anti-racism, guided by a set of framing principles and reinforced by a
commitment to accountability. Our goal is to support, complement,
and enhance the work already set forth in The Power of Public
Health and the JHU Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion. We remain
committed to “the improvement of health for all people through
the discovery, dissemination, and translation of knowledge, and the
education of a diverse global community of research scientists, public
health professionals, and others in positions to advance the public’s
health,” through the lens of inclusion, diversity, anti-racism, and equity.
The IDARE Action Plan provides a set of strategies that can be
implemented at our School. The Action Plan will guide purposeful
action on the part of the institution and the individual to ensure that
the Bloomberg School is an organization that embodies its values
and realizes the power of its people, creating an environment where
we fuel our creativity and ensure excellence by cultivating a diverse,
inclusive, and nurturing environment for students, faculty, and sta.
To maintain accountability, the progress toward the IDARE Action
Plan goals will be monitored and reported by the Committee for
Equity, Diversity, and Civility (CEDC) and assistant dean for IDARE,
with support from the IDARE Oce. The CEDC and assistant dean
for IDARE will set priorities and establish timelines to complete goals
outlined in the Action Plan. Further, CEDC and the IDARE Oce will
determine benchmarks to measure success in which will be reported
annually to maintain transparency and accountability in our work.
Though the assistant dean for IDARE, CEDC, and IDARE Oce will
champion the Action Plan, each member the School community must
contribute in order to achieve the IDARE goals.
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Section 2:
FRAMEWORK
Our framework posits that each person and unit at the School is responsible for
this work and holds up our common belief in the importance of:
3
1 B
Integr
ating IDARE as
a fundamen
tal thread
throughout the work
of our School
Ensuring adequate
resources for
advancing IDARE
Committing ALL
of us to actively work
toward IDARE and
not to solely rely
on members of our
Black community,
Indigenous Peoples,
and people of color
Striving to be a role
model for IDARE
among schoo
ls of
public health
Section 3:
OBSERVATIONS
AND FINDINGS
The o
bservations and findings presented in this Action Plan combine existing
insti
tutional data from 2019 with the stories and experiences heard by members of the
IDARE Action Plan Task Force sought from subgroups within our community in 2020.
Faculty Composition
In 2019, the School was at near-parity for women in professorial ranks at 49%,
with more women than men at the assistant professor level (75%). Women
predominated in non-tenure track faculty positions (69%). Of note, as of March 2021,
eight of 12 department chairs and seven of 13 deans were women, including the
dean of the School.
Faculty
60%
Women
40%
Men
Faculty who self-identified as being members of any minority racial or ethnic groups
comprised 33% of all faculty (at all ranks); underrepresented minority (URM) faculty
comprised 13% of all faculty. Faculty identifying as Black or African American
comprised 8% of the School’s faculty, and those self-identifying as Hispanic comprised
4%. There were only 10 faculty (1% of all faculty) who self-identified as American
Indian or Native Hawaiian. While progress has been made in recent years, more people
from minority and URM backgrounds are needed in leadership positions. In March
2021, while three of 12 chairs self-reported as minority, two (17%) were URM. Among
13 deans, four self-reported as URM.
Faculty
67%
White
20%
Asian
4%
Hispanic
8%
Black
1%
American Indian/
Native Hawaiian
In 2019, nearly 20% of our faculty were composed of non-U.S. citizens, which includes
representation from around the world.
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Student Composition
Female students comprised 70% of the total student population at the School in
2019. The international student population was 27% across all degree programs.
Students who self-identified as being from URM backgrounds comprised 15% of all
master’s students, 15% of PhD students, and 13% of DrPH students. These figures
represent an increase from 12%, 13%, and 11%, in 2011, respectively. Students who
self-identified as primarily African American/Black comprised 7% of all students;
Latinx/Hispanic, 6%; and American Indian/Indigenous, 0.29%.
Students
70%
Women
30%
Men
Sta Composition
Female representation for sta in 2019 was 72
%, but varied widely among
sta categories with s
ta from the Administrative Support category at 92%
and the Skilled Crafts at 8%. Forty-six percent of sta self-identified as being
from racial minority groups, with the highest percentage found in Service (98%)
and the lowest percentage of sta members who self-identified as being from
racial minority backgrounds in Executive/Administrative (20%).
1%
American
Indian/
Native
Hawaiian
Students
41%
White
27%
International
13%
Asian
7%
Black
6%
Hispanic
3%
2 or more races
Experiences of Our JHSPH Community
Tokenism and othering. Stemming from marginalization, underrepresentation,
and both structural and interpersonal discrimination, some non-majority School
members feel both isolation and the undue heavy burden of representation for their
entire community. These feelings are best described as “othering” on the one hand
and “tokenism” on the other. One student powerfully summed up their sense of this
burden, noting that at times it feels like “minority students are not at Hopkins to
learn, but to teach others of their experience.”
72%
Women
28%
Men
Sta
L
ack of representation. Respondents across many subgroups of our School’s
community commented on a lack of representation at multiple levels. While
improvement is evident, there is, for example, inadequate diversity in leadership
positions across the School. There is also, as shown in the data above, a relatively
low percentage of faculty and students from underrepresented groups, leading to
both feelings of invisibility and overburdening of responsibility.
Finally, bargaining unit respondents signaled
particular concerns about visibility and
voice at the School.
54%
White
26%
Black
12%
Asian
4%
Hispanic
4%
American
Indian
<1%
Native Hawaiian
<1%
Unknown
Sta
For some, these feelings are exacerbated by
courses in the curriculum that inadequately
acknowledge underrepresented
populations. It is clear that while our
curriculum is replete with lessons and
examples regarding the impact of race and
ethnicity on health and health outcomes, we
are less attentive to the impact of structural
racism on health and health inequities.
5
Academic and professional pathway barriers. While attending the Bloomberg School
is financially challenging for many students, those who come from non-majority groups
often express the financial burden of attendance as a more serious barrier to their
success and progress.
F
aculty of color remarked that the time to promotion was longer for many of them, and
that their community-based work and equity-based research was perceived as less
valuable by other faculty than more traditional research applications.
Many sta pointed out that promotions are largely unrecognized, and paths to
promotion are opaque. Additionally, inequities between faculty and sta came up as a
common theme. Finally, the sense that success comes to those who “know someone” is
magnified for many sta members who come from non-majority groups.
Microaggressions and bias. Some respondents noted systemic experiences of
complacent ignorance, exclusion, and discrimination. These were evidenced in
stories of persistent microaggressions, such as Black sta being called “intimidating,”
transgender people being consistently misgendered, blatant questions about sexual
or racial stereotypes, or the simplifying of entire continents of people to a monolithic
experience. Further, when these events have been reported, respondents shared their
mistrust in a human resources administrative system that does not seem to follow up or
follow through on resolving or changing these harmful actions or the broader oppressive
culture—leading some to leave the institution.
Need for heightened focus on Baltimore. A common theme echoed by respondents
was a desire to grow our existing roots in Baltimore and strengthen our relationship with
the Baltimore community. All respondents acknowledged that there is work happening
within Baltimore, but there is a lack of awareness of all the dierent eorts happening
across departments, divisions, and the University. One community resident stated, “[The
University does] only enough to check boxes in their process.” The present community-
University relationship is marred by a history of “under-delivering,” with decision-making
that is responsive to University needs and goals, sometimes to the serious detriment of
community success.
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Section 4:
RECOMMENDATIONS
The following goals represent the perspectives of our School community as well as best
practices for creating an environment that embodies the principles of IDARE. Goals are
intentionally aligned within the five pillars of the School’s Strategic Plan. This approach
reflects our belief that to succeed in unleashing the full power of public health, IDARE
principles must be integrated into everything we do.
4.1 People
Goal for overall IDARE
climate:
Create an IDARE climate in
which all members of our
community feel welcomed
and can succeed and thrive.
Specific actio
ns identified by the Task Force include:
1. Invest in the Oce of IDARE to
ensure adequate resources to
support strategic and operational
oversight of the IDARE Action Plan.
2. Start new and expand existing
IDARE-focused development and
fundraising campaigns.
3. Ensure that each academic and
administrat
ive department in the
School has a named individual who
will provide leadership and oversight
of the IDARE initiatives across the
department.
4. Improve the data collected and
utilized at t
he School in support of
IDARE goals.
5. Utilize the Committee for Equity,
Diversity, and Civility (CEDC) to
develop and monitor benchmarks
related to the IDARE Action Plan.
6. Review and revise, as appropriate,
all policies, practices, and procedures
to ensure IDARE in all we do.
7. Ensure a commitment to IDARE in
new hires.
8. Improve the process for students,
faculty, and sta to report bias issues
related to identity.
9. Develop and implement impactful
IDARE trainings for all faculty,
students, and sta.
10. Create mor
e diverse space names
and artwork at the School.
11. Proactively highlight IDARE-related
work and ensure representation of
diverse experts in our internal- and
external-facing events.
12. Ensure the principles of IDARE are
incorpora
ted in all communications
and marketing.
13. Oer a land acknowledgment at the
beginning of all major School programs
and events.
14. Work with the University, human
resources, and information technology
teams to develop inclusive gender and
sex options.
15. Expand support for and inclusion of
people with disabilities.
16. Improve the experience for people from
diverse religious backgrounds.
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Goal for fa
cul
ty
recruitment and retention:
Increase recruitment
and retention of faculty
and academic leaders
of diverse backgrounds,
with special attention
paid to underrepresented
minorities and
marginalized populations.
Specific actions identified by the Task Force include:
1. Develop and disseminate an annual
report that provides updates to the
Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Plan with
specific attention paid to the attainment
of goals in the previous year and
priorities for the coming year.
2. Set benchmarks for racial, gender,
and other underrep
resented minority
faculty representation specific to
academic departments and disciplines.
3. Prioritize recruitment of faculty scholars
who focus the
ir research on diversity,
inclusion, anti-racism, and equity and
their impact on population health.
4. Ensure highly qualified, diverse
represent
ation of faculty on Schoolwide
committees.
5. Explore networking and mentoring
needs of international faculty to
support their community building and
engagement within the School.
Goal for st
a
recruitmen
t and retention:
Partner with administrative
and human resources
leaders to identify,
recruit, and retain a
diverse sta across all
employee groups, with
special attention paid
to underrepresented
minorities and
marginalized populations.
Specific actions identified by the Task Force include:
1. Guarantee salary equity and
opportunity for School sta.
2. Develop and implement a recruitment
strategy for URM and marginalized sta
in executive/administrative, managerial,
and professional sta roles.
3. Enhance existing and develop new
profession
al development programs
responsive to the needs of a diverse
sta, with a focus on building skills,
expertise, and knowledge that supports
career advancement opportunities.
4. Develop and pilot programs, such as
the Data Science program pioneered
by the Department of Biostatistics,
to create combined training and
employment opportunities for Baltimore
community members and develop a
pipeline to long-term employment
opportunities at the School.
5. Expand professional growth
opportuni
ties in Facilities and
Maintenance, with special attention to
women and gender minorities in the
skilled crafts.
6. Continue to support and expand a
human resource plan that prioritizes
the hiring of and investment in sta
who are from the local Baltimore
community and those who are formerly
incarcerated, returning citizens.
7. Provide ongoing leadership
developm
ent training to managers/
supervisors on conflict resolution,
eective communication, IDARE, and
other leadership topics.
8. Advocate for improved pay equity
among our contractual sta.
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Goal for st
udent
recruitment and
retention:
Increase the recruitment
and retention of
students from diverse
backgrounds, with
a special focus on
underrepresented and
underserved populations.
Specific actions identified by the Task Force include:
1. Enhance our recruitment strategies for
URM and mar
ginalized applicants.
2. Develop and monitor benchmarks
for Schoo
lwide and program-specific
recruitment eorts.
3. Expand scholarship opportunities and
financial support that benefit historically
underrepresented students.
4. Provide ongoing support and
enhancement o
f the Leadership and
Education in Academic Research and
Networking for Enhancing Diversity
(LEARNED) Program.
5. Expand engagement and networking
opportun
ities for international students.
4.2 Education
Goal for inclusive
curriculum:
Ensure the curriculum
across all departments and
programs is representative
and inclusive of diverse
populations, especially
those who have been
traditionally excluded or
marginalized.
Specific acti
ons identified by the Task Force include:
1. Ensure a sense of belonging for all
student
s and reduce the threat of
stereotyping by developing and widely
disseminating a guide to increase
diversity, inclusivity, and anti-racism in
the classroom.
2. Ensure that the curriculum of all
programs in
corporates a core
competency addressing the importance
of IDARE in public health.
3. Require that each new course and
program be reviewed by the Committee
on Academic Standards through the
lens of IDARE.
4. Incorporate in course evaluations
questions regarding attention paid to
diversity, inclusivity, anti-racism, and
equity in the classroom climate and
curriculum.
5. Ensure all new courses created after
January 2, 2021, m
eet the University
guidelines for accessibility, with the goal
of ensuring all existing courses meet
these guidelines by 2025.
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4.3 Science
Goal for expanding
research:
Promote scholarship on
the value of IDARE and
expand the School’s work
that focuses on the
experiences of diverse
populations, with a
specific emphasis
on elucidating and
addressing the impact of
racism on public health
and public safety.
Specific actions identified by the Task Force include:
1. Promote
scholarly work on the impact of
racism on he
alth and health outcomes.
2. Enhance our research on the root
causes of violence, including racism,
while rethinking approaches to public
safety through the lens of public health.
3. Working with the vice dean for
Researc
h, identify funding opportunities
in areas that impact diverse populations,
and communicate these opportunities
to faculty on a timely basis.
4. Consistent with the goals outlined in
Section 4.1 (Overall Climate), ensure
that review practices involved in
the applications for internal funding
opportunities are consistent with
practices that reduce unconscious bias
and promote IDARE principles.
5. Establish methodological standards
that appropriately measure sexual
orientation and gender identity in
research.
6. Work with the Oce of Communications
to highlight IDARE-focused scholarship
of faculty, postdocs, students, and sta
within and outside the School through
multiple channels.
7. Promote equity in our research
engagement with community members
and acknowledge the many ways in
which our institution benefits from
the individuals who partner with us in
conducting our research.
8. Support the ongoing development of
Institu
tional Research Board members
by requiring a minimum of one annual
training session focused on bias in
research, racism, health inequity, and/or
health disparities.
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4.4 Partnerships
Goal for working with
and following community
partners:
Enhance our cross-sector
collaborations to advance
IDARE, with a continued
commitment to Baltimore.
Photo by
Christopher Myers
Specific actions identified by the Task Force include:
1. Continue to curate Baltimore-centered
activities le
d by departments and
oces of the School with an increased
focus on our collective commitment to
IDARE. The mission statements of each
of the departments and oces will be
revisited through the lens of IDARE.
2. Work with our Oce of Communications
to highlight our partnerships with the
Baltimore community.
3. Expand on our current eorts to
engage stude
nts, faculty, and sta in
collaborative eorts with community
partners.
4. Increase opportunities for community
members and organ
izations to benefit
from activities at the School and be
treated with due respect in our facilities.
5. Collaborate with the University in
support of the Innovation Fund for
Community Safety.
6. Establish principles and policies that
outline ho
w the Bloomberg School
will commit to working in and with
East Baltimore, predicated on a set
of community-generated guiding
principles for partnership, led by UHI
and SOURCE as primary collaborators
and involving community members in
their development.
7. Develop a plan for a community
engagement center.
8. Expand and develop new approaches
to connect schola
rship and expertise
from the School with local communities
to support community-driven public
health research and practice.
9. Support local, minority-owned
businesses by im
plementing
procurement strategies and tools that
increase utilization of these suppliers
over time.
10. Support economic, social, and civic
investment in Baltimore.
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4.5 Advocacy
Advocacy is infused throughout the
IDARE Action Plan goals and is essential
to all of our eorts at the Bloomberg
School. Important to this commitment
is an open and inclusive discourse about
major public health issues that can
inform our science and the translation of
science into programs and policies that
promote health equity. Partnering with
and amplifying the voices of historically
marginalized and underrepresented
communities is key to this discourse.
In addition to ensuring that our advocacy
eorts are grounded in the principles of
IDARE, we are committed to engaging
in advocacy work to inform decision-
making, and policy and systems
change that impacts the larger political,
economic, and social factors needed
to improve public health and advance
health equity. Together with the School’s
Center for Public Health Advocacy, we
will continue to utilize our expertise and
resources to help students, sta, and
faculty promote changes to systems
and policies, resources, and procedures
that advance IDARE within the School,
the University, JHU, peer institutions,
Baltimore, Maryland, and beyond. The
Center for Public Health Advocacy is also
developing a strategy for elevating the
role of advocacy in the School’s teaching,
research, and practice activities. This
strategy will encompass the principles of
IDARE in its goals and actions.
Acknowledgments
IDARE Action Plan Task Force Members
Anthony Alberti
Kelsey Babik
Jeromie Ballreich
Allison Barlow
Lauren Black
Joel I. Bolling* (chair)
Durryle Brooks
Laura Camarata
Tyler Derreth*
Katherine Parris Frey*
Joseph Gallo
Danielle German
Marlena Hammen
Keilah Jacques*
Naomi Johnson
Priya Khetan
Michael Klag
Alyssa McCoy
Victoria O’Keefe
Ohemaa Poku
Leslie Procter
Michael Rosenblum
Katherine Smith
Lorraine Smith
Michelle Spencer*
Anna Sundbo
Erika Vaitekunas
Ashani Weeraratna
Melissa Walls
Annalies Winny
*IDARE Action Plan Draft Writing Group Member
A special thanks to all of the students, faculty, sta, and
community members who shared their experiences,
expertise, suggestions, and feedback during the planning
process. Thank you!