WEBINAR SERIES—Exploring Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in Science

The American Physiological Society is committed to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment where individuals can exchange ideas, feel safe, accepted and respected. The Society has developed nine core values to ensure the support of its members and a professional culture of zero tolerance for sexual harassment. In this webinar, panelists will explore how to value and support individuals from diverse backgrounds within the sciences.

The program will include discussions defining diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and how it is used in science, and what it means to be an ally and how to develop a network of allies.

In addition, the speakers will share their expertise for how to create an inclusive environment in the areas of:

• gender identity,
• sexual orientation,
• disability,
• and neurodiversity.

Moderator

M. Lourdes Alarcon Fortepiani, MD, PhD, (she/her/hers/ella) is a professor at the Rosenberg School of Optometry at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. She received her MD and PhD in physiology at the University of Murcia in Spain and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at University of Mississippi Medical. Fortepiani is passionate about inclusive science education, diversity and equity, participating in the development of guidelines and enrichment sessions at her institution. She is a past member of the APS Women in Physiology Committee and currently serves on the APS Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee.

Speakers

Caroline A. Rickards, PhD, (she/her/hers) is an associate professor in the Department of Physiology and Anatomy at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) at Fort Worth. She obtained her PhD from RMIT University in Australia and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research in San Antonio. Rickards is committed to addressing issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion in academic and research settings. She is the founder and chair of UNTHSC’s Women Faculty Network, past chair of the APS Women in Physiology Committee and co-director of the UNTHSC School of Biomedical Sciences course “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Biomedical Sciences: Fundamental Concepts.”
 

AJ Bryant, (he/him) is vice president of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) at Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Inc. (oSTEM, Inc.). He is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at The Pennsylvania State University. Bryant is a half Black, half Puerto Rican transman from intercity Boston and is the first transgender powerlifter at Penn State. oSTEM's, IDEA committee celebrates the many faces whose identities intersect within underserved communities of LGBTQ+ people in STEM. Bryant continues to embrace his identity and empower others.
 

Erin A. Cech, PhD, (she/her/hers) is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and a courtesy associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. She earned her PhD in sociology from the University of California, San Diego, and undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering and sociology from Montana State University. Cech completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University in California. Her research examines cultural mechanisms of inequality reproduction in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math professions. Cech was the principal investigator on the STEM Inclusion Study organization report for the American Physiological Society.