Department of Nutrition

Nutrition Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Department of Nutrition Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The Department of Nutrition calls on each of its students, faculty and staff to commit to nurturing an environment of inclusion, equity, and belonging. We actively value diversity of perspectives and background, support the success of all members of our community and affirm that we are strongest when we embrace diversity in all its forms, including race, spirituality, sexuality, gender identity, culture, ability, age and socioeconomic status. The department and its members must first acknowledge that we have contributed to the crises of racism, inequities and health disparities through our policies, hiring practices, clinical practices, education and research. We now commit to listening and learning to address these crises through thoughtful and intentional action within our department.

Meeet the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

The DEI Committee is comprised of five subcommittees: the Climate and Advocacy Committee, the Communications Committee, the Curriculum Committee, the Diversity Committee, and the Training Committee

See committee members.

Action Plan

Our three-year DEI Action Plan (PDF) is available to view or download.

To complete our Action Plan, we will focus on a select number of action items during each of the following three academic years. For 2021-2022, we are focusing on:

1. Creating a plan to sustain the promotion of opportunities for faculty, staff and students to be prepared to talk about race, racism and how to dismantle racist cultures and structures
2. Establishing a communication pipeline for all DEI related efforts
3. Lowering financial barriers to applicants to the nutrition department degree programs

Accomplishments

Our list of goals accomplished (PDF) by our DEI committee is available to view or download.

Committee Meeting Minutes

See meeting minutes.

October 7, 2021 (PDF)
May 4, 2021 (PDF)
April 16, 2021 (PDF)
February 19, 2021 (PDF)
January 20, 2021 (PDF)
December 17, 2020 (PDF)
November 12, 2020 (PDF)
November 10, 2020 (PDF)
October 8, 2020 (PDF)
September 3, 2020 (PDF)

External DEI Initiatives

See North Carolina Consortium for Diversity Career Development in Nutrition, Obesity, and Diabetes Research.

The National Institute Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has recently funded the Department of Nutrition’s “North Carolina Consortium for Diversity Career Development in Nutrition, Obesity, and Diabetes Research” project. Through this project three predominantly white institutions – UNC Chapel Hill, Duke University and Wake Forest University – will collaborate with three Historically Black Universities and Colleges – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina Central University, and Winston-Salem State University – to facilitate the success of diverse faculty engaged in research that is directly responsive to the mission of NIDDK and that builds on the extensive infrastructure already in place within and across the institutions.

See UNC NORC and NCCU P&F Partnership.

The NORC Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Program awarded a $50,000 P&F grant to Dana Carthron, PhD, AGACNP-BC, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). In addition to providing financial support and access to UNC NORC resources, the award provides networking opportunities, mentoring, workshops, and practical biostatistical and grant management support from UNC NORC members and personnel. The title of Dr. Carthron’s project is “Improving the Diabetic Health of Black Men (MANUP-NC): MANUP-NC Feasibility Trial.” The goal of this project is to pilot a targeted, culturally-tailored diabetes self-management intervention for 50 rural Black men to improve diabetes-related outcomes. The project has the following specific aims. Aim 1: implement a 6-month diabetes self-management intervention, grounded in John Henryism, with two arms consisting of the active intervention group and a delayed intervention group to test the intervention’s effect on the primary outcome of A1c change. Aim 2: determine the feasibility of conducting a 6-month culturally-tailored diabetes self-management intervention for Black men in a rural NC community. The intervention includes a 10-week education program focusing on self-management, social support and coping strategies, and daily motivational text messages.

See External Committee Participation.

• Beth Mayer-Davis, American Nutrition Society Board Member for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Beth Mayer– Davis, member of NORC’s Underrepresented in Academia committee
• Shu Wen Ng, member of the Global Food Research Program’s IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access) initiative

Events

More information coming soon! For additional updates on the DEI Committee’s work and a list of previous activities sponsored by the DEI Committee, vist the DEI Committee Archive.

Resources

The Gillings School Student Feedback and Equity Concerns form can be used to provide feedback on equity and other concerns.

For a comprehensive list of resources, please click here for guides compiled by the UNC Office of Inclusion and Diversity.

See resources from the Department of Nutrition.