2021 NIEHS Diversity Speaker Series: NIH Special Emphasis Portfolio for Black Employees

Join the event by using the passcode: 022421.

Launched in February 2018, the Diversity Speaker Series is designed to recognize and acknowledge the Special Emphasis Portfolios, as designed by the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), and to place special emphasis on positive, equitable, and inclusive employment experiences for federally identified and underrepresented groups. Through this speaker series, we hope to provide educational and cultural/sensitivity awareness opportunities for NIEHS and surrounding communities.

Each group has a traditional month for recognition. Speakers are invited to present their work and/or their story with a focus on the identified portfolio during the associated month.

For Black History Month, NIEHS is introducing Dr. Samantha-Rae Dickenson:

Dr. Samantha-Rae Dickenson is a Principal Strategist for the Blacks Portfolio at the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion with professional and educational experience in varying industries including Biomedical Science & Research, Public Health, and Education. Dr. Dickenson was a Career Development Lead at the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) before joining EDI. She has worked in the non-profit sector as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategist to lead the development of Save the Children’s first DEI 3-year strategy. She has also worked as a Senior Accreditation Specialist to assess compliance of accreditation policies related to cultural competency, diversity and inclusion, and financial planning for public health graduate and undergraduate schools/programs. Dr. Dickenson has also been a guest on the Roland Martin show where she discussed systemic racism and the negative stereotypes and unconscious biases Black people face. As a Black, immigrant, woman with intersecting identities, she has first-hand experience in adapting to environments that are different from her own and enjoys actively creating spaces where people feel comfortable showing up as their authentic selves.

Dr. Dickenson has a diverse educational background which includes a liberal arts associate’s degree, a BS in Biology, and a MS in Public Health. Dr. Dickenson graduated from the University of New England as the youngest doctoral graduate from the Educational Leadership and Organizational Management Program. Her research focused on the effects of racial microaggressions on Black female government workers' work performance, and methods to reduce microaggressions in the workplace. She also talks about Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, Intersectionality, and unconscious bias in her research.

Visit NIEHS for more information about the series and to watch previous speakers.

Do you have a story idea for us? Do you want to submit a guest blog? If it's about equity, diversity, or inclusion, please submit to edi.stories@nih.gov.

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