ImmunoDiverse

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Mission Statement

Our goal is to create an anti-racist and welcoming environment for people from underrepresented minorities (URM) recognizing that these barriers primarily disenfranchises individuals of Black, Latinx, and Native American descent.

Key Initiatives:

Community Education in learning about structural and personal racial biases
Representation - increasing the URM faces across faculty, fellows and trainees
Partnership with MSIs and HBCUs to uplift high school, undergrad, and post-grad URMs
Sponsorship of URMs across levels towards academic success
Celebration of the rich scientific contributions from our URM colleagues

Efforts to advance DEI will benefit all URM scientists that are/become affiliated with ImmunoX, however we recognize that Black individuals face a unique and historical set of barriers. We cannot overlook or dismiss that momentum to improve DEI was spurred by the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black lives. We would not have initiated these conversations across our community without the resistance of generations of Black leaders, followed by the impetus of the Black Lives Matter movement that mobilized following the murder of Trayvon Martin. This movement has paved the way for difficult conversations on systemic racism within academia.

Any DEI efforts/actions that result from this initiative must explicitly state ImmunoX's commitment to highlighting and uplifting Black individuals. We cannot talk about recruitment without first ensuring that ImmunoX is visible at historically black colleges to predominantly Black high schools and community colleges in the Bay Area. We cannot talk about retention without ensuring that once Black individuals are at UCSF, there are mechanisms in place that support and uplift their voices. We also acknowledge the additional barriers at the intersectionality gender and race. Therefore, we will make sure that our Plan of Action amplifies the voices of women URMs in our community.

Tiers of commitment:

ImmunoDiverse allies: Anyone with a vested interest in learning about, participating in, and/or supporting our initiatives.
ImmunoDiverse Leadership: Ideating, spearheading, and communicating ImmunoDiverse initiatives
- ImmunoX Faculty Leadership Team: Max Krummel, Paola Betancur, Tiffany Schardschmidt, Jeron Roose, Mark Ansel
- ImmunoX Trainee Leadership Team: (PostDocs, Graduate students, Junior Specialist and SRAs): Victor Cortez, Celeste Garza, Dara Fonseca, Hanna L. Taglinao, Jaela Caston, Maria Gonzalez, Naa A. Afua, Rachel DeBarge.

Leadership Team

Naa Asheley Ashitey

Jaela Caston

Victor Cortez

Rachel DeBarge

Dara Fonseca

Celeste Garza

Maria Gonzalez

Hanna Taglianao

Faculty Support

Max Krummel Professor, Pathology Chair, ImmunoX	Mark Ansel Professor, Microbiology & Immunology Director of BMS, ImmunoX Chair	Paola Betancur Assistant Professor, Radiation Oncology
Sue Lynch Associate Professor, Medicine - Gastroenterology	Tiffany Scharschmidt Associate Professor, Dermatology	Jeroen Roose Professor, Anatomy
Vincent Chan Assistant Professor, Microbiology & Immunology ImmunoX Chief Strategist

Plan of Action

ImmunoDiverse Plan of Action

In light of the recent events that shook our Nation and the world, we, the ImmunoDiverse trainees, leading the ImmunoX leadership, propose a bold approach to ensure that our doors are truly open to our society's most marginalized members. The program outlines a proposal to support a cross-generational program for the recruiting, mentoring, and sponsoring of marginalized trainees, while Celebrating and Highlighting diversity in science and complementing and collaborating with existing aligned programs here at the University of California, San Francisco.

Allyship Learning Resources

Please click here to view our Allyship Learning Resources

RFAs

Community and Research Fellowship

The goal of the ImmunoDiverse Allies Community is to tackle the effects of structural racial and gender inequities that persist in our society and have affected our academic institutions. In order to stay true to ImmunoX's commitment to highlight and uplift our URM trainees, we have allocated funds for the ImmunoDiverse Allies Community and Research Enhancing Fellowship that provides needed funds for DEI activities or research funds to offset effort put into DEI activities or as a result of disparities of opportunity.

URM/SRA Fellowship

To continue to build and uplift the underrepresented minorities (URM) in our community, we seek to provide incentives and opportunities for our faculty to recruit talented URM students to join their lab during their post-baccalaureate period. We hope that this fellowship will give an URM an opportunity to gain research experience needed to transition to graduate school and beyond. This is to complement and take advantage of ImmunoDiverse and UCSF professional development opportunities for post-baccs. As participation in this program, we will ask that any supervisor that benefits from this program to also allow and encourage their URM SRA to participate in all ImmunoDiverse professional development initiatives.

ImmunoDiverse Colloquia

ImmunoDiverse Colloquia goals are to hold a yearly in-person colloquia to highlight and celebrate URM work in Immunology-related disciplines and foster mentorship and sponsorship across career stages. If you have any questions, please email us at ImmunoDiverse@ucsf.edu.

Colloquia 2025 is currently being planned!

Date and Keynote Speakers for our 2024

Colloquia Schedule

*Subject to change

Colloquia 2023 was a great success! Thank you to all who contributed to this amazing event.

Keynote Speakers from past years:

Community Award

In addition to honoring the scientific talents of our URM scientists, we feel that it's equally important to highlight those individuals that have pioneered the way for our community. We would like to honor two individuals that have been instrumental in laying the foundation for our ImmunoDiverse initiative.

Dr. D'Anne Duncan, PhD

Dr. Duncan is the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Learner Success and is also an Assistant Professor at UCSF. She has been an advocate for folks in the DEI space ever since she joined us from Vanderbilt University. She is involved in coordinating UCSF's Summer Research Training Program which provides opportunities for undergraduate students to train in our research laboratories. She is also involved in overseeing the National Institute of General Medical Sciences' Initiative for Maximizing Student Development, which is a program to improve the academic and research competitiveness of URM students in biomedical research. This past year, she helped the Black students at UCSF form a community known as Black Excellence in STEM, or BE-STEM. As if this wasn't enough, she has also been generating anti-racist and DEI leadership courses and materials for the UCSF community. Dr. Duncan has been a source of support for URM students in the BMS program as they navigate the academic arena.

She is truly an inspiration for our students and the ImmunoDiverse Outreach team looks forward to working closer together with her on the training programs.

Dr. Breanna Allen, PhD

She is a recent graduate of the BMS PhD program, where she worked in the laboratory of Dr. Matt Spitzer investigating the impact that bearing a tumor weighs on the systemic immune system. During her time at UCSF, she was also involved in organizing IgEquity, formerly known as ImmunoXX+, a trainee-led student group aimed at tackling gender equity in science and immunology. In the past year, as she was busy wrapping up her PhD studies, writing her thesis, and pumping out a phenomenal article in Nature Medicine, Dr. Allen also poured all of her energy to create what is now ImmunoDiverse.

She knew she knew she was not going to see or experience the fruits of her labor, yet she selflessly volunteered her time to ensure that our group would provide an inclusive environment and would be a sustainable program. She was pivotal in helping us navigate the intricacies of forming this collective from scratch and doing it at an accelerated rate given the urgency of the situation. We cannot thank this individual enough and are forever grateful for the instrumental role she played in improving our ImmunoX community.

Events

Annual Programming Calendar

2024

ImmunoDiverse Colloquia - April 19th 9am - 5pm

ImmunoExplore Summer Camp - Monday, July 15^th - Friday July 19^th from 8:30am-4:30pm at UCSF Parnassus Campus

ImmunoDiverse Immunology Crash Course + Community Hour - July 2nd - August 6, 2024. 12pm -1pm CS-0101

ImmunoDiverse Immunology Crash Course Intern Symposium - August 13th 11am - 12pm (Celebration at the Nursing Mezzanine)

2023

ImmunoDiverse Immunology Crash Course + Community Hour - July 11th - August 15^th from 12pm-2pm

ImmunoExplore Summer Camp - July 19th - July 21st 9-4:30pm

ImmunoDiverse Intern Symposium - August 15th

ImmunoDiverse Allyship Initiative Sessions
10/1/2020 - 10/2/2020

9/24/2020 & 9/25/2020: Launch Session
View recording here.

Training Opportunities

We are pioneering an ambitious cross-generation research training program that seeks to recruit, sponsor, and celebrate URM trainees by partnering with programs aligned with our vision at UCSF and in the Bay Area. We are building a community that will provide scientific research skills, professional development, and career mentoring.

Stay connected as updates will come!

High School Students

Are you a high school student interested in seeing what a career in STEM looks like? Do you want to join a program that can provide you with tools that can help you in your career? Would you like to join a vibrant community of scientists at UCSF? If so, then apply to the SEP High School Intern program and see if you match with one of our labs!

Visit the SEP website for more information on how to apply.

Community College

Are you a community college student interested in getting some hands-on training in a research setting? Are you interested in pursuing a bachelor's degree in science and would like to gain training? Would you like to join a vibrant community of scientists at UCSF? If so, then apply to the PUMAS Summer Internship Program and see if you match with one of our labs!

Visit the PUMAS website for more information on how to apply.

Undergraduate Students

Are you an undergraduate student interested in getting research experience? Are you interested in pursuing a graduate degree? Are you a first-gen university student Would you like to join a vibrant community of scientists at UCSF? If so, then apply to the FirstGen Internship program and see if you match with one of your labs!

Visit the FirstGen Internship website for more information on how to apply.

Post-baccalaureate Trainees

Are you a recent graduate from a bachelor's degree in science? Are you interested in gaining research experience? Are you interested in pursuing a graduate degree or professional degree and think research will help you with your career goals? Would you like to join a vibrant community of scientists at UCSF? If so, then apply to the PROPEL post-baccalaureate program and see if you match with one of our labs!

Visit the PROPEL website for more information

Other scientific outreach programs are currently listed in our resources tab and can be found there along with the link to our Allyship program and anti-racism resources.

Resources

Anti-racism resources link from the 6/9 Office of Research communication

Allyship Resources

January's theme: Building Community: Learning Anti-racism and Allyship as a Community

Video: How to be an Antiracist (Dr. Ibram X. Kendi Interview)
Text: What Black scientists want from colleagues and their institutions (Nature, Virginia Gewin)
Text: The New Reconstruction (The Atlantic, Adam Serwer)
Podcast: Bonus Episode: 'Not Just Another Protest' (Codeswitch)

Scientific Outreach Programs at UCSF

Science & Health Education Partnership (SEP)
PROPEL: Post-baccalaureate Research Opportunity to Promote Equity in Learning
- PROPEL is a one year Paid Post-baccalaureate research opportunity serving 10-15 incoming post-bac researchers from groups underrepresented in science through a modest financial incentive for faculty hiring managers, career and professional development training sessions, networking opportunities, and laboratory mentorship. The trainees would have a salary (~41k) and benefits, some supported by NIH supplements in combination with additional incentives (10-15K) to sponsor the lab work and training of the trainees in their labs.
Center for Science & Education Outreach (CSEO)
- CSEO works with K-16 students, their parents, school representatives, and community members to design, implement and evaluate programs and services that foster students' academic development to make them admissible to the post-secondary institution of their choice.
Brain Camp @ UCSF
- Brain Camp @ UCSF is a free, immersive, week-long experience for underserved and underrepresented high school students in San Francisco, led by UCSF medical students and faculty. Join us in exploring the fascinating anatomy of the brain, learning about mind-blowing advances in neurosurgery, and understanding the complex interplay between mind and behavior. You'll learn how to suture, dissect a brain, use a reflex hammer and much more! Additionally, there will be workshops and panels on college prep as well as extensive opportunities to interact with neurology faculty and medical students.
UCSF-CCSF Inclusive Mentoring Fellows program for Bioscience Researchers
- Goal: To provide UCSF life sciences trainees with skills and experience in mentoring, including advising, supervising, and training, so they can support diversity in their research teams. Alongside this training experience, the program will provide both expert support and a peer community to resolve mentoring challenges, as well as recognition of the Fellows' work
- Up to ten graduate students and postdoctoral scholars will be selected in January 2021 to mentor an intern during the 2021 Winter and Spring quarters and become UCSF-CCSF Inclusive Mentoring Fellows. Fellows will mentor a CCSF intern who is training for a career as a laboratory assistant or technician, or who is planning to pursue a degree in the biosciences. This program is funded by a National Science Foundation grant awarded to the UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD, PIs: Naledi Saul and Laurence Clement) in collaboration with City College of San Francisco (PIs: James Lewis and Karen Leung).
PUMAS Summer Internship Program
- The Promoting Underrepresented Minorities Advancing in the Sciences (PUMAS) summer internship program aims to provide historically underrepresented community college students with laboratory experience before they transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).
CoLabs Postbaccalaureate (Postbac) Research Program
- The UCSF CoLabs Postbac Research Program is a 2-year program that provides mentoring and training opportunities for recent college garduates who are planning to pursue a future in biomedical research.
Summer Research Training Program (SRTP)
- Students selected for summer research at UC San Francisco spend up to ten weeks working with UCSF faculty members on research projects. Participants in the program take part in seminars, lectures, and social events, creating a cohesive and supportive community. At the end of the program, students give presentations of their research and get valuable feedback from students, postdocs, and faculty at UCSF.
UCSF Amgen Scholars Program
- The UCSF Amgen Scholars Program provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to conduct research in the basic sciences with an emphasis on health-related research including Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, Biological and Medical Informatics, Biomedical Sciences, Biophysics, Cell Biology, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Genetics, Neuroscience, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics.
- As a graduate-only university that is home to one of the most vibrant biomedical communities in the nation, UCSF offers a unique environment for Amgen Scholars. Amgen Scholars will work collegially alongside graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and faculty, receiving mentorship from some of the most preeminent scientists in their field.
- The goal of this ten-week summer experience is to prepare students for graduate study and a research career in the health sciences. Students complete an original project under the guidance of a faculty mentor whose work is closely aligned with the student’s research interests and experience. During the last week of the program, Amgen Scholars present their findings in a written abstract, and give oral and poster presentations at a Research Symposium attended by faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students. Participants also attend a mid-summer Symposium with Amgen Scholars from all host institutions.

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