EDI

Paul C. Taylor, W. Alton Jones Professor and professor of philosophy, has received an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant to seek out patterns in the way people and organizations think about equity, diversity and inclusion, which can impact EDI interventions. Read More

When Somto Dimobi Okoye, BE’19, was growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, her mother would open their home to people who needed help—instilling a philosophy of building strength and community through a tightly woven support system. Okoye continues that philosophy by creating ways to help colleagues and Vanderbilt students realize and exercise their full potential. Read More

Katie Koo, assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services at the University of Georgia, will be the featured speaker at a Vanderbilt Peabody College Dean’s Diversity Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 4:30 p.m. in the Wyatt Center Rotunda. Koo’s talk is titled “Demystifying the International Student Experience and Mental Health: Understanding Needs and Supports.” Read More

Byron Pitts, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, author and co-host of ABC’s Nightline, warned against the dangers of becoming indifferent to helping others and challenged members of the Vanderbilt community to see their potential to change the world through service when he delivered the university’s 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Series keynote address on Monday evening. Read More

When Syrian native Musbah Shaheen, BA’17, traveled to the U.S. for the first time to attend Vanderbilt, he had no idea how the university’s cornerstone philosophies of equity, diversity and belonging would stretch him personally or shape his professional future and Ph.D. research. Read More

For the third year in a row, the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing has won a Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. Read More

Dr. André L. Churchwell, vice chancellor for outreach, inclusion and belonging and chief diversity officer, hosted a panel of Vanderbilt faculty earlier this fall to discuss the state of racial justice in America. Among the topics covered was how art can offer hope during unsettled times and help create a more just, civil and moral society. 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

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

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

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

Dr. André L. Churchwell, vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, will join his brothers, Drs. Kevin and Keith Churchwell, as keynote panelists for Becker’s Healthcare’s 12th annual meeting in Chicago. The three health care executives will speak together in a keynote panel discussing “CEO, Leadership and Strategy Issues.” Read More

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver has joined her peers at institutions within the Southeastern Conference to establish the SEC Emerging Scholars Program for doctoral and postdoctoral students. The program serves as a pathway and source of mentorship for historically underrepresented graduate students across the SEC to prepare for tenured faculty positions in higher education.  Read More

The intersection of science and society is the foundation of a multi-institutional collaboration of students and faculty in a virtual and physical art exhibit titled "Nested Knowledge: Disentangling History, Truth and Race in STEM Experiences." The exhibit can be experienced online and at the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center, through February 2022 in honor of Black History Month. Read More

Brothers André, Keith and Kevin Churchwell, who were together for 15 years at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, are among the most accomplished physicians and administrators in the country. All three credit their father, Robert Churchwell, the first Black reporter at the Nashville Banner newspaper, as the inspiration for their success. Read More

Under the leadership of Keivan Stassun, founding director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, the center has been recognized for its innovations in engineering research related to autism and the value of neurodiversity in the workplace. Read More

Dr. André L. Churchwell, vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, reflects on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's death. Read More

Local health experts will explore health disparities and inequities in the Nashville community and how these issues can be addressed during a virtual event on Friday, June 18, from 1 to 2 p.m. CT.  Hosted by Vanderbilt, “Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in Nashville: An Update” is free and open to the public.  Read More