Addressing Racism Call to Action for Columbia Faculty: Seed Grant Opportunity

The Office of the Provost issued a request for proposals to provide seed grant funding for faculty within the Columbia community that engage with issues of structural racism. The goal of this initiative is to provide resources to enable collaborative dialogue, action, and insight for systemic change towards racial equity. Awards were funded up to $5,000. Projects that are complex, such as interdisciplinary collaborations, were funded up to $10,000. 

FACULTY GRANTEES IN THE NEWS

In Fall 2020, there was an overwhelming response to the call for proposals, and members of the Board of Trustees made generous contributions that more than doubled the original expected number of funded projects. We are tremendously grateful for this support. The Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life also funded a project in their discipline.

This program is part of the Addressing Racism: A Call to Action for Higher Education initiative of the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement. 

Addressing Racism Seed Grant Recipients, Fall 2021

CROSS-UNIT COLLABORATIONS

The Sky Is for Everyone, The Land Isn’t
Marcel Agueros,  Astronomy; Frances Negron-Muntaner, English and Comparative Literature; Kevin Fellezs, Music and African American and African Diaspora Studies

A Simulation-Based Education Pipeline Summer Program to Introduce Diverse High School Students to Careers in Health Care
Kellie Bryant, Nursing; David Wang, Anesthesiology

Enhancing the Reach and Scope of the Pediatric Diversity and Inclusion Council Curriculum
Marina Catallozzi, Pediatrics and Population and Family Health; Amanda Esteves, Clinical Pediatrics

Just Care in the Justice System: Educating Medical and Dental Trainees to Be Advocates for the Care of Incarcerated and Undocumented Patients
Trudi Cloyd, Emergency Medicine; Robert Fullilove, Sociomedical Sciences (in Social Work)

In these Hallowed Halls - Alumni Showcase Project
Christine Hendon, Electrical Engineering; Helen Lu, Biomedical Engineering

Bold Conversations Program
Patrice Malone, Psychiatry; Claude Mellins, Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry and Sociomedical Sciences) 

Mentorship Support Groups for Black, Indigenous, People of Color Medical Professionals
Wendy Vargas, Neurology; Minnelly Vasquez, Licensed Clinical Social Worker 

INDIVIDUAL UNIT PROJECTS

Queen Mother of Harlem: The Story of Sister Aisha
Hisham Aidi, International and Public Affairs

Pedagogy, Place, and Publics: An Equity Analysis of GSAPP Historic Preservation Studios
Erica Avrami, Andrew Dolkart, Jorge Otero-Pailos, Architecture, Planning and Preservation

Assessing Capacity for Racial Equity Work in Health Care Organizations: A Pilot Grant
Sorcha Brophy, Health Policy and Management

Black Lives in the Diaspora: Past / Present / Future
Frank Guridy, History, African American and African Diaspora Studies 

Multi-Tiered Care: Investigating How Segregated Care Manifests at Academic Medical Centers
Daniel Neghassi, Medicine (in the Center for Family and Community Medicine)

Health Equity Rounds: Mitigating implicit racial bias through real-life cases
Wendy Vargas and Carolyn Barley Britton, Neurology

Addressing Racism Seed Grant Recipients, Fall 2020

CROSS-UNIT COLLABORATIONS

Narratives
Elaine Abrams, Pediatrics and Epidemiology

Targeting Provider Bias to Advance Health Equity in Maternal Care
Janice Aubey, Obstetrics and Gynecology; Allison Lee, Anesthesiology

Disrupting the Effects of Racism on Underrepresented in Medicine (Urim) Trainees: Fostering Healing and Agency
Jean-Marie Alves-Bradford, Psychiatry; Hetty Cunningham, Pediatrics; Hilda Hutcherson, Obstetrics and Gynecology

Racial Justice in Gender, Sexuality, & Health
Walter Bockting, Claude Mellins, Robert Remien, Theodorus Sandfort, Psychiatry

Rethinking Archaeological Pedagogy at Columbia and in the Field More Widely
Zoë Crossland, Brian Boyd, Hannah Chazin, Terence D'Altroy, Severin Fowles, Anthropology; Francesco de Angelis, Lisa Trever, Art History and Archaeology; Marc Van de Mieroop, Lakshmi Ramgopal, History; Ellen Morris, Classics; Steven L. Goldstein, Sidney Hemming, Dorothy Peteet, Earth and Environmental Sciences; Jue Guo, East Asian Languages and Cultures; Erica Avrami, Jorge Otero Pailos, Architecture, Planning & Preservation

Addressing Inequities in Liver Transplant Evaluation-Identifying and Eliminating Health Worker Bias
Lorna Dove, Nicole Golden, Surgery, Julia Wattacheril, Medicine; Jean Emond, Pediatrics; Veronica Roye, Nursing

Addressing Racism Through Education, Intentional Recruitment & Advocacy
Himabindu Ekanadham, Krishna Desai, Richard Younge, Medicine; David Rosenthal, Health Policy & Management;, Silvia Cunto-Amesty, Medicine, Population & Family Health; Rebecca Leeds, Hannah Brooks, Family & Community Medicine; Nataliya Pilipenko, Medicine & Psychiatry

Keeping the Momentum
Raymond Givens, Andrea Duran, Medicine; Don Edmondson, Medicine and Psychiatry

Picture a Scientist
Wesley Grueber, Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, Neuroscience; Darcy Kelley, Biological Sciences

Carceral Studies and Activism Project
Jean Howard, English and Comparative Literature; Farah Griffin, English and Comparative Literature and African American and African Diaspora Studies (Chair); Jack Halberstam; English and Comparative Literature

A&S IDEAS - Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access Strategies
Kathryn Johnston, Astronomy; Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Philosophy; Ruben Gonzalez, Chemistry; Ellie Hisama, Music; Karuna Mantena, Political Science; Dan O’Flaherty, Economics; Pablo Piccato, History; Gareth Williams, Classics

Race and Health Curriculum
Catherine McManus, Surgery

Designing Antiracist Case Studies
Kathleen Mullen, Nursing; Michael Devlin, Psychiatry; Latisha Hanson, Nursing; Letty Moss-Salentijn, Dental Medicine

Racial Justice Podcast
Desmond Patton, Ovita Williams, Susan Witte, Social Work; Jennifer Manly, Neurology, Kuheli Dutt, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Integrating Racial Equity and Climate Justice into Urban Planning and Design: A Workshop for the 4th Assessment of the New York Panel on Climate Change and Affiliated CU Faculty, GSAPP Faculty, and Local Stakeholders
Thaddeus Pawlowski, Architecture, Planning and Preservation; Christian Braneon, Jackie Klopp, Earth Institute

Justice and Pandemics Preparedness Academy
Lisa Rosen-Metsch, Dean, General Studies and Sociomedical Sciences; James Colgrove, Samuel Roberts, Sociomedical Sciences; Marlyn Delva, Epidemiology & Sociomedical Sciences; Dana March-Palmer, Epidemiology; Julien Teitler, Social Work

Awareness and Community Activism to Confront Racism in the Mental Health System
M. Katherine Shear, Social Work; Sidney Hankerson, Psychiatry

Improving Mobile Health Access and Quality to Black Patients with Liver Disease
Akhil Shenoy, Psychiatry; Lorna Dove, Nicole Golden, Surgery

Activating Racial Justice Through Narrative Negotiation
Danielle Spencer, Derek McCracken, Carmen Price, Narrative Medicine; Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Negotiation & Conflict Resolution

Sleep Center of Excellence Seminar Special Series on Discrimination, Social Injustice, and Sleep
Marie Pierre St-Onge, Medicine; Carmela Alcantara, Social Work

Seminar on Race, Climate Change, and Environmental Justice
Maya Tolstoy, Earth & Environmental Sciences; Mingfang Ting, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Earth & Environmental Sciences

Moving Towards Anti-racist Systems and Policies to Reduce Childhood Obesity
Jennifer Woo Baidal, Pediatrics; Elena Ladas, Pediatrics and Epidemiology; John Rausch, Pediatrics

INDIVIDUAL UNIT PROJECTS

Universities, Communities and Racial Redress
Elazar Barkan, School of International and Public Affairs

Zoom Performance/ Recording CITIZEN by Claudia Rankine
James Calleri, Theatre Arts

Theatre Accountability Project
Steven Chaikelson, Michael Passaro, Donna Walker-Kuhne, Theatre Arts

Recruiting More Diverse Teaching Assistants for Introductory Biology
Martin Chalfie, Harmen Bussemaker (Chair), Mary Ann Price, Biological Sciences

Fostering Inclusive Excellence - Addressing Racism & Culture in PT Education (FIERCE)
Laurel Daniels Abbruzzese, Clare Bassile, Ashwin Rao, Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine

Using Narrative Ethics to Explore Racial Disparities in Healthcare
Joyeeta Dastidar, Medicine

Anti-racism and the Emergency Department: a Year-long Program Towards Self-inquiry and Institutional Progress
Almaz Dessie, Stefan Flores, Emergency Medicine

Building an Anti-racist and Equitable Context for Black Students in Columbia’s M.Sc. Real Estate Development Program
Patrice Derrington, Diane Branch, Ed Poteat, Real Estate Development

CUIMC Diversity Day
Stefan Flores, Almaz Dessie, Emergency Medicine

Columbia Law School & Slavery
Katherine Franke, Law

Decolonizing Development
Julie Franks, Sociomedical Sciences

Building an Inclusive Climate in Chemistry Through Anti-racism Training
Ruben Gonzalez, Timothy Berkelbach, Luis Campos, Ann McDermott, Tomislav Rovis (Chair), Neel Shah, Chemistry

Public Humanities Spring Studio: Humanities Speaking of Race
María González Pendás, Art History & Archaeology, SoF/Heyman

The MOSAIC (Mentoring of Students and Igniting Community): Initiative for Equity and Inclusion
Stephanie Grilo, Goleen Samari, Population and Family Health

Unsung Stories: Women at Columbia’s Computer Music Center
Ellie Hisama, Zosha Di Castri, Music

COVID-19 and Telemedicine: Impact on Racial Orthopedic Healthcare Disparities
Charles Jobin, Orthopedic Surgery

Crawford Bias Reduction Training with Dr. Dana E. Crawford
Gita Johar, Business

Research and Diversity (R&D)
Darcy Kelley, Biological Sciences

Involving Columbia Students in Enhancing Education Equity Through Engineering Design
Aaron Kyle, Henry Hess, Elisa Konofagou, Biomedical Engineering

Understanding and Responding to Racial Microaggressions in the Theatre of the Oppressed
Allison Lee, Desmond Jordan, Maya Hastie, Anesthesiology

Writing Center Anti-Racist Action Project
Susan Mendelsohn, English and Comparative Literature

Anti-Racism in the Intensive Care Unit at Columbia University Medical Center: Evaluation of our Current State and a Journey to Make the Uncomfortable Comfortable
Vivek Moitra, Jonathan Hastie, Beth Hochman, Anesthesiology

A Revolution in Race-Based Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) Reporting: An Educational Initiative
Heather Morris, Krzysztof Kiryluk, Medicine

Black Undergraduate Mentorship Program (BUMP) in Biology at Columbia
Robert Pollack, Harmen Bussemaker (Chair), Martin Chalfie, Biological Sciences

Internship in the Columbia Social and Moral Cognition Lab
Larisa Heiphetz, Psychology

Race and Caste: Archive, Outreach, and Public Pedagogy
Anupama Rao, History, Barnard College and Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies

Anti-racism Workshops for Lamont and DEES Faculty
Maureen Raymo, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Undesign the Redline @ Barnard
Mary Rocco, Urban Studies, Barnard College

Addressing Racism in/and the Academic Study of Religion
Josef Sorett, Gil Anidjar, Elizabeth Castelli, Najam Haider, Tiffany Hale, Timothy Vasko, Religion
* supported by the Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life

Listening to Harlem; Rethinking Community Engagement
Amy Starecheski, Sociology; Geraldine Downey, Psychology; Kecia Hayes, Double Discovery Center

Center for Research on People of Color – Anti-Racism Speaker Series
Jacquelyn Taylor, Nursing

Seminars in African American History of Medicine
William Turner, Medicine

Nth Dimension Summer Internship (NDSI) Program at Columbia Orthopedics – A program Designed to Bridge the Gap in Mentorship for Underrepresented Minorities Seeking a Career in Orthopedic Medicine
Wakenda Tyler, William Levine (Chair), Orthopedic Surgery

Black Liver Health Initiative - Outreach Campaign
Elizabeth Verna, Medicine

Evaluation and Training to Expand the Space for Uprooting Whiteness (sfUW)
Susan Witte, Social Work