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Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion

In this section
The words 'Equality', 'Diversity' and 'Inclusion' shown in scrabble tiles

We are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that promotes equality, values diversity and creates a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected.

We have four groups working to develop our understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion and to assess and improve our approach:

We are also committed to widening access to higher education and our activities include: 

  • providing a fully funded studentship for the MSc in Global Health Science and Epidemiology for someone from an underprivileged background
  • supporting staff apprenticeships: such as the Level 3 Team Leader and Level 6 Healthcare Science Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship within the laboratory
  • involvement in the UNIQ summer school: Researchers from the department contribute to the University’s access programme for state school students, which prioritises places for talented students from backgrounds that are under-represented at Oxford
  • UNIQ+: Several researchers from the department have offered internship projects for this University scheme for talented undergraduates from under-represented groups.
  • offering work experience placements: each year the department offers two work experience opportunities for school students aligned with a local state secondary school’s work experience programme.
  • attending careers fairs and delivering talks at local schools.
  • hosting a year 12 student as part of the Nuffield Research Placement scheme which prioritises applicants from low-income families who are the first in their family to attend university
  • providing online resources to reach a wider audience: the Explore Science! page features educational material on our research, and interviews with researchers.

THE OXFORD POPULATION HEALTH EDI COMMITTEE  

  • advises, and is accountable to the departmental Strategic Oversight Committee for equality and diversity activities for staff and students
  • co-ordinates EDI work across self-assessment teams and working groups, to avoid duplication and support cross group working
  • monitors progress in meeting equality objectives and delivering on action plans
  • ensures balanced representation of the EDI self-assessment teams and working groups 
  • keeps up-to-date on national and university EDI strategy, and increases awareness of university policy and practice in equality and diversity
  • meets once a term, has a collaborative ethos and ensures an effective flow of information between the EDI groups.

Membership of the EDI Committee, and the Athena SWAN and Race Equality Self Assessment Teams is reviewed annually, and fixed terms ensure new and fresh perspectives. EDI activities are reviewed annually to measure progress on the delivery of actions. 

For further information or to get involved please contact Sasha Shepperd.

Gender equality

We are using the Athena SWAN charter as a framework to structure our work on gender equality. Our Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team (Athena SWAN SAT) oversees and co-ordinates gender equality activities in the department. 

Activities include: 

  • monitoring gender parity in recruitment, career progression, and senior leadership in the department
  • monitoring gender parity across departmental activities including mentoring, teaching, marking and assessment, and outreach activities
  • funding the maximum number of sponsored childcare places allowed each year by the University
  • advertising the Bullying and Harassment Advisor service via posters and newsletter announcements
  • conducting focus groups to identify gender parity issues and ways to mitigate them
  • offering free period products in the department’s toilets.

Race equality

We are using the Race Equality Charter as a framework to structure our work on race and cultural equality. Our Race Self-Assessment Team (Race SAT) oversees and co-ordinates race equality activities in the department. 

Activities include: 

  • improving the diversity of Richard Doll Seminar speakers
  • recruiting a more diverse group of Bullying and Harassment Advisors
  • launching a project to decolonise the curriculum
  • making anti-race bias training a requirement for all members of staff.

LGBT+ equality

Our LGBT+ Network oversees and co-ordinates LGBT+ equality activities in the department. We aim to provide support and advice to LGBT+ staff and students and to promote an inclusive workplace. The Network is open to all students and staff in the department who are members of the LGBT+ community. 

Activities include: 

  • arranging social meet-ups
  • organising a Richard Doll Seminar for LGBT+ History Month 2022
  • launching a Pride Month newsletter in June 2022 and displaying Pride flags in the reception areas of the Big Data Institute and Richard Doll buildings
  • offering ‘Why pronouns matter’ workshops
  • inviting candidates to share their preferred pronouns before attending interview.

Disabled people's equality

Our activities to advance equality for disabled people in the department include: 

  • creating pages for the new departmental intranet which signpost resources for disabled staff
  • providing departmental contacts for disabled staff and students
  • streaming departmental meetings on Teams where possible to improve accessibility.

Our team