Data Collection to Support Advancement of Diversity and Inclusivity at OHBM

By: Rosanna Olsen, Amanpreet Badhwar, Valentina Borghesani, Lee Jollans, Hajer Nakua, Laura Marzetti, Nils Muhlert, Pradeep Reddy Raamana, Tilak Ratnanather, and Lucina Uddin on behalf of the OHBM Diversity & Inclusivity Committee

In June 2020, OHBM made a statement condemning the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery as well as ongoing actions of police brutality against Black Americans and underrepresented minorities around the world. During the conversations surrounding these events, there was a public recognition of the lack of support for Black and minority communities. We realized that at OHBM we have not done enough to support underrepresented minorities in science, and that we need to take concrete actions to make our organization a welcome and safe environment that educates and supports each and every member of our group. 

To achieve this goal, we need to gain a better understanding of the experience of OHBM members and their sense of belonging within the organization. Hence, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee (DIC), with support from the OHBM Council, will perform a survey to learn how welcome and comfortable members feel within the organization, at the Annual Meeting, and other satellite events. This survey will also allow for anonymous reports of any experiences of discrimination based on race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or affiliation with any other marginalized group.

The DIC has developed an anonymous two-part survey: the “Survey of Member Views on Inclusivity at OHBM.” The first part of this survey will collect crucial information from OHBM membership and will eventually become a permanent resource for anonymous feedback for all of our activities. Survey responses will identify areas of concern, flag problems, and identify actions that OHBM can then work to improve. The second part of this survey will collect demographics and other identification characteristics of our membership. If you do not want your answers to this part of the survey linked to the first part, there will be a place to indicate this in the survey itself.

The Survey of Member Views on Inclusivity at OHBM will be sent to the OHBM members in December 2020. The survey will take around 10 minutes to complete, and your input will be incredibly valuable, as we aim for a complete picture of our membership’s unique experiences. A high response rate from our membership will provide us with a more representative picture of our diverse attributes and needs, which will provide a better basis for improving our organization. The survey will provide an opportunity for members to provide feedback regarding both what *is* and what *is not* working at OHBM and what do you think should be done to make OHBM more inclusive, for everyone . We also welcome any suggestions on how to improve our survey for subsequent data collection efforts.