Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

The CTSI is where diversity flourishes and where equity is a core value. 

In line with our commitment to DEIA, the CTSI leadership will: 

• Reflect the diversity of our community and foster an inclusive workplace by respecting and affirming the value of every person.  
• Be role models of cultural humility and facilitate learning, discussion and awareness of the impact of race, ethnicity and other identities, such as gender, ability and religion, on the culture of our workplace.  
• Create a fully inclusive and representative space for the conduct of clinical and translational research.  
• Uphold these accompanying values and ethical considerations as a shared responsibility of all personnel within the CTSI.  
• Engage all program leaders, faculty and staff in DEIA efforts and provide resources to promote change in the broader research community.  
• Identify core learning experiences and foundational training modules that are recommended for all CTSI-supported faculty and staff to address cultural humility and responsiveness, including implicit bias training. 

To date we have taken the following actions:  

• Developed a DEIA mission statement that will guide all CTSI programs and initiatives.  
• Coordinated DEIA working groups and provided a framework to update the CTSI website for transparency. 
• Compiled a list of all DEIA courses for training. 
• Included the Ohio State Land Acknowledgement on the CTSI website and completed slide templates to increase awareness in presentations.  

Future actions: 

• Ensure that CTSI personnel become stewards of the DEIA Mission Statement and contribute to a culture of belonging for all. 
• Review DEIA courses and make recommendations for training CTSI-supported staff and faculty. 
• Provide quarterly updates of working group progress.

The CTSI supports the development of a diverse, culturally responsive, and accessible scientific community across the translational research workforce.

The CTSI workforce development team identifies that social injustice and issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) have widened health disparities from those who are under-served and under-represented. Our hope is that by providing representation within the Clinical and Translational Research (CTR)/Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) workforce, that we can help diminish this health disparity gap within our communities. 

In line with our commitment to DEIA, the CTSI Workforce Development Team will:

• Foster an inclusive workplace environment within the CTSI leadership, faculty and staff by recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.
• Provide tools and methods to CTR/CTS teams to support diversifying the broader research community.  
• Provide educational opportunities to those who are under-served and under-represented to increase their engagement and knowledge in CTR/CTS and increase their interest in being an active CTR/CTS workforce members.

To date we have taken the following actions:

• Influenced and adopted the DEIA mission statement developed by the CTSI Leadership Group.
• Optimized inclusive language for Ohio State Clinical Research job descriptions.
• Ensured all CTSI Directors and Managers complete DEIA training.
• Established and provide bi-annual diverse Clinical Research Career webinars for active and aspiring clinical research professionals.  
• Contribute to DEIA workforce development improvements through multi-hub collaboration, research and dissemination.
• Incorporate promotional and recruitment materials that reflect the diversity we seek.
• Launched a CRP Newsletter which incorporates DEIA content and connections to other non-CTSI DEIA trainings.

Future Actions:

• Identify mentorship and sponsorship opportunities for individuals to progress into leadership positions with DEIA as a central goal by partnering with existing leadership.
• Connect CTSI members with mentoring opportunities associated with initiatives across Ohio State’s campus that aim to enhance diversity in the biomedical research pipeline by engaging underrepresented high school and undergraduate students in mentored research.
• Promote applications for diversity supplements amongst the CTSI investigators and include informational sessions and resources on the application process. 
• Promote increasing a diverse Clinical Research Professional (CRP) workforce through education, training, partnerships and innovation.  
• Identify measurable outcomes to assess our workforce development impact.
• Build strong collaborations with the other CTSI DEIA areas (Leadership and Culture, Inclusive Research and Assessment and Evaluation) to support their goals and the CTSI DEIA mission.
• Develop educational materials for the Academy of Community Researchers (ACR) and other public-facing training materials in Scarlet Canvas that enhance development of community members and CRPs.

The CTSI will use an equity lens when evaluating its programs and provide targeted support for research to reduce health disparities.

In line with our commitment to DEIA, the CTSI Programs and Services will:

• Engage diverse community members in the research process through training and collaboration.
• Provide services that support investigators in developing equitable research studies.
• Dedicate funding to support clinical translational research that aims to promote health equity.

To date we have taken the following actions:

• Implemented a Community Scientist Academy (CSA) program to introduce community members to the basics of research.
• Implemented a community reviewer program, called The Academy of Community Reviewers (ACR), to train community members to review grant proposals and engage research teams as collaborators.
• Compile a list of community trainees for future collaboration in research activities.
• Require applicants for CTSI pilot funding to describe the potential impact of proposed project on health disparities/health equity in underrepresented populations.
• Provide investigators recruitment and community engagement consultation to aid in recruiting diverse eligible study participants and community partners.
• Created the Executive Committee on Lifespan Research and provided over 60 consultations to help researchers engage underrepresented populations.
• Awarded over $400,000 to support research that evaluates or develops new methods for increasing inclusion, identifying, monitoring or resolving health disparities.

Future actions:

• Expand the accessibility of the CSA and ACR programs to more underrepresented populations by offering online program engagement.  
• Develop toolkits to aid investigators in recruiting study participants of diverse populations reflective of disease burden.
• Require clinical investigators applying for CTSI funding to provide strategies for recruiting diverse populations that are representative of disease burden.
• Require applicants for all CTSI funding mechanisms to describe the potential impact of the proposed or initiated research on health disparities/health equity in underrepresented populations.
• Design and implement an innovative, equity-oriented approach to ethics review of data science projects to evaluate improvements in data equity, model fairness and mitigation of bias in data models which alleviates health disparities.

The CTSI promotes data-driven and empirically supported approaches to DEIA.

In efforts to understand the reach of the work of the CTSI, leadership will:

• Identify a set of common demographic data elements to be collected by all programs.
• Determine a method for collecting the identified data elements.
• Pilot test and refine the collection process in two-to-three program areas.
• Deploy the data collection tool throughout all CTSI programs.
• Draft an equity report template and develop a timeline for publishing these reports.
• Issue reports that will be used to evaluate strengths and challenges within programs to achieving the equity goals of the CTSA. 

To date we have taken the following actions:

• Drafted an initial set of data variables for collection that are under review and discussion. Aligning these variables with those collected by the Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University and the National Institutes of Health.  
• Discussing platforms for data collection so that the process meets the needs across programs.

Future actions:

• Build the data collection infrastructure with pilot testing in a few CTSI programs.
• Revision of the data collection instrument, with full roll out for all CTSI programs.
• Data collection across all programs.
• Develop a template for reporting the data collected to CTSI leadership.
• Issue annual reports that will be used to evaluate strengths and challenges to the CTSI's equity goals.