About

Epi EDI Committee

The Department of Epidemiology’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (Epi EDI) Committee consists of an active group of volunteers, including students, faculty, and staff and is co-chaired by a faculty member and a graduate student who work in equal partnership. Meetings occur monthly, with the goal of reviewing progress on current projects, setting priorities for future efforts, and being an active group poised to participate in departmental EDI initiatives broadly.

The scope of our work is broad and is consistently evolving to meet the needs of our community.

CURRENT EPI EDI CO-CHAIRS

Dr. Anjum Hajat
Epi EDI Faculty Co-Chair

Zeruiah Buchanan
Epi EDI Student Co-Chair

Jalen Smith
Epi EDI Staff Co-Chair

EPI EDI COMMITTEE CHARTER

The Epi EDI Committee Charter, updated in June 2022, outlines the priorities and bylaws of the committee.

EXAMPLES OF RECENT EDI COMMITTEE PROJECTS ARE LISTED BELOW:

  • In collaboration with the Departmental Curriculum Committee, contributed to quarterly course reviews to support the incorporation of active learning, inclusion and anti-racism into course curricula.  
  • Developed an EDI Glossary of terms to encourage affirming, informed, and supportive conversations throughout the Epi Department, SPH, and partners outside the UW.
  • Organized student-led event for prospective students from diverse backgrounds interested in UW Epi.
  • Worked with Epi Leadership Team to eliminate the GRE requirement for incoming students (effective fall 2020).
  • Promoted funding opportunities for NIH Diversity Supplements through training for students and faculty.

LOOKING AHEAD, THE EDI COMMITTEE CONTINUES TO WORK ON VARIOUS PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES:

  • Efforts in coordination with UW SPH to provide comprehensive anti-racism and EDI training to faculty and staff, with an emphasis on these topics and the field of epidemiology.
  • Collaboration with Epi Leadership Team to encourage incorporation of more EDI discussion into forums for students, faculty, and staff.
  • Providing guidance and support for student/faculty/staff concerns about EDI within the department, in general or based on experiences.
  • Providing a lens of race-, identity-, disability-, and class-consciousness to Departmental initiatives.
  • Working with UW SPH to improve bias reporting tools to facilitate an anonymous and restorative justice based system to address bias as it arises in our school environment.

INTERESTED IN JOINING?

We are seeking students, post-docs, staff, and faculty who would like to serve as committee members. Your input is invaluable, and it is extremely important that our committee represents the voices in our department.

What is the time commitment?

The committee meets on a monthly basis, with some additional work outside of the meetings. We always have an action item list that keeps our mission moving forward, with some months busier than others.

How do I apply? 

Send an email to the EDI co-chairs (epidei@uw.edu) letting us know you would like to join and we can provide you with information on the date and time of our next meeting as well as any other upcoming events that may be of interest.