Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Council awards support ideas that foster civility, inclusion

The Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Council recently awarded 14 grants totaling approximately $23,000 to support fresh, innovative programming ideas that foster civility, respect, diversity, and inclusion among the various communities at Johns Hopkins.

Awards range from $100 to $2,500. Among the proposals they will support are a SAIS conference on women and leadership; a speaker series focused on LGBT public health issues; and an expansion of the BFSA's virtual exhibit, The Indispensable Role of Blacks at Johns Hopkins.

The full list Diversity Innovation Grant winners is below:

• Victoria Schneider, Center for Talented Youth; Daniel Teraguchi, School of Medicine
  This project seeks to provide professional development for Hopkins faculty interested in mentoring students from underrepresented communities pursuing STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine).

• Maria Trent, School of Medicine
  As part of ongoing efforts to train future physicians, Dr. Trent will offer a series of simulation exercises using standardized patients to allow students, residents, fellows, and staff to experience cultural communication scenarios and receive feedback for ongoing improvement as a part of clinical training and leadership development.

• Noemie Keller, Whiting School of Engineering
  As soon as spring begins to warm up Baltimore, the Blue Jay's Perch Community Garden (at Johns Hopkins Eastern) will hold a Community Kick-Off Event to celebrate its third growing season.

• Kristian Hayes and Sandy Johnson, Department of General Services, Johns Hopkins Hospital
  This project seeks to recognize and validate the work of the 1,224 support staff (91% of whom are African America) at Johns Hopkins Hospital by creating a motivational video in which leaders and clinical staff from around the hospital can express the support staff's importance in making the hospital a high-quality, safe place for patients to heal.

• Lucy Delgado, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
  B'More Proud, a student network that aims to connect LGBT and ally students in the Baltimore metro-area, will hold its annual Leadership Summit at Johns Hopkins.

• Mark Wilcox, School of Medicine
  The Medical Education Resources Initiative for Teens (MERIT) program will establish a lunchtime lecture series to promote a diverse physician workforce by inspiring low-income high school students from Baltimore City to pursue a career in health care.

• Sherrod Wilkerson, School of Nursing
  The School of Nursing Committee on Diversity and Inclusion will establish a series of three interactive panel discussions to promote respect, support diversity, and enhance inclusion.

• Mark Radin, School of Advanced International Studies
  In response to the new global battle for LGBT rights, SAIS Pride in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State will host the First Annual SAIS Pride Conference to explore avenues for policy change in support of a common message of tolerance around the world.

• Sheila Fitzgerald, Bloomberg School of Public Health
  Dr. Fitzgerald and the Disability Committee of the DLC will lead an effort to create a photo bank of visibly disabled members of our community for use on all JHU and Hospital websites in addition to other informational materials.

• Black Faculty and Staff Association
  The BFSA will officially induct five new members into their virtual exhibit, The Indispensible Role of Blacks at Johns Hopkins.

• Mo Speller, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
  Mo Speller and the LGBTQA Graduate Students Group will create a survey to assess the current safety and accessibility of restrooms on the Homewood campus, in the hopes of raising awareness and producing a strategic plan for improving restroom access and safety.

• Michelle Trone, School of Advanced International Studies
  Michelle Trone and SAIS Development and Alumni Relations will host the second annual SAIS conference on women and leadership, offering a dynamic forum for students to engage with professional women.

• Jessica Harrington, Bloomberg School of Public Health
  Jessica Harrington and her team intend to connect current graduate students with prospective undergraduate students who are participants in the Diversity Summer Internship Program in order to foster mentorship and networking over the 10-week period.

• Daniel Siconolfi, Bloomberg School of Public Health
  In collaboration with a working group of LGBT students, faculty and staff, Daniel will host Realizing Equity, a speaker series whose goal is to enhance training on LGBT public health issues within the Bloomberg School of Public Health.