A Network for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and Persons of Color) Researchers and Clinicians in Communication Sciences and Disorders
(BIPOC-CSD Network)
The impact of implicit and explicit biases against colleagues who are Black, Indigenous and Persons of Color (BIPOC) in academia and in the healthcare industry is becoming increasingly evident as social scientists have shone the spotlight on disparities created by these biases. One of the difficulties faced by BIPOC colleagues is a sense of isolation and a lack of access to professional and academic networks within which they can feel comfortable and understood. Ultimately, this can result in BIPOC colleagues leaving our field, especially those in early career stages.
These issues inspired a number of us to create a network of researchers and clinicians (at any career stage including students, postdocs, and early to late career faculty or professionals) who are Black, Indigenous and Persons of Color (BIPOC) and are working in the fields of hearing, balance, speech, and language sciences, or broadly in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD). The purpose of BIPOC-CSD is to provide a safe affinity space within which negative experiences of racial bias can be shared, resources exchanged, mentorship opportunities explored, and new collaborations forged. We invite our BIPOC colleagues at any career stage to join and help grow this network.
In addition, we hope our growing BIPOC network can provide useful information and resources for our allies outside this network who would like to support the cause and find ways of recruiting and collaborating with a diverse group of students, postdocs and colleagues.
Information about upcoming meetings can be obtained here: https://www.monitachatterjee.com/bipoc-csd. Further information about the network can be obtained by contacting any of the undersigned Founding Members.
With warm regards,
Shauntelle Cannon (cannon.251@buckeyemail.osu.edu),
Monita Chatterjee (monita.chatterjee@boystown.org),
Anahita Mehta (mehta@umn.edu)
J. Tilak Ratnanather (tilak@cis.jhu.edu),
Lina Reiss (reiss@ohsu.edu),
Viral Tejani (viral.tejani@uhhospitals.org),
Tanvi Thakkar (tthakkar@uwlax.edu)
