UW Epidemiology members outline steps for inclusivity in epidemiology

Members of the University of Washington (UW) Department of Epidemiology have published a letter to the editors of the American Journal of Epidemiology (AJE) outlining steps for the Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) to cultivate greater inclusivity in SER and in epidemiologic research.

SER’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee has recently taken steps to evaluate the composition of its membership and to describe feelings of inclusion at SER events and meetings. These findings were published in AJE this month along with other letters and commentaries from epidemiologists and SER members.

In their letter, Drs. Jen Balkus, Anjum Hajat, Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, and doctoral candidate Stephanie Tornberg-Belanger propose additional steps that could be taken by the professional organization to support a more diverse membership, foster community, promote rigorous methods, expand research dissemination, and lead important discussions about health equity, anti-racism, and social justice as core principles in epidemiology.

“We hope that SER will implement these changes to cultivate an environment that welcomes and celebrates members with various identities and also diversify the breadth of research and exchange of ideas, ultimately leading to more impactful changes in public health,” said Stephanie Tornberg-Belanger, doctoral candidate and UW Department of Epidemiology Equity, Diversity & Inclusion committee co-chair.  

The letter can be read on the American Journal of Epidemiology (AJE) website. Members of the UW can access the full letter for free through the UW library database.