What to Expect from the Diversity and Inclusivity Committee at The 2023 OHBM Annual Meeting

Alexander Barnett, Christienne Damatac, Eduardo A. Garza-Villarreal, Julia Kam, Lucina Uddin, and Maryam Ziaei

On behalf of the OHBM Diversity & Inclusivity Committee

At this year’s OHBM meeting in Montreal, cutting-edge technology and a commitment to diversity and inclusivity will converge in an array of events curated by the Diversity and Inclusivity Committee (DIC). We will showcase the transformative power of thoughtful methodology in enhancing accessibility to and fostering a sense of belonging in neuroscience and neuroimaging. 

First, the 5th annual DIC symposium will feature a panel of experts on groundbreaking technological solutions for supporting our diverse global community. From revolutionizing accessibility for individuals with visual and auditory impairments to promoting inclusivity in neuroimaging studies, this symposium promises to inspire us to actively improve our own research to be more inclusive. 

Next, at the Multilingual Kids Review, we will engage young reviewers from diverse backgrounds in critically assessing a scientific presentation. Finally, the Diversity & Inclusivity Roundtable will focus on advancing diversity across multiple dimensions, examining strategies for organizing diverse symposia, educational courses, and brain hackathons. 

We hope you will join us as we explore how technology, diversity, and inclusivity intersect to shape the future of neuroscience and neuroimaging. Together, we can work towards creating a welcoming environment for OHBM’s diverse and international membership. 

The 5th annual DIC symposium: Using technology to enhance diversity and inclusivity in neuroscience and neuroimaging

The DIC Symposium is back for the 5th year in a row! This year we will highlight how advances in technology can be leveraged to enhance diversity and inclusivity. We have assembled an excellent panel of speakers who bring their expertise in technological solutions for increasing accessibility for individuals with visual and auditory impairment (Natalina Martiniello and Tilak Ratnanather), solutions for improving inclusivity in neuroimaging studies that involve the collection of EEG data (Jasmine Kwasa and Arnelle Etienne), and mobile neuroimaging technologies for imaging of remote and rural populations (Parisa Zakavi). 

This symposium will illuminate how barriers to inclusivity can potentially be overcome using creative technological solutions that members of the OHBM community can readily implement. Please join us on Monday, July 24, at 3:00 pm in Room 513.

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The 4th edition of the Multilingual Kids Review

In this series of kid-friendly events, we invite young reviewers (ages 8–15) from all over the world to critically evaluate scientific findings presented by researchers in the OHBM community. This year’s events involve more languages than ever before! Starting with one language in the first edition, we now have children speaking 12 languages, including Bengali, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Marathi, Portuguese, and Spanish.

 
This year, there are two streams of events: online and in-person. Prior to a given event, these young reviewers first watch a presentation prepared by the neuroscientists in their native language (with subtitles in English). On the day of the event, they can question the researchers directly, along with their classmates and teachers at school, or siblings and parents at home. The majority of events are already happening online throughout May and June in different parts of the world. The final event will take place live in Montreal at our annual meeting (Tuesday, July 25, at 12 pm, Room 511) . Our young reviewers will get to meet the researchers in person and grill them with their critical questions, all in French.
 
We welcome any children and parents to join us at our online or in-person events! Check out our website for more details of upcoming reviews.

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Roundtable Discussion

Diversity & Inclusivity Roundtable: Advancing multiple dimensions of diversity at OHBM

“Diversity” is, unironically, diverse. At last year’s roundtable, the Diversity and Inclusivity Committee along with the Student-Postdoc SIG, Open Science SIG, SEA-SIG, BrainArt SIG, Communications Committee, and OHBM Chapters met to discuss the best practices for promoting diversity and inclusivity. See our recent blog post for a high-level overview. This year, we build on these discussions by highlighting the multiple dimensions on which diversity can exist (e.g. gender, ethnicity, or geographic), and discussing how to navigate these dimensions when creating symposia, educational courses, brain hackathons, etc. 

This round table will help provide information about the current requirements for submitting a symposium or roundtable at OHBM and about recommended best practices for organizing a diverse group of speakers for a symposium or conference, moving us towards our common goals of making OHBM a welcoming place for our diverse global membership. Please join us on Monday, July 24, at 12:30 pm in Room 510 to learn more.
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