Diversity

Vanderbilt's Aspirnaut STEM pipeline for diversity and wellness recently celebrated its 15th anniversary with a daylong scientific symposium, followed by a feature on the Aug. 2 broadcast of NBC Nightly News. Read More

Megan Piphus Peace, BA’14, MSF’15, is an accomplished ventriloquist and puppeteer who has performed in front of audiences across the nation, including on The Tonight Show and America’s Got Talent. In 2021, she made history as the first Black female puppeteer to work on the long-running children’s television show Sesame Street. Read More

The inaugural Black Girls Becoming Summer Research Institute, held at Vanderbilt University this summer, hosted 19 rising seventh- and eighth-grade girls from Metro Nashville and as far away as Memphis for a no-cost, residential learning experience. Participants learned more about themselves and their peers through classes in science research, critical consciousness, the arts and financial literacy. Read More

Alumna Prisca Mojica Rodriguez rebuilt the framework for understanding her identity after enrolling at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Now as a published author, she speaks at colleges and universities around the country and continues to monitor “Latina Rebels,” an Instagram account she started while at VDS, that now numbers more than 200,000 followers and functions as a place to question and explore the complexities of Latinidad. Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing is creating the Academy for Diverse Emerging Nurse Leaders, a leadership development program for nurses new to health care leadership and academic positions who are from groups historically underrepresented in nursing. Read More

Vanderbilt Law School ranked seventh of 66 law schools in a listing of The Top 65 Law Schools for Black Students by Lawyers of Color, a nonprofit that publishes annual rankings of law students and legal employers. Read More

Imani Ellis, BA'12, went from being an NBC page to vice president in 10 short years. As the NBCUniversal’s vice president of communications, she leads a team that creates comprehensive press strategies and media campaigns for unscripted shows across the NBCU portfolio.  Read More

Angela Boutté, PhD'05, has been no stranger to breakthroughs in brain research and medical care. In January 2022, she became director of clinical chemistry for renegade.bio, a San Francisco-based public benefit corporation working to make diagnostic testing accessible to all. In 2019, she founded Aries Biotech to assist other brain disease and injury researchers with fine-tuning their work. Read More

Vanderbilt’s Gabrielle Lopiano discusses how managers can create an LGBTQ+ inclusive and accepting work environment. Read More

African drummers, music, interactive games, educational sessions, food and more were part of Vanderbilt University's annual Juneteenth celebration. Read More

The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences' inaugural Juneteenth celebration highlighted the accomplishments of Black scientists both at Vanderbilt and across the country. Read More

Historically Black colleges and universities offer high-quality education and produce leaders from various backgrounds, mainly being African American. Predominately White institutions can utilize practices that make HBCUs successful to mentor and graduate students of all backgrounds.  Est. reading time: 3.5 mins.  Read More

World champion axe thrower Mark Mirasol, MEd’17, aims for success as he builds a business around the up-and-coming sport. Read More

In celebration of LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, Vanderbilt is inviting members of the university community to several events offered this June through the K.C. Potter Center and the Glammadores LGBTQIA+ Employee Affinity Group, as well as Pride Month events across Nashville. Read More

In celebration of Juneteenth at Vanderbilt, the Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center offer opportunities to honor and celebrate Juneteenth.    Read More

Keivan Stassun, Stevenson Professor of Physics and Astronomy and director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, is a co-author of the study “Increasing Diversity and Inclusion in the Leadership of Competed Space Missions.” The report will be published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on May 18. Read More

We are deeply distressed by the news of another shooting, this time at a church in Laguna Woods, California, write Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver and Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer André L. Churchwell in a message to the Vanderbilt community. Read More

We are deeply saddened by the loss of life in Buffalo, New York, and horrified by reports that the incident Saturday afternoon was racially motivated, write Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver and Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer André L. Churchwell in a message to the Vanderbilt community. Read More

The Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is requesting proposals for Employee Affinity Groups for 2022–23. Employee Affinity Groups are employee-led and -facilitated groups formed around interests, backgrounds, identities and common bonds. Read More

Dr. André L. Churchwell, vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, has been recognized as a distinguished alumnus of Metro Nashville Public Schools and named to the Nashville Public Education Foundation’s Public Schools Hall of Fame for 2022. Read More