ATLANTA—Funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Georgia State University School of Public Health is embarking on a process that seeks to make the school a national model for fostering inclusive excellence.
This month the school held a virtual town that gave students, faculty and staff an opportunity to share their ideas for how the school can best incorporate justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) principles. Their input will help inform a JEDI strategic plan that complements the school’s recently adopted Vision 2027 Strategic Plan.
The effort is part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Transforming Academia for Equity initiative, which is designed to understand and unpack historical priorities in order to better promote equity among underrepresented scholars in public health education and health equity related research. At Georgia State, the project is overseen by a nine-member guiding team led by Lia Scott, assistant professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences, that works in tandem with the JEDI Council led by Carlos Pavão, assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion and clinical associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences.
“As one of the most diverse public health programs in the nation and with a substantial and sustained commitment to promoting equity and respect for all aspects of diversity, the Georgia State University School of Public Health is uniquely positioned to build and develop this process,” Scott said.
Scott and Pavão noted that the school’s Transforming Academia for Equity initiative will focus on four key areas: strategic processes and planning, faculty and student mentoring, community and climate relations, and curriculum revision and reimagining.
“Once complete, the JEDI Strategic Plan will clearly define the steps that we need to take to be more effective in fulfilling our school’s mission of advancing health equity through education, research and community engagement,” Pavão said.
The School of Public Health’s Transforming Academia for Equity initiative builds upon several efforts to foster justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. In 2020, Dean Rodney Lyn appointed a Task Force on Racial Equity and Inclusion whose work led to several actions, including eliminating the GRE as a requirement for admissions to the school’s graduate programs based on evidence that it creates financial burdens for prospective students and is a poor predictor of academic success. The school also created a Diversity Council, which has since been renamed the JEDI Council, to integrate justice, equity, diversity and inclusion into the infrastructure of the school.
The Georgia State School of Public Health is one of the most diverse schools of its kind in the nation, with 71% of students self-identifying as members of a minority group. Georgia State University is a national model for student success that has dramatically increased graduation rates over the past decade and eliminated achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity or income. The institution is ranked the No. 2 most innovative university in the nation and is the No. 1 public university for best undergraduate teaching in the latest U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges rankings.
“I am deeply grateful to Dr. Scott, Dr. Pavão, and all of the School of Public Health students, faculty and staff who are working to promote justice, equity, diversity and inclusion,” Lyn said. “We have a strong foundation to build upon but know that more work needs to be done. As a school community, we are dedicated to making continued progress together.”
School of Public Health Transforming Academia for Equity Guiding Team Members
- Lia Scott, Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences (Principal Investigator)
- Carlos A. O. Pavão, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences
- Collins Airhihenbuwa, Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences
- Khadijah Ameen, doctoral student
- Missale Ayele, Lead Education Technology Specialist
- Corrie Fountain, Interim Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professor
- Matt Hayat, Professor and Chair, Department of Population Health Sciences
- Kevin Maloney, Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences
- Sarah McCool, Director of Undergraduate Programs and Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences
School of Public Health JEDI Council Members
- Carlos A. O. Pavão, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences (Chair)
- Vena Crichlow, Part-Time Instructor
- Sam Fahmy, Director of Communications
- Kimberley Freire, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences
- Harry Heiman, Clinical Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences
- Jonathan Key, Graduate Advisor
- Adrienne King, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences
- Ruschelle Leone, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences
- Johana Lopez, undergraduate public health student
- Katherine Masyn, Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs and Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences
- Karen Nielsen, Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences
- Suhasini Ramisetty-Mikler, Research Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Population Health Sciences
- Logan Ray, Master of Public Health student
- Ashley Salmon, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Research Associate, Center for Leadership in Disability