INSTITUTIONAL RACISM IN HEALTH AND SCIENCE

To promote diversity and inclusion particularly in the sciences, I have been co-developing and teaching a course at Boston University that aims to address the role of science in perpetuating systematic racism. The goal of the course is to motivate science students to take a social justice course that provides them with context as well as best practices. 

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In collaboration with colleagues from several departments of BU (education, bioinformatics and biology, see picture above) we are addressing topics such as the role of evolutionary biology in creating race as a construct, the science behind eugenics and a range of other topics that are still impactful in modern society. We also discuss ways to a more inclusive and accountable culture at universities. We are aiming to provide science majors an opportunity to deeply consider the societal impact of their work and to make all students feel acknowledged and welcomed. We are also hoping that this course can be adapted for other universities.