Schedule

Opening Keynote: The Promise of Pluralism in Times of Tension

Presented by: Jenan Mohajir and Rebecca Russo

   Jack Morton Auditorium

Session Overview

During times of tension and conflict, how can college and university campuses be leaders in modeling pluralism – an approach to engaging diversity that involves respecting diverse identities, building relationships, and cooperating across even our deepest differences?  Two senior leaders from Interfaith America – one Muslim, one Jewish – will share their personal experiences as bridge builders who have been deeply impacted by the ongoing violence in Gaza and Israel and yet model empathy in their friendship and work across cultural, religious, and political differences. Through both personal and campus-based stories, they will explore the complexity and opportunity of bridge building in this moment and highlight the unique role of college campuses as laboratories for engaging positively across deep differences.

9th Annual Diversity Summit Reception

   School of Media and Public Affairs, 2nd Floor Art Gallery Lobby | 805 21st St NW, Washington, DC 20052

Session Overview

We invite you to come together for the 9th Annual Diversity Summit Reception following the opening session. There will be an opportunity to connect with our keynote speaker and moderator, university leaders, and members of the GW community. Food will be provided in a safe manner out of respect and consideration for everyone's health and well-being.

Processing Room / Quiet Space

   University Student Center, Room 301

Poster Sessions

   Hallway - Poster Sessions

Double Empathy and Relational Leadership in Neurodiverse Workplaces

Presented by: Katherine Kinnaird and Dr. Yoshie Tomozumi Nakamura

This poster is an ongoing research study as part of a dissertation work on double empathy and relational leadership. The session will include proposed content for a GSEHD dissertation on “double empathy” and relational leadership in neurodiverse workplaces. The proposed research examines how double empathy (or lack thereof) influences relational leadership between neurodiverse staff with and without autism in not-for-profit organizations. The double empathy indicates two-way employee relationships characterized by understanding, with a return effect back to the individual in line with critical disability theory, in which a co-constructing relationship building process can foster a relational leadership approach. Using grounded theory method, it employs individual interviews with nonprofit leaders and their employees with autism. The study will benefit organization leaders and employees with autism to deepen understanding and strengthen relationships in the workplace.

Examining epistemic injustice in the environmental field: An exploration the ways of knowing of environmental leaders with intersectional and marginalized identities

Presented by: Daphne Pee and Dr. Yoshie Tomozumi Nakamura

Ways of knowing are the epistemological and interpretive lens from which people understand the world. They are based on lived experiences that connect knowledge with actions. The environmental sector’s ways of knowing have been described as Western, cognitive, and logical; as well as oppressive, often privileging scientific knowledge systems over other ways of knowing. Scholars have recognized this epistemic injustice as a challenge to solving socio-ecologically complex issues, such as water management and climate change. While indigenous scholars have elucidated other ways of knowing through indigenous knowledge, little research has explored the ways of knowing of environmental leaders with intersectional social identities. The purpose of this poster is to stimulate a dialogue based on the key highlights and theoretical framework from an ongoing study (dissertation) that explores the ways of knowing of intersectional leaders who engage communities of color to facilitate environmental and social justice, and how their lived experiences might inform ways of knowing rooted in empathy and understanding of the racialized histories and contemporary concerns of their communities.

Health Professions Student Mentorship to ESOL Students

Presented by: Emily Knox, MD Candidate

Students in ESOL programs who possess valuable language ability and cultural fluency may lack the exposure to, or familiarity with the paths to health careers in the United States. Are these students effectively being reached with mentorship and guidance at the same rate as their counterparts? In using health professionals and pre-professional students who share their mentees’ languages and backgrounds, this theoretical program structure aims to advance diversity in the healthcare workforce.

This may serve as a direct response to structural inequities that hinder underrepresented students, promoting justice and minority empowerment.

Identifying Translational Interventions to Address LGBT+ Health Disparities

Presented by: Ryan Neill

To work to address the burden of health disparities negatively impacting the medical care of LGBTQIA+ populations, this multifaceted curriculum (“LGBTQ+ Adaptive Healthcare Curriculum”) was designed to be an adaptive educational tool and reproducible clinical model to aid in alleviating LGBT+ health disparities on three foundational levels: [1] combat miseducation in a thorough and inclusive curriculum, serving as a generalized and structured LGBT+ healthcare educational resource; [2] from this meta-analysis of modern and historic LGBT+ health disparities, identify barriers to care and propose tailored, step-by-step interventions to alleviate institutional and systemic inequities; [3] propose specific strategies to scale and sustain the impact of efforts to improve these measures, while integrating academic and clinical infrastructure to address future inequities. 

Am I welcome here? --An art exhibition about GW international students’ experiences

Presented by: Miki Nishida Goerdt LCSW, LCSW-C, ATR-BC, Alexandra Rivera, Chengjiaoyang (Valentine) Xue, Xinhang Xu, Yasmeen Houdaib, and Youn Ji Lee

   University Student Center, Grand Ballroom

Session Overview

American higher education institutions promote having international students on campus to improve students’ awareness over global issues as well as revenue generation. However, international students are not always seen as an equity-seeking group and experience structural barriers, cultural adjustment, isolation, and discrimination. This art exhibition consists of artworks created by GW international students, sharing their personal experiences of studying in America. The exhibition urges you to expand your understanding over their experiences at GW and contemplate what it means to create a truly inclusive environment for this specific group of students.

Voting Together: How to Engage Our Campus in Voting 

Presented by: Isabella Reed, Vidya Muthupillai, and Nate O'Brien

   University Student Center, Room 302

Session Overview

In recent years, voting has become highly polarized and young people have become increasingly more involved, as National NSLVE data has shown. While the number of young adults who vote has grown, there is still significant room for improvement. This session is designed to show how voting can effectively be publicized on college campuses, specifically GW's, and give participants the tools to help their campus communities develop effective strategies to help students and community members learn how to register – and remind them to vote.

Applying Group Therapy Principles in the Classroom and University: It is About Damn Time

Presented by: Dr. Cheri Marmarosh and Joshua DeSilva, PsyD

   University Student Center, Amphitheater

Session Overview

While the classroom is not a therapy space, having the ability to empathize in groups when intergenerational and current trauma is activated requires some awareness of basic group facilitation skills to provide safety for diverse students in the classroom. The current presentation will explore group therapy theory and techniques that can be applied to professors, teachers, and faculty members as they prepare for difficult dialogues that occur in classrooms, faculty meetings, and campus interactions. We will focus on how group dynamics influence how well we navigate these expected group experiences, that include painful ruptures, and remain connected so we can grow from them. The ability to remain empathic is often challenged when intergenerational and current traumas are triggered. The presentation will highlight the professor’s role in fostering the safety and emotional regulation required to explore unconscious bias without shaming and scapegoating others. The focus will be on how to use the classroom group to foster empathy and engage in social justice work. We also aim to help attendees differentiate the use of these skills in a teaching context from a treatment context.

Revolutionizing Minds: Breaking Chains through Trauma-Informed Awareness in Special Education

Presented by: Tiombe Ewing, MEd

   University Student Center, Room 307

Session Overview

This work is inherently tied to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. By emphasizing trauma-informed education, Tiombe seeks to dismantle system barriers that disproportionally affect marginalized groups. This includes addressing disparities in access to trauma-informed services and support, ensuring that all children, regardless of background, can benefit from a more just and equitable educational experience. Through this work, Tiombe contributes to creating an inclusive and empowering educational environment that recognizes and addresses the diverse needs of children of color with disabilities.

Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL): What is it? Why do we need it?

Presented by: Tiffany Emanuel-Wright, MEd

   University Student Center, Room 308

Session Overview

“Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL): What is it? Why do we need it?” is a session inspired by my current doctoral research study on how school leaders empower Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL) in light of tensions related to Parental Rights in Education, Individual Freedom, and other education policies that counter equitable and inclusive school-based initiatives. In our current politicized climate, empowering CSRL amid recent educational policy and legislation is a problem of practice as culturally responsive curriculum and pedagogy, the fourth tenet of Khalifa et al. (2016) CRSL domains, presents a gap in practice. Therefore, this session will define the tenets of culturally responsive school leadership (CSRL) and introduce instructional strategies that promote equitable and inclusive practices in the presence of contradictory education policies. Additionally, the session will provide research and best practices on culturally responsive school leadership presented in an interactive format promoting self-reflection, dialogue, and discourse designed to foster a call for social justice and revolutionary innovations in K-12 and higher education.

Collaborate and Activate: Creating Sustainable Social Change Initiatives Through Collaborative Inquiry

Presented by: Sarah M. Ray, PhD and Jacob A. English, PhD

   University Student Center, Room 310

Session Overview

This workshop will utilize the collaborative inquiry process with participants to activate around shared social change goals. In this session, we will examine our understanding of pressing social problems. We will create collaborative inquiry groups that enact the collaborative inquiry process to better understand the social problem at hand. We will further develop a sense of community and collectivity that participants can take with them into their practice.

Global Revolutionaries: GW Leaders of Color on Cultivating a Global Mindset

Presented by: Dr. Jennifer Donaghue, Dr. Gabrielle Julien-Molineaux, Dr. Lionel Howard, Dr. Manuel R. Cuellar, and Dr. Huda Ayas

   University Student Center, Room 302

Session Overview

The ability to approach other cultures, perspectives, and ways of knowing with a growth mindset and curiosity is part of what allows us to become revolutionary. While international education and intercultural learning provide avenues to do just that, the mainstream narrative around international education often overlooks the unique perspectives and experiences of people of color. Our panel aims to address this gap by foregrounding BIPOC leaders as they discuss the transformative impact of their global experiences.

Join us for a discussion with GW leaders of color about how their international experiences have shaped their worldview, impacted their careers, and changed their personal lives. Panelists will discuss their life and career trajectories, the intersection of their identity and their international experience, and ultimately provide inspiration and recommendations on how to integrate a global mindset into our work across the university.

Fostering Inclusion in Disciplinary Planning and Prioritization Exercises

Presented by: Evangeline J. Downie, Jaden Sicotte, and Lucas Chandler

   University Student Center, Amphitheater

Session Overview

In many disciplines, members of the field engage in Long Range Planning exercises, seeking to identify disciplinary priorities to guide agency investment. Traditionally the National Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) Long Range Plan for Nuclear Science (LRP) identified four major areas for investment motivated by physics priorities. The 2023 LRP was the first ever NSAC LRP to include major recommendations targeted specifically to improve diversity and inclusion in the field. We will share the process followed to identify recommendations and persuade the LRP writing committee, the broader community, and ultimately politicians to support the inclusive recommendations. The session is designed to provide practical guidance and stimulate discussion on improving inclusion in a disciplinary community.

Trans Rights are Human Rights: Inclusion at GW

Presented by: Abbey Salvas and Ahleah Miles

   University Student Center, Room 307

Session Overview

In 2023, over 500 anti-trans bills were introduced across the country. Already in 2024, at the time of writing, 125 bills have been introduced. These legislative attacks range from bathroom bans to youth sports restrictions to gender-affirming care bans. These bills reflect a larger cultural moment attacking queer and trans lives. This session aims to provide actionable insights for faculty, staff, and students here at GW for how to combat these attacks in the classroom, on campus, and in the community.

Indigenous Methodology: Awareness, Validation, & Authentic Inclusion of Other Ways of Knowing

Presented by: LT Kayla DeVault Wendt, MS, MPH/CPH, MDiv, EI

   University Student Center, Room 308

Session Overview

Formal schooling gives us obvious career skills, but the damage we cause by what we never learned can be obscure, especially to “outsiders”. The concept of a knowledge gap might seem abstract, but the harm it can cause is not as most of our institutions, organizations, nations – they operate with sets of values, systems, and methods designed for and approved by bodies who have not historically represented the whole. This session specifically explores this deficiency consistent across academia, research, policy, and entities collectively slow on the uptake of alternative ways of knowing. Specifically, we will discuss “Indigenous methodology” and the status quo of ”Western methods”. The presentation will cover the process of colonization and globalization in the context of U.S.-history, the significance of cultural epistemology and practice, and how these historic truths interact with land management, ecology, oppression, health disparity, and stereotypical tropes through a lecture with slides and group interaction.

Unveiling Narratives: A Transformative Journey through the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Presented by: Abdalla Hassan, Abdulrahman Hussein, and Redzuan Raffe

   University Student Center, Room 302

Session Overview

Our session offers a transformative exploration of the Arab-Israeli conflict, delving beyond mere facts to address biases in media coverage. Attendees will engage in critical discussions, fostering a heightened sensitivity to diverse perspectives and recognizing personal biases. We will navigate through a brief history of the conflict, utilizing anecdotes to humanize its impact. Additionally, the session will touch on the contemporary origins of antisemitism and Islamophobia, providing insights into the intersectionality of identities, and finally highlight personal and institutional responsibilities thereof.

Healthcare Education, Planetary Health, Health Justice and Traditional and Indigenous Medical Sciences (TWIMS)

Presented by: Jennifer Rioux, PhD, AD, C-IAYT, RH and Sofia Chavez, DNM, DSM

   University Student Center, Room 310

Session Overview

This educational workshop will focus on the insights offered by Traditional world and indigenous medical sciences (TWIMS) to inform educational initiatives and advocacy efforts that can be established campus-wide to engage the scholarly community in a commitment to take specific actions to address the urgency of climate crisis. As a medical anthropologist teaching in Integrative Medicine Programs at GW in the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership, I have studied social movements, communities of practice and curricular innovation that support training, research and clinical care that is aligned with a values-driven model of reciprocity, empathy and equity. The insights provided by educators, clinicians and researchers in the TWIM fields are frequently excluded from conversations in integrative healthcare and, thereby, from their potential to enhance health outcomes, the evidence base, and the education of future healthcare providers. The TWIM paradigms are both nature-based and values-based, rendering them most well-equipped to support the needs of the planetary health model in clinical, education and research settings. The focus on treatment of root-causes and on tailoring therapies to the individual are hallmarks of the TWIM paradigms that provide a symbiotic approach to treating patients within their environmental contexts - including family, community, social context and the biosphere.

Decolonizing Research: Global Health & Public Health

Presented by: Amal Hassan and Rachael Bailey MPH(c)

   University Student Center, Room 308

Session Overview

This session seeks to understand the ways in which community based or participatory research methods can be used to decolonize public health and amplify the voices of marginalized communities in both domestic and international settings. Through group discussion and an expert panel, audience members will also gain an understanding of what decolonization means in the context of academia.

CARE Data Primer for Ethical Data Stewardship

Presented by: Ann Myatt James

   University Student Center, Room 302

Session Overview

The CARE data principles (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, and Ethics) are a conceptual framework meant to ensure ethical collection, sharing, and stewardship of Indigenous data. As part of a workshop hosted by the Data Curation Network in 2022, librarians created a foundational data curation primer on the CARE data principles and how they apply to data management, curation, and sharing. The primer touches on the cultural context regarding the CARE data principles, the historical misuse of Indigenous data, tribal sovereignty, and Indigenous Peoples’ right to governance of their data. Using the CURATE(D) checklist, the primer walks information professionals, researchers, and data curators through key questions and steps to ensure ethical use, sharing, and preservation of data.

Barbie’s World? Does study abroad make you more feminist?

Presented by: Chris Hill, Veronica Bocanegra Monsalve, Ms. Hayley Pottle, MA, and Caroline Rakus-Wojciechowski

   University Student Center, Amphitheater

Session Overview

Feminism asks us to question the unquestionable. To query the white-supremacist, capitalist, hetero-normative patriarchy. To critique something, it often helps to get outside of it as that is the best way you can see what it really is. That is why studying abroad is a great vehicle to expand ones feminism, and to learn more about the world, oneself, and power structures, both visible and invisible.

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: One Jewish Scholar’s Attempt to Understand Both Sides

Presented by: Professor Robert Eisen

   University Student Center, Room 307

Session Overview

The Israel-Hamas war that is now raging has widened divisions between those who support the Israelis and those who support the Palestinians in the ongoing conflict between the two peoples. In this session, Professor Eisen will explore the notion that what people have lost sight of is how complex the conflict is between Israelis and Palestinians. He will also discuss how a solution to the conflict will emerge only when supporters of each side better understands the opposing viewpoint, and he himself will try to model this approach as a Jewish scholar and supporter of Israel.

Envisioning a Classroom Revolution at GW

Presented by: Robin Pokorski, PhD, Daphna Atias, and Caitlin Savoldelli

   University Student Center, Room 310

Session Overview

2020 was a year of unprecedented challenges and transformations for learning and teaching at GW and we are still grappling with the changes four years on. What have we learned? How do we want to move forward? We'll take an opportunity to reflect and look ahead at this session where we can join together faculty, students, and staff to share our diverse perspectives.

Engaging in Anti-Oppressive Advocacy and Community-Building

Presented by: Cara Poblete, Catherine Delgado, Kendal Furman, Sadhana Matheswaran, Namitasai Ande, and Hasina Chimeka-Tisdale

   University Student Center, Room 302

Session Overview

Anti-oppression is imperative to the work of ensuring diversity, equity, inclusion/and justice within student organizations. Despite efforts by student leaders to protect DEI, underlying discriminatory structural forces still exist without the application of an anti-oppressive framework to dismantle power imbalances. GW GlobeMed recently had to reckon with and address deeply rooted racial and structural inequities prevailing since the founding of the organization in 2011. However, through the process of repairing harm and restoring trust, leadership and members alike co-created an anti-oppressive framework to foster an inclusive community and carry out the mission of advocating for global health inequities. The purpose of our session is to present our approach to anti-oppressive practices and collaborate with student organizations to enhance our collective capacity for anti-oppressive community building and advocacy at GW.

Home Is Where The Heart and Mind Is

Presented by: Dr. Katherine Marshall Woods, Geoffrey Hervey, MEd, Linda Nisanova, Zoe Andris, BA, Youyang Wang, and Yifei Du

   University Student Center, Room 307

Session Overview

Home is one of the most prominent symbols of one’s self and allows for one’s interior psyche to be represented in their exterior environment. Culture is at the epicenter of one’s lived experience within the world and is an integral aspect in the etiology of the concept of where home lives and how it is understood by an individual. The Psychodynamic Film and Media Set with GW’s Professional Psychology Program will share the concept of home and how it is contextualized by discussing an analysis of three diverse short films while challenging the audience to engage in conversation regarding the impact diversity, inclusion and equity has upon finding emotional and physical safe shelter.

"Rest as Resistance": Combating White Supremacy and Grind Culture via Restorative Yoga

Presented by: Dr. Jameta Nicole Barlow and Maranda C. Ward, EdD, MPH

   University Student Center, Room 308

Session Overview

How do we protect our peace, our minds, and livelihoods when we write about, discuss, and experience racial injustice daily? Being Black is not exhausting, but racism most certainly is. So, while we can find the beauty, power, strength and ingenuity in a Black racialized identity, we also know the social meanings attached to being Black in America that has the capacity to spirit murder us- especially in spaces designed to maintain whiteness, white privilege, and white supremacy. Rest as resistance is a contemporary movement to resist the capitalistic social pressure, or grind culture, to treat our bodies as objects, machines, and commodities. We will share our personal experiences in deciding how to balance our value-based life’s work with the need to unplug and celebrate Black joy and life. We will practice restorative yoga in this session as a coping mechanism for how self-care is a necessity to maintain our dignity, our selfhood, and our means of sustenance.

Reimagining the Relationship Between Laws Governing Sexual Violence and Society

Presented by: Rahwa Sebhat and Emily Dasey

   University Student Center, Room 310

Session Overview

In order to liberate ourselves from persistent societal inequity, it is imperative to expose the core components that help to maintain such inequities. Once the root problems are clearly visible and radically accepted, it is infinitely more possible to address them with creative solutions that reimagine interpersonal dynamics, justice, community, and accountability. Our session is premised on exploring the symbiotic relationship between laws governing sexual violence and society, asking participants to consider how society has—and can—prompt change within the law, and how the law impacts individuals within, as well as society as a whole.

Ancestral Reclamation Tea Ceremony Hosted by Melani Douglass

Presented by: Melani Douglass, Hostess and Ty Lackey, MFA Social Practice '23

   University Student Center, Amphitheater

Session Overview

Join Humanities DC 2023 Independent Practitioner Melani Douglass, and Master of Fine Arts in Social Practice, Ty Lackey for an enriching Ancestral Reclamation Tea Ceremony. This session, part of the GWU Diversity Summit series, delves into themes like building connections, community care, music collaboration, and medicine making. Inspired by a magical approach to art and community engagement, Melani offers a unique exploration of the intersection of art, community, connection, and care through a Black Feminist Artists' lens. Don't miss out on this engaging experience!

Keynote Session: What it Takes to Bloom: Black Trans Lives & The Journey to Liberation

Presented by: Raquel Willis | Moderated by: Breya Johnson and Honey Bee

   University Student Center, Continental Ballroom

Session Overview

Living authentically and as your full self in a world that was not designed with you in mind can feel like you're constantly taking a risk.  Black trans women are often experiencing higher rates of mistreatment, discrimination, and violence against them for being Black, trans, and women.  During Black History Month and knowing the increase in bills, laws, and policies being passed against Black people and trans people, hosting Raquel Willis during the 9th Annual Diversity Summit could not be more timely.  This keynote will invite attendees into Raquel's story and journey toward liberation as a Black trans activist.  Attendees will be invited to explore their own journey toward liberation and consider how they show up with and for Black trans women in the fight for justice. 

Dessert Reception

   University Student Center, Continental Ballroom