Inclusion and Belonging

Meinig School Community Values

At the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, we believe that including different identities, backgrounds and perspectives in our school enables the best solutions to challenges for human health. Biomedical engineering education and research are most innovative when all our community members, including those who are marginalized in our society, can thrive as their authentic selves. We acknowledge that we exist in a world that struggles with inequality, and, in the spirit of Cornell’s ideal of “any person, any study,” we commit to championing equity and inclusion to improve the health of all.

Upcoming Events

TBA

Initiatives

Improving accessibility of research for undergraduates

Increasing accessibility of research for undergraduates is vital to creating an inclusive department, and, by extension, field of research. We understand that increasing accessibility is a process of both eliminating barriers and helping undergraduates over the barriers that we cannot yet remove. As such we are seeking a three-pronged approach to increase inclusion of undergraduate research in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering:

help undergraduates develop the skills to get into labs
help research staff (including graduate students) to develop mutually beneficial relationships with undergraduates
help professors understand how to fund undergraduate researchers and foster healthy mentoring relationships

We are starting by surveying each group on their role in this endeavor. From there we will host a series of workshops to address the barriers identified from this information, and continue this process to improve people's experiences at the Meinig School. Links to surveys below:

For any/all feedback on this initiative, please email map476@cornell.edu or tjm339@cornell.edu.

Resources

Inclusive Excellence Podcast (Cornell-based): A monthly podcast series where they unpack various topics related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at work

Past Events

2023

Fall Dinner

Guest speaker Newton de Faria, Ph.D., Professor of Practice & Director of Cornell's Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering’s Masters of Engineering Program, shared his personal and professional career trajectory, discussing the challenges and triumphs in his path from Brazil through careers in industry and academia.

Fall Open Meeting

The fall open meeting served as a forum to share/hear ideas about what would help create a sense of belonging and inclusion for all members of the BME department. Dr. Marjolein van der Meulen discussed her journey in academia with experiences.

Spring Dinner

Guest speaker Dr. Shivaun Archer, the John and Janet Swanson Senior Lecturer in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, share her personal and academic experiences and career.

2022

Fall Dinner

Dr. Asher Williams, a Trinidad & Tobago National Scholar and Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell University, shared her journey to academia.

Pride Potluck

On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, we celebrated pride month at the Weill Hall patio with a community potluck/dish-to-pass picnic. There were games, a BBQ, and music. Because community is a central tenet of pride celebrations, we welcomed and encourage all in the department to attend this event!

Spring Dinner

Guest speaker Dr. Amal El-Ghazaly, assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell presented her career journey and took questions.

Spring Open Meeting

The 2022 community meeting was held to explore inclusion in BME and at Cornell. We shared ideas about what would help create a sense of belonging and inclusion for all members of the BME department.

2021

Discussion: Socio-economic and racial inequalities in health, with Dr. Isabel Perera, Assistant Professor of Government at Cornell University and affiliated faculty at the Center for the Study of Inequality

The committee held its first discussion event on Friday, November 5th, 2021 from 4-5 PM in 125 Weill Hall. We watched an episode of the PBS series "Unnatural Causes". This series examines the causes and consequences of inequalities in health. The viewing will be followed by a discussion with our special guest, Dr. Isabel Perera, Assistant Professor of Government at Cornell University and affiliated faculty at the Center for the Study of Inequality.