Workshops and Trainings
PRIDE Training
In an effort to increase diversity, equity and inclusion within our Department, we have integrated the following training series into our departmental seminar series: Pursuing Respect, Inclusion/Intersectionality, Diversity, and Equity (P.R.I.D.E.) offered by the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (CSGD). This training is the CSGD’s signature educational program aimed at increasing awareness of issues impacting those with marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.
To make it easy and convenient to attend this training, our EDI committee schedules department-specific training sessions with the CSGD that is integrated into our normal seminar time. These sessions are announced well in advance as part of our normal scheduled seminar series released at the beginning of each semester. However, we greatly encourage everyone to attend the additional training sessions offered by the CSGD!
Past Sessions:
- November 2021: P.R.I.D.E. Foundational 1: On Language and Identities
- September 2022: P.R.I.D.E. Foundational 2: On Privilege and Oppression
- October 2023: P.R.I.D.E. Foundational 3: On Allyship and Action
Get details about all available training offered by the CSGD. Additionally, these trainings are eligible for RCR credit for Graduate and Professional Students.
Workshop on Racism and Microaggressions
The EDI committee has organized an educational session to learn about implicit bias. This is part of our ongoing series of EDI educational events that occur within our seminar series time spot.
Our first session - Understand and Embrace Our Innate Implicit Bias - offered in the Spring of 2022 was led by the Duke Office of Institutional Equity (OIE). The 90 minute session included a lecture component as well as small group discussions. To facilitate a safe space to share openly, we held two separate sessions with the same content, one for faculty and business managers and another for students/postdocs/staff.
Events
2024
Honoring Black History Month
In collaboration with the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, the EDI committee hosted a two-hour luncheon honoring Black History Month in February 2024. We watched and discussed two TED talks from Black feminist activists: The urgency of intersectionality by Kimberlé Crenshaw and Don’t call people out – call them in by Loretta J Ross. This event allowed the attendees to discuss and learn about intersectionality, anti-racism, and navigating complex conversations. Food was catered by Ama’Gees Jamaican Cuisine and Dame’s Chicken and Waffles, two Black-owned Durham restaurants.
Women’s History Month: Women of IIB Coffee Time
During March 2024, we gathered over coffee and pastries to celebrate Women’s History Month. The event provided a chance for staff, trainees, and faculty alike to socialize and honor notable female immunologists throughout history.
2023
Guest lecture by Dr. Avery August
Our department co-sponsored a guest lecture by Dr. Avery August, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and Professor of Immunology, in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Deputy Provost at Cornell University.
His lecture in March 2023, "Moving Towards Inclusive Excellence: A Conversation with Dr. Avery August", was followed by a discussion about the strategies and insights Dr. August has gained through leading these efforts and his perspective on creating inclusive environments in academia. The discussion was led by Dr. Johnna Frierson, the Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for Basic Sciences and Director of the IDEALS Office.
2022
Durham Pride Festival booth
Our EDI committee hosted a booth at the Durham PRIDE Festival in the Fall of 2022. We had continuous engagement with people at the festival, with over 250 meaningful interactions with the public. People enjoyed spinning our prize wheel and learning about prominent queer scientists and fun facts about immunology.
We also shared PRIDE themed stickers, which were a big hit. We had three posters, one highlighting recent advances in HIV vaccine development at Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI). Another poster highlighted fun pictures of department members and scientific images from our researchers. The third showcased the activities of our EDI committee over the last two and a half years. These posters are now displayed outside our Jones lecture hall and also accessible below.
