Elevating Evidence-Based Solutions to Advance Equity in Academic Health Sciences
The Challenge
Academic health science institutions shape the future of health care, yet their faculty, staff and students often fail to reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the communities they serve. Structural barriers and a legacy of exclusion continue to hinder efforts to build inclusive environments that foster opportunity, excellence and belonging.
Despite a growing recognition of the need for change, institutions, funders and DEI leaders often lack clear, evidence-based strategies to guide their efforts. In the wake of shifting legal and political pressures, including the rollback of affirmative action, there is an urgent need to lift up what works and build momentum for systemic change.
Our Approach
Burness partnered with the IDEAS (Increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Academic Health Sciences) team, led by Margarita Alegría, PhD and Idia Binitie Thurston, PhD, to raise the visibility of their research, published in JAMA Health Forum in February 2023. Thirteen evidence-based strategies for improving racial and ethnic equity in graduate-level health programs emerged across the survey, in-depth interviews and scoping literature review, all of which was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
Our communications effort focused on developing tools and messages to engage key audiences: university deans and chairs, DEI officers and philanthropic funders. We began by developing a clear and adaptable messaging framework that became the foundation for communications materials, including a press release, presentation deck for use with academic and funder audiences, a short video combining testimonials and narratives to highlight successful diversity strategies, an RWJF blog, and a landing page that serves as a digital home for the project.
We also planned, organized and hosted a LinkedIn Live event to bring the researchers’ findings directly to a professional audience engaged in health equity, academia and philanthropy.
Results and Impact
The communications strategy helped amplify the research and elevated the voices of the researchers behind it. Key outcomes included:
Media coverage in Inside Higher Ed and The Huntington News and in 40 local radio and TV news segments across the country, including WBTV News in Charlotte, North Carolina.
A letter-to-the-editor published in the Boston Globe that referenced the researchers’ strategies to improve Black student enrollment and retention.
An RWJF blog post, highlighting actionable recommendations for advancing inclusion within higher education.
A successful LinkedIn Live event that engaged 200 attendees from academic and philanthropic audiences.
A feature on the Academic Minute podcast, giving the researchers a national platform to share their findings and strategies.
By pairing powerful messages with targeted outreach and media engagement, Burness helped position the research team as trusted voices in the movement to diversify the academic health sciences in the post-affirmative action era.