The CTSA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Task Force's recommendations for the CTSA program consortium.

Abstract

The Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program recognizes that advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) requires moving beyond statements of commitment to transformative actions. In 2021, the CTSA Program created a Task Force (TF) to initiate work in support of structural and transformational initiatives that advance DEIA for the consortium and its individual hubs. We describe the process of forming the expertise-driven (DEIA) TF and our activities to date. We 1) developed and adopted the DEIA Learning Systems Framework to guide our approach; 2) defined a set of recommendations across four focus areas (Institutional; Programmatic; Community-Centered; and Social, Cultural, Environmental); and 3) designed and disseminated a survey to capture the CTSA Program's baseline demographic, community, infrastructural, and leadership diversity. The CTSA Consortium also elevated the TF to a standing Committee to extend our understanding, development, and implementation of DEIA approaches to translational and clinical science. These initial steps provide a foundation for collectively fostering environment that support DEIA across the research continuum.