The Leadership Alliance presented two sessions at the 2018 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Scientists (ABRCMS), which was hosted by the American Society of Microbiology in Indianapolis, Indiana from November 14-17. The conference features presentations from undergraduate researchers across the country and serves as a meeting point for faculty, program directors, and university administrators whose work supports the cultivation of diverse talent in research. The sessions described below are the product of collaborative efforts between the Leadership Alliance Executive Office and coordinators at our partner institutions. These efforts allow the Leadership Alliance to continue to position itself as a leader in research workforce diversity.

On Friday, November 16, Don Brunson (Vanderbilt University), Ja’Wanda Grant (Xavier University), and Chloe Poston (The Leadership Alliance Executive Office) led a discussion about Building Institutional Partnerships to Enhance Diversity and Inclusion in the Research Workforce. The session featured best practices for identifying potential partners, sustaining institutional partnerships through staff transitions, and strategies to mitigate challenges when building pipeline programs. To demonstrate the power of the Leadership Alliance partnership, Brunson and Grant shared their experiences with preparing and supporting students in The Leadership Alliance’s First-Year Research Experience (FYRE) program. The session closed after a robust discussion driven by questions from the audience.

On Saturday, November 17, Raquel Castellanos (University of Pennsylvania), Marcus Lambert (Weill Cornell Graduate School), and Will Wittels (The Leadership Alliance Executive Office) led an interactive session called Mentoring Diverse Students on the Way to STEM Research Careers. The workshop featured mentoring case studies and a detailed overview of mentoring resources. During the discussion of the case studies, the attendees pointed to core issues in mentoring, such as the need to build trust, the importance of working collaboratively with other potential mentors for your mentee, and the value in proactively structuring the mentoring process. 

The Leadership Alliance is looking for opportunities to share our expertise! If you have ideas for conferences we should attend, please email Chloe Poston at Chloe_Poston@brown.edu.