South Middlesex Times

Rutgers Health has become the first institution to receive a bronze biomedicine award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for its efforts in advancing inclusive excellence in biomedicine. This recognition is part of AAAS's STEMM Equity Achievement (SEA) Change initiative.

The award process, initiated in 2021, involved a comprehensive institutional self-assessment conducted by a Rutgers Health-wide committee and several work groups comprising faculty, staff, and students. The assessment aimed to evaluate current and future needs of faculty, including postdoctoral and clinical trainees. Insights from this review led to the creation of a five-year action plan ending in 2029. This plan addresses gaps and leverages opportunities to recruit, retain, and advance current and future faculty at Rutgers Health.

The application also underscored Rutgers Health's commitment to advancing clinical pathways from training to faculty positions. Hosting 125 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education programs, Rutgers Health is recognized as the sixth-largest sponsor of Graduate Medical Education training positions in the U.S.

“It’s widely recognized that science and biomedicine fields greatly benefit from the rich diversity that different perspectives bring,” said Sangeeta Lamba, vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion at Rutgers Health. “While we acknowledge there is still much work ahead, we celebrate efforts to foster an environment where all members can thrive.”

These initiatives align with broader university advancements such as the Rutgers Presidential Faculty Diversity Hiring Initiative launched in 2021 with a $45 million investment over five years. This initiative has added several Presidential Scholars on tenure tracks across multiple Rutgers Health schools, with additional offers underway. Six postdoctoral fellows have also been recruited in key research areas including health equity.

“This achievement in the new biomedicine category for SEA Change highlights the progress, internal efforts, and commitments we have made to enhance efforts in diversity, inclusion, and health equity,” said Chancellor Brian Strom who leads Rutgers Health. “We are proud to be the first to win this and grateful to Dr. Lamba and her team for leading it.”

As part of its priority initiatives, Rutgers Health will establish a new role dedicated to faculty success and outreach. This position will oversee progress on implementing the SEA Change action plan while ensuring alignment with university goals.

Other planned efforts include enhancing culturally aware mentor training, engaging leadership dialogue around culture and climate issues, establishing an equity adviser program for leadership searches, creating programs supporting transitions from postdoctoral roles to faculty positions, analyzing data from climate surveys conducted by the university in 2023, and conducting listening sessions for direct feedback implementation.

“Being recognized by AAAS and our peer institutions is an honor," said Anna Branch, Senior Vice President for Equity at Rutgers University Equity & Inclusion office. "This award recognizes our shift from conversation to concrete action toward transformative change."

The SEA Change awards emphasize ongoing improvement requiring institutions reapply every five years either maintaining or advancing their status based on progress achieved.

"We are very excited to have Rutgers Health as our SEA Change Biomedicine first bronze awardee,” said Shirley Malcom director of AAAS SEA Change initiative.“This designation recognizes what is possible when resources within an institution come together committedly."