Equity & Inclusion

• A new approach to mentoring for research careers: The National Research Mentoring Network (2017) Christine A. Sorkness, Christine Pfund, Elizabeth O. Ofili, Kolawole S. Okuyemi, Jamboor K. Vishwanatha, on behalf of the NRMN Team. BMC Proceedings 11, 22. https://doi-org.ucsf.idm.oclc.org/10.1186/s12919-017-0083-8.
• Assessing a graduate school science recruitment symposium (2015) Wilson González-Espada, Greetchen Díaz-Muñoz, Mónica Feliú-Mójer, Jacqueline Flores-Otero, Yaihara Fortis-Santiago, Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, Marcos Lopez-Casillas, Emma Fernandez-Repollet, and Daniel A. Colón-Ramos. Cuaderno de Investigación en la Educación 30, 55-70.
• Impact of culturally relevant contextualized activities on elementary and middle school students perceptions of science: An exploratory study. (2014) (Wilson González-Espada, Pablo Llerandi-Román, Yaihara Fortis-Santiago, Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, Nicolle Ortiz-Vega, Mónica I. Feliú-Mójer, and Daniel Colón-Ramos), International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public Engagement, DOI: 10.1080/21548455.2014.881579.
• Supporting diversity in science through social networking (2013) Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, Mónica I. Feliú-Mójer, Wilson González-Espada, Greetchen Díaz-Muñoz,  Marcos López, Samuel L. Díaz-Muñoz, Yaihara Fortis-Santiago, Jacqueline Flores-Otero, David Craig and Daniel Colón-Ramos. PLoS Biology , 11(12): e1001740. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001740.

Since 2016, I have served as Director of Outreach Training for the Yale Ciencia Academy (YCA), a NIH-funded, year-long, cohort-based career development program for doctoral students from marginalized backgrounds in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The YCA provides its fellows with opportunities for mentoring, networking, and peer support; to develop skills important for career advancement; and to contribute to their communities through science outreach. Through the YCA, I have trained and mentored 194 doctoral students from 80 academic institutions to date. In 2020, funding for the YCA was renewed for an additional 5 years.

I am a long-time member of SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science) and have served the organization by mentoring students and organizing sessions at the national conference, being part of different committees, and, most notably, ensuring that science communication becomes a core component of SACNAS' work and mission.

SERVICE

• SACNAS Science Communication Ad-Hoc Advisory Committee (2019) Member
• SACNAS Short Film Festival (2019) Host
• SACNAS Plenary Speaker Task Force (2019) Chair
• SACNAS Conference Planning Committee (2016 – 2019) Member
• SACNAS National Conference (2013-2015) Abstract Reviewer

SELECTED NATIONAL CONFERENCE SESSIONS

STEM and the media (2016) Plenary panel, Long Beach, CA

• To know science is to love it… Or is it? Research and evidence-based practices for effective science communication (2019) Honolulu, Hawai'i
• Science Communication Strategies for Science Advocacy (2019) Honolulu, Hawai'i
• Science communication to bring your whole self and your communities into STEM spaces (2019) Honolulu, Hawai'i
• Science advocacy: How to get involved and make an impact (2018) San Antonio, TX
• Storytelling: Crafting narratives to share your science (2018) San Antonio, TX
• Personal brand building: Defining your purpose and promise, advancing your career (2017) Salt Lake City, UT
• Delivering science: Effective communication skills to become a successful scientist (2016) Long Beach, CA; (2015) Washington, DC & (2014) Los Angeles
• Twitter for professional development (2016) Long Beach, CA
• Expand your network: How to identify advisors, mentors, sponsors, and collaborators for a successful career (2015) Washington, DC

From 2015-2017, I coordinated and produced short (~15 minutes) videos and live online Q&As (~1 hour) on diversity, mentoring, and professional development topics for iBiology’s collaboration with the NIH-funded National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), a national consortium developing evidence-based mentorship and professional development programming for trainees from underrepresented backgrounds in biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social sciences. Below are three examples. All 13 videos and live Q&As can be found here.

SELECTED VIDEOS

NightLife: Women in science (2020) Panel, California Academy of Sciences (video)

• Finding myself, building communities and paying it forward. (2019) Plenary talk, Cultivating Ensembles in STEM Education and Research (CESTEMER) Conference, New York, NY

• The importance of diverse inputs. (2018) Talk, National Science Foundation Germination Workshop, Alexandria, VA