Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research Workforce

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  1. Goal
  2. Background
  3. Gaps and Opportunities
  4. Specific Areas of Interest
  5. References

September 2021

Research Training and Career Development Branch
Division of Extramural Activities (DEA)

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Goal

The goal of this initiative is to engage a broad range of stakeholders in developing a strategic framework to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the NIDCR dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) research enterprise. The strategic framework is expected to provide the foundation for a comprehensive action plan with bold, innovative, and visionary recommendations aimed at achieving DEI in the DOC community and across the spectrum of career pathways. The framework is anticipated to identify DOC organizations best suited to implementing specific components of the plan.

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Background

NIDCR is committed to developing a diverse DOC research workforce that reflects the diversity of the nation (see NIH’s Interest in Diversity) and providing a broad range of opportunities to engage students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty in DOC research (Diversity at NIDCR). NIDCR currently supports a range of intramural (Research Training Conducted at NIDCR) and extramural (Research Training Funded by NIDCR) opportunities aimed at recruiting and retaining individuals from underrepresented groups in the DOC research workforce. In addition, NIDCR is engaged in the newly established NIH UNITE Initiative to develop strategies to address structural racism in the biomedical research enterprise (Collins FS, et al. 2021).

Despite these programs, individuals from underrepresented groups represent a small subset of all DOC researchers. A recent analysis from the NIDCR Office of Science Policy and Analyses shows that between FY 2008 to FY 2017 4.9% of all fellowship (F) applicants identified as Black/African American and 7% identified as Hispanic/Latino. For R01 grants, 1.3% of applicants identified as Black/African American and 5.3% identified as Hispanic/Latino. Strategies that increase the number of individuals from underrepresented groups entering and continuing along NIDCR research career pathways are needed to enhance DEI in the DOC research workforce.

A career stage of interest for these efforts is the undergraduate level. There are many intersecting factors that influence undergraduate student entry into postgraduate research pathways, including science identity, science self-efficacy, research experiences and mentorship (Hernandez, PR et al. 2013; Estrada et al. 2018). Because of the complex nature of research career decisions, encouraging undergraduate students’ interests in DOC research will likely require collaboration with a wide variety of external organizations. These organizations may include, schools of dentistry, academic institutions from community colleges and four-year colleges to universities with graduate research programs, professional societies, private foundations, and industry partners. NIH diversity programs established through the Diversity Program Consortium could also directly benefit future NIDCR DEI efforts aimed at the undergraduate level. The NIH Advisory Committee to the Director, Working Group on Diversity in the Biomedical Research emphasized that enhancing DEI in the biomedical research workforce requires broad coordination and partnerships among NIH and external organizations. (ACD Working Group on Diversity in Biomedical Research Workforce, 2012).

While the undergraduate career stage could be critical for NIDCR DEI efforts, to advance DEI in the DOC workforce, there is an urgent need for synergistic, collaborative, catalytic, and results-driven activities that span career stages and include all key stakeholders. To achieve this goal, NIDCR is proposing to support a group of stakeholders with expertise that encompasses the scope of DOC research areas, mentorship of underrepresented groups, communications, evaluation, and data analyses to develop a plan of action for enhanced DEI in the DOC research workforce. It is anticipated that this group will provide perspective on how ongoing NIDCR efforts can be optimized through leveraging existing resources, such as NIH UNITE and NIH Common Fund programs, implementing novel and innovative programs tailored to DOC research and strengthening and building new partnerships with industry, academic institutions, and professional societies and foundations.

This initiative is a critical first step to identify barriers or obstacles to DEI specific for the DOC research workforce, and to identify key decision points and career junctures that are targets for future interventions. Ultimately, it is anticipated that this initiative will enable NIDCR to create an action plan to enhance entry and continuation of individuals from underrepresented groups in DOC research pathways with milestones for progress and metrics to measure success.

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Gaps and Opportunities

NIDCR currently supports and participates extramural and intramural diversity programs designed for specific career stages (Fig. 1).

NIDCR Research Training Programs to Advance DEI

Figure 1. NIDCR programs to enhance diversity in the DOC research workforce. NIDCR diversity programs, arranged by career stage, are available in NIDCR intramural research laboratories and the NIH Clinical Center (pink outline) and NIDCR funded extramural grant programs (blue outline).

The NIDCR intramural research program participates in NIH programs from high school students to new investigators, and sponsors an NIDCR diversity postdoctoral fellowship program (NIDCR Director’s Postdoctoral Fellowship to Enhance Diversity in Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research). NIDCR extramural grant opportunities include administrative supplements to active research project grants to support research experiences for individuals from underrepresented groups, and individual mentored fellowship and career development awards. These grant programs support research training and career development for underrepresented individuals from the high school to faculty career levels, with an emphasis on graduate student through junior faculty research training opportunities. An inaugural NIDCR diversity program is the American Association of Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research “AADOCR Mentoring an Inclusive Network for a Diverse Workforce” (AADOCR-MIND the Future) mentoring network supported by UE5DE029439. The program is intended to enhance inclusivity of postdoctoral and junior faculty investigators from underrepresented groups and to support their development of independent research careers dedicated to improving DOC health (MINDing the Gap: From Trainee to Tenure Track | National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research).

While these programs represent NIDCR’s commitment to diversity, there is opportunity for external input and expertise to inform ongoing efforts and enable NIDCR to develop new strategies and programs to diversify the DOC research workforce. There is also potential to better integrate and coordinate NIDCR diversity programs across career stages. Current NIDCR diversity programs primarily target individuals who have already entered the dental, oral, and craniofacial research workforce and have DOC mentors in place. Less emphasis is placed on recruiting students to DOC research pathways and nurturing and expanding the pool of individuals who initially choose DOC research careers. A comprehensive strategic framework for DEI in the DOC workforce is expected to identify factors that promote engagement in DOC research career pathways, and identify potential interventions tailored to promoting entry and retention in the DOC research workforce.

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Specific Areas of Interest

The DEI strategic framework is expected to encompass the following guiding principles:

  • Define DEI broadly, including individuals from groups underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences as in NIH’s Interest in Diversity to include individuals from sexual and gender minority populations.
  • Involve individuals with expertise in DEI, mentoring, behavioral and social science, evaluation of programs, data analytics, outreach, and communications.
  • Consider engagement of individuals at all career stages, with a unique focus on encouraging diverse college-aged students to apply to dental schools on a research track .
  • Receive input from an inclusive group of stakeholders including researchers from all DOC fields, college staff, dental school academicians, professional organizations, DEI focused advocates, and industry.
  • Emphasize catalytic, strategic, and synergistic activities beyond individual organizations, and build on existing collaborations and networks.
  • Embed an evaluation plan within the framework, using data driven approaches, incorporating clear metrics for progress.

The expected outcomes of the strategic framework include:

  • Detailed landscape analysis, identifying the scope of the problem, relevant data, examples of successful programs, and areas for development.
  • Evidence based recommendations and action items for the DEI DOC strategic framework, including metrics, milestones, and outcome measures of success.
  • Identification of key strategic partners to lead specific DEI efforts.
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References

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Last Reviewed
April 2024