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Home Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Day of Collective Action

February 8, 2023

In honor of the University of Utah’s Day of Collective Action, the Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR) would like to emphasize our support and dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the University of Utah. We encourage our research community to join us in the Day of Collective Action activities to learn, reflect, and find ways to end all forms of discrimination in research at the U.

The VPR office is committed to taking real action against systemic racism and discrimination within our research community. We will continue to collaborate with research faculty, post-docs, students, and staff from diverse backgrounds and identities to create impactful DEI programs and resources for U research activities. Below are a few of the DEI programs implemented by the VPR office in FY2022. Visit the Researcher’s Corner DEI update to see the full details.

Improved health disparities in underrepresented communities
The Utah Resource for Genetic and Epidemiologic Research (RGE) provided support and approval for numerous research projects to use the Utah Population Database to improve our understanding the extent and causes of health disparities in communities that have historically been marginalized by the health care system.
Increased more languages for translational services
The Office of Research Participant Advocacy (ORPA) added 18 new languages in 2022 to the Translation Library enabling more potential participants to be eligible to take part in research at the U.
Implemented new processes to increase diverse research participants
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) (a) created a community advisory IRB panel to review and implement inclusion-focused processes with human subject research and (b) released new policy and infrastructure for the inclusion of the Spanish-speaking populations in clinical research.
Hosted a screening event on environmental racism for the local community
The VPR office sponsored a viewing and discussion of the documentary “AWAiRE: What’s Beneath The Clouds” at the Sorenson Unity Center focused on the west side of the Salt Lake Community.
Increased EDI research communications
The VPR office created the Research Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) “newsletter”, in partnership with the EDI division, to highlight funding opportunities, resources, and researchers in an effort support the U’s collective research capacity to collaborate and obtain extramural funding to help advance equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Increased connectivity for researchers
The VPR office created a “research listserv” for researchers interested in DEI work.

We would like to express our gratitude to our research leaders, faculty, students, and staff who continue to work with the VPR office on DEI efforts throughout the years. In order to build an environment of equity and inclusion to support researchers and all at the U, it takes a collective effort to come together, listen and take real action to make impactful changes and progress in our research community. The VPR office encourages open feedback and is committed to addressing how WE can support DEI efforts in your research space and what type of resource our leadership can provide. Please fill out this survey if you would like to share any suggestions and ideas. This work has truly been a One U effort and thank you for your support in fostering a research campus that is and inclusive for all.

Sincerely,

Erin Rothwell, Interim Vice President for Research
Caren J. Frost, Associate Vice President for Research Integrity and Compliance
Jakob Jensen, Interim Associate Vice President for Research

CC: College Deans, Associate Deans for Research, VPR Unit Directors