BMB's Diversity & Equity Action Plan

One pillar of UMass Chan’s community-informed plan to guide the institution towards growth, development, investment, and change (IMPACT 2025) is dedicated to outlining deliberate steps to cultivate a truly diverse, equitable, anti-racist, and inclusive community. One of these steps is to establish Diversity & Equity Action Plan (DEAP) development committees in every department. The purpose of a DEAP is to create community-specific and community-relevant plans of action in pursuit of a more inclusive and equitable workplace. These plans are grounded in self-evaluations of each department. The BMB volunteered to be part of the first cohort of departments to form a DEAP committee in 2022. 

We welcome all suggestions, ideas, and comments as we continuously strive to be more equitable and inclusive. Please contact the BMB Outreach Office to access our suggestion collection form (suggestions are anonymous).

The five priority areas to be addressed in each DEAP are:

• “Culture and Climate: Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into the organization, ensuring that DEI is a priority; and develop and implement anti-racist and inclusive policies and processes across the institution.
• Curriculum: Implement and integrate anti-racist curriculum, enhance inclusive pedagogy and practices, and increase opportunities for expanding awareness and knowledge on matters of racism and bias in medicine and the impact of structural racism in healthcare.
• Education and Engagement: Increase DEI education, engagement and capacity through professional development, community building, and educational opportunities.
• Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement: Establish a portfolio of programs that support recruitment, mentorship, and advancement of underrepresented and marginalized individuals.
• Accountability and Quality Improvement: Create annual review processes for evaluation and assessment of ongoing DEI initiatives and programs.”

Each DEAP document also includes the following elements:

• Departmental context and history;
• A process for developing the departmental DEAP;
• Goals and strategies;
• An implementation plan;
• An accountability and governance plan.

All DEAPs are reviewed annually by the DIO and revised by the department.