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Today the Director of NIH, Francis Collins, posted his comments, " Experts Conclude Heritable Human Genome Editing Not Ready for Clinical Applications. " His blog post is based on the recently released National Academy of Sciences report, " Heritable Human Genome Editing. " Your thoughts?

Hi all, I'm a 2020 NSP Fellow and a 4th year PhD Candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Michigan. I'm reaching out to the community to see if there's anyone who could refer me to someone or some group that could act as a network/guide/mentor for preparing myself to find a job outside of academia. I did consulting for a real company as part of a class project, and I enjoyed it, which is a good indicative that this is something that I could pursue. However, it would be extremely helpful to have someone with real experience in finding jobs outside of academia as

A recent study published online in bioRxiv and elsewhere, states that coronavirus can infect brain cells. This work awaits further peer review. The investigators used three approaches to demonstrate the ability of this virus to infect cells of the CNS, brain organoids, a mouse model and an analysis of brain autopsies from individuals who died of COVID-19. These results are consistent with earlier studies by others. Several routes may potentially cause infection of CNS cells. The authors conclude, " These results provide evidence for the neuroinvasive capacity of SARS-CoV2, and an unexpe

Thank you for your question BChen! I think that much of the problem stems from the popular narrative that BIPOC can't be racist. So a lot of what we have to do is educating everyone, ourselves included, of the fact that this is not true. We also need to recognize as a society that being racist is not a fixed state– I think that is what scares a lot of people. We don't want to feel implicated for the harm that is being done to someone else and if we aren't implicated then we don't feel that it is our responsibility to be a part of the solution. As someone who is Asian and who benefits fro

As simple as it sounds it is immensely powerful to hear your peers/colleagues tell you that you matter. You don't have to say those exact words but it shows in your speech and actions. Recognizing our achievements only through a racial lens is not helpful, but doing it as you would do it for your other peers is crucial. Asking for our input, listening to what we have to say without specifically singling us out makes us feel like we belong. For example, asking only your black colleague about their thoughts on something in the presence of others feels performative and asking everyone else but th

One common mistake is to only highlight all the disadvantages a person who is underrepresented in field face when compared to their peers. They may already feel inferior and incompetent and hearing that repeated only reinforces. Some professors bring it up as a way to explain why others might be better positioned for success, but it often comes off as saying that without these head starts one might as well quit since their dreams aren't realistic. Instead, highlight those who you are aware of who overcame similar struggles that that student is facing and if possible put them into contact with

Hi Samson, please check out the World Women in Neuroscience - the group has connections across the globe, including in various countries throughout Africa to promote scientific collaboration as well as provide mentoring and career development opportunities. You can find more information on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/World-Women-in-Neuroscience-187172767593) and on Twitter (https://twitter.com/WorldWomenNeuro). The official website will be launching soon!

Yes, one-on-one mentoring would definitely be appropriate! Here are some additional resources that may be helpful. The first link is from the Diversity Program Consortium of the National Research Mentoring Network. The second link is a manuscript focused on creating a mentoring and coaching network to diversity and inclusion among grad students and postdocs. But the principles likely extend to faculty as well. https://www.nigms.nih.gov/training/dpc/pages/nrmn.aspx https://www.lifescied.org/doi/full/10.1187/cbe.19-10-0195

Just got out of lab meeting and missed the live discussion, but read through afterwards and want to say Thank You discussants for your insights!

Thank you to the panel and moderators for putting forth this discussion. I am heartened to see our field actively participating in these conversations. One major aspect of diversity in neuroscience (and science in general) that oftentimes gets overlooked in these discussions is the lack of diversity in human subjects research. I myself do Alzheimer's research and am acutely aware that most of our knowledge of aging and AD comes from white (American) bodies. This issue creates several problems and challenges. For example, we know that AD trajectory is different for African Americans and Wh

Thank you so much for your answer!

I would like to co-sign Nii's comments and advice. And please feel free to reach out to me privately! I know this is a difficult situation and you (nor any other trainee) should not feel like you have to navigate it alone! Also more happy to connect you with other incredible trainees who have had to deal with similar situations (in the recent past, in fact).

Thank you to all the panelists for your time over the summer, and today! As a White faculty member, I gained some helpful insight into how to be a more effective mentor for Black students and members of other underrepresented groups. I encouraged my students to attend and I think those who attended heard some helpful advice. I hope that we continue to conversation!

This is another good question. It's definitely a fine line to walk. It's important to have diverse voices in committee leadership and committee representation, to get a range of needed perspectives. But it's also important not to overly burden underrepresented students, staff or faculty who are already spread thin in these commitments, and are also often carrying additional emotional weight from our lived experiences. My suggestion would be to chose the leadership of these committees on a case by case basis, through honest conversation with potential chairs of the committee. Then, you can eval

Cameron, this is a fantastic question and I think one a few academic departments are already thinking of this. In particular, Yale Psychiatry is going to host a Reparations Seminar Series that incorporates the reparations framework, critical race theory, etc. Addressing these things are going to be uncomfortable but I think if people are willing to get uncomfortable and have these difficult discussions this will better help dismantle structural racism and not just slip past it by talking only about "unconscious bias that everyone has." The logistics of how to carry this out is one worth explor

It is just past 2 pm, which means we have reached the official end of today’s live chat. Thank you all for your participation! SfN encourages you to continue today's conversation within this thread and within your own communities. We also encourage you to explore the diversity, equity, and inclusion resources that are available on Neuronline and on SfN.org. Please also consider visiting BlackInNeuro.com for a library of curated resources and a calendar of upcoming events. One upcoming event that might be of interest is a social that the BlackInNeuro team is hosting tomorrow, 9/5 3 pm for

Check out this resource from Neuronline!

I second Nii's comments! I also think it's important for Black and Brown trainees to not focus on other's motives or ideas about their merit or presence in spaces largely occupied by non-marginalized folks. We have to trust and be confident in our worth, our knowledge, our skills, and our abilities and build community with other like-minded individuals and individuals who will be genuinely supportive of our work and career journeys. You believing in you and surrounding yourself with people who believe in you should be what motivates you to keep pressing forward.

Thank you for your time today! I am interested if anyone is aware of examples of if curricula or textbook materials have been found to be biased themselves, and if this is still prevalent.

Thanks for the question. I recommend focusing on creating an environment of inclusivity at your institution. This is a whole area of scholarship, and there are definitely resources and books available for implementing this in your school culture and climate. Secondly, I would say it's important to do the hard work (and homework) or truly evaluating where your institution has fallen short in these areas, and where it's contributed to the ongoing problem. That takes a level of humility for all of us as individuals and institutions. But having this honest approach also allows us (other even more

Holly, Thank you.

Thank you for your question, Tristan! I love this question because you are totally right– many times allyship comes off as performative and is used primarily for optical purposes. In answering your question I am going to make a suggestion to those in authoritative positions who want to be allies: 1. It's NOT about YOU! Don't get involved in allyship work if your goal is to "remove your guilt". Do it so marginalized groups no longer feel unwelcome in your space. Stop advertising all the work you have done to be an ally and to promote antiracism in your space. If what you are doing is work

@Karen Baskerville At the link below, you can find some information on the efforts of the NIH Center for Scientific Review to increase diversity in the membership of study sections. https://extramural-diversity.nih.gov/ic-pages/center-for-scientific-review Investigators can get involved by 1) providing feedback to CSR through their ENQUIRE program https://public.csr.nih.gov/StudySections/CSREnquire 2) Letting NIH know of their interest in participating as a reviewer. Investigators can express interest to the Scientific Review Officer for a given study section, thei

how about collaborating giving training opportunity and strengthening neuroscience in Africa?

Dear Dr. Addy and Dr. Matthews and Fitzroy, I am a recent graduate pursuing graduate studies in addiction research. Good to have you all today! Thanks for taking the time out of your busy days. As an Asian American, often I am confronted with the anti-Blackness in my community and troubled by the generation-long-perpetuated anti-Black opinions stemming from not just skin-deep reasons but also the history of racism between minorities. I do not want to invalidate or sweep under the rug the fact that minorities are racist to each other too - which pits minority against minority and hurt