
Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity is Our Strength
Meinig School Community Values
At the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, we believe that including diverse identities, backgrounds and perspectives in our school enables the best solutions to challenges for human health. Biomedical engineering education and research are most innovative when all our community members, including those who are marginalized in our society, can thrive as their authentic selves. We acknowledge that we exist in a world that struggles with inequality, and, in the spirit of Cornell’s ideal of “any person, any study,” we commit to championing diversity, equity and inclusion to improve the health of all.
We welcome your suggestions and feedback on DEI in our community. Please submit through the feedback to the director form on our contact page.
Direct questions about events or interest in participating in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to Cátia Dombaxe (cpd57@cornell.edu) or Carlos Urrea De La Puerta (cyu2@cornell.edu).
As part of our commitment, the Meinig School's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is coordinating the following events and initiatives:
Upcoming Events
Fall Diversity Dinner with Newton de Faria, Ph.D.
Friday, December 15, 2023, 4-5PM
Location: Weill Hall 125
For the fall 2023 semester diversity dinner we welcome guest speaker Newton de Faria, Ph.D., Professor of Practice & Director of Cornell's Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering’s Masters of Engineering Program.
Dr. de Faria spent two decades at National Instruments fulfilling the mission of "equipping engineers and scientists with tools that accelerate productivity, innovation, and discovery." He has consulted with a broad range of industries, clinical, and academic institutions. In the last decade he has concentrated on medical technologies.
As an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut, he taught Biomedical Instrumentation (BME 6500) as well as advised BME undergrad capstone design projects.
Dr. de Faria will share his personal and professional trajectory and discussing the challenges and triumphs of diversity in his path from Brazil through careers in industry and academia. Followed by a Q&A session.
Open to all students, postdocs, faculty & staff. Attendance will be limited; RSVP here.
Initiatives
Improving accessibility of research for undergraduates
Increasing accessibility of research for undergraduates is vital to creating a diverse and inclusive department, and, by extension, field of research. We understand that increasing accessibility is a process of both eliminating barriers and helping undergraduates over the barriers that we cannot yet remove. As such we are seeking a three-pronged approach to increase diversity and inclusion of undergraduate research in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering:
- help undergraduates develop the skills to get into labs
- help research staff (including graduate students) to develop mutually beneficial relationships with undergraduates
- help professors understand how to fund undergraduate researchers and foster healthy mentoring relationships
We are starting by surveying each group on their role in this endeavor. From there we will host a series of workshops to address the barriers identified from this information, and continue this process to improve people's experiences at the Meinig School. Links to surveys below:
For any/all feedback on this initiative, please email map476@cornell.edu or tjm339@cornell.edu.
DEI Resources
Inclusive Excellence Podcast (Cornell-based): A monthly podcast series where they unpack various topics related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at work