Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Presentations

Cultivating a diverse and inclusive workforce is critical for the biomedical informatics profession, both from a perspective of fairness and equity and to avoid technology that fails to address concerns of significant portions of the population or that introduces unintentional biases. However, having diversity and representation in the informatics workforce requires intentionality and deliberate action to combat systemic inequalities and requires intentional effort to ensure inclusive professional environments. This challenge is not unique to biomedical informatics, but actions are required in order to continue our work of transforming health and healthcare. This panel reports on the experiences of informaticians and data scientists across academic and industry settings in creating diverse and inclusive environments.

Abigail Echo-Hawk, MA (Pawnee), was born in the heart of Alaska where she was raised with the traditional values of giving, respect for all, and love. As the Director of Urban Indian Health Institute and Chief Research Officer of Seattle Indian Health Board, Abigail works to engage community partners, conduct research and evaluation, and build capacity for Native organizations. In these roles, she also works to identify health research priorities and ensure research is done in a manner that respects tribal sovereignty and is culturally appropriate.