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UNITE
About
The UNITE initiative was established to identify and address structural racism within the NIH-supported and the greater scientific community. With representation from across the NIH Institutes and Centers, UNITE aims to establish an equitable and civil culture within the biomedical research enterprise and reduce barriers to racial equity in the biomedical research workforce. To reach this goal, UNITE is facilitating research to identify opportunities, make recommendations, and develop and implement strategies to increase inclusivity and diversity in science. These efforts will bolster the NIH’s effort to continue to strive for diversity within the scientific workforce and racial equity on the NIH campus and within the extramural community.
Structure and Charge
UNITE is comprised of five committees with separate but coordinated objectives on tackling the problem of racism and discrimination in science, while developing methods to promote diversity and inclusion across the biomedical enterprise.

Committee U
Understanding stakeholder experiences through listening and learning
- To perform a broad, systematic self-evaluation to delineate elements that perpetuate structural racism and lead to a lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the NIH and the external scientific community.

Committee N
New research on health disparities, minority health, and health equity
- To address long-standing health disparities and issues related to minority health inequities in the United States by ensuring NIH-wide transparency, accountability, and sustainability in marshaling resources for health disparity, minority health, and health equity research.

Committee I
Improving the NIH culture and structure for equity, inclusion and excellence
- To change the NIH organizational culture and structure to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the NIH workforce.

Committee T
Transparency, communication, and accountability with our internal and external stakeholders
- To ensure transparency, accountability, and sustainability of all UNITE efforts amongst internal and external stakeholders.
- Coordinate NIH-wide efforts and communicate findings from other UNITE committees to internal and external stakeholders, and the public.

Committee E
Extramural research ecosystem: changing policy, culture and structure to promote workforce diversity
- To perform a broad systematic evaluation of NIH extramural policies and processes to identify and change practices and structures that perpetuate a lack of inclusivity and diversity within the extramural research ecosystem.
Roster
UNITE Co-Chairs
Marie A. Bernard, M.D.
National Institute on Aging/NIH Office of the Director
Alfred Johnson, Ph.D.
NIH Office of the Director/Office of Management
Lawrence Tabak, D.D.S, Ph.D.
NIH Office of the Director
UNITE Program Manager
Victoria Rucker, M.P.A
Center for Information Technology/NIH Office of the Director
UNITE Program Support
Jordan Gladman, Ph.D.
NIH Office of the Director
Bryant Maldonado
NIH Office of the Director
Jejelola Oresanya, M.S., M.B.A.
NIH Office of the Director
U Committee
Monica Webb Hooper, Ph.D. — Co-Chair
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Mia Rochelle Lowden, Ph.D. — Co-Chair
NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs
Tara Schwetz, Ph.D. — Co-Chair
NIH Office of the Director
Shelli Avenevoli, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health
Dexter Collins, M.P.A.
Fogarty International Center
Laura Cooper
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Kevin Davis, M.Ed.
Center for Information Technology
Cara Finley, M.P.H.
NIH Office of the Director
Leslie Littlejohn
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Vanessa Marshall, Ph.D.
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Troy Muhammad, Ed.D., M.S.
National Cancer Institute
Ian Myles, M.D., M.P.H.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Roland Owens, Ph.D.
NIH Office of Intramural Research
Kamilah Rashid, Pharm.D.
NIH Office of the Director
Kelly Ten Hagen, Ph.D.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Brian Trent, M.P.A.
National Eye Institute
Della White, Ph.D.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
N Committee
Michele Evans, M.D. — Co-Chair
National Institute on Aging
Anna María Nápoles, Ph.D. — Co-Chair
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Robert Rivers, Ph.D. — Co-Chair
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Gwen Bishop
National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Vence Bonham, J.D.
National Human Genome Research Institute
Juanita Chinn, Ph.D.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Janine Clayton, M.D.
NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health
Kathy Etz
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Justin Hentges
NIH All of Us Research Program
Daryl Holder, M.S.
NIH Clinical Center
Samantha Jonson, M.P.S.
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Bryant Maldonado
NIH Office of the Director/Scientific Workforce Diversity
Jejelola Oresanya, M.S., M.B.A.
NIH Office of the Director/Scientific Workforce Diversity
Joan Romaine, M.P.H., M.S.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Asha Storm
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Shannon Zenk, Ph.D., M.P.H, R.N.
National Institute of Nursing Research
I Committee
Marie A. Bernard, M.D. — Co-Chair
National Institute on Aging/NIH Office of the Director
Alfred Johnson, Ph.D. — Co-Chair
NIH Office of the Director/Office of Management
Julie Segre, Ph.D. — Co-Chair
National Human Genome Research Institute
Trevor Archer, Ph.D.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Talin Barnes
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Gwyn Collins, M.S.
National Cancer Institute
Charles Egwuagu, M.P.H., Ph.D.
National Eye Institute
Melissa Espinoza
National Institute on Aging
Courtney Fitzhugh, M.D.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Kenneth Gibbs, M.P.H., Ph.D.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Bernard Harper, M.A.
NIH Clinical Center
Kendall Hill
Center for Scientific Review
Camille Hoover, M.S.W.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Shawn Lewis
National Institute of Nursing Research
Marguerite Matthews, Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke
Shaun Sims
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
T Committee
Amy Bany Adams, Ph.D. — Co-Chair
National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke
Sadhana Jackson, M.D. — Co-Chair
National Cancer Institute/National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke
Carrie Wolinetz, Ph.D. — Co-Chair
NIH Office of the Director/Office of Science Policy
Mohammed Aiyegbo, Ph.D.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Albert Avila, Ph.D.
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Samantha Calabrese, M.P.H.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Nelvis Castro
National Cancer Institute
Angie Cruz-Albertorio, M.B.A.
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Carla Garnett, M.A.
NIH Office of Communication and Public Liaison
Carl Hashimoto, Ph.D.
NIH Office of Intramural Research
Jesse Isaacman-Beck, Ph.D.
NIH Office of the Director/Office of Science Policy
Nakia Makonnen
National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Eric Refsland, Ph.D.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Wayne Wang, Ph.D.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Cassie Williams
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
E Committee
Ericka Boone, Ph.D. — Co-Chair
NIH Office of Extramural Research
Jon Lorsch, Ph.D. — Co-Chair
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Anna E. Ordóñez, M.D. — Co-Chair
National Institute of Mental Health
Eddie Billingslea, Ph.D.
NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health
Tiffany Calvert, M.Ed.
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Rena D’Souza, M.S., D.D.S., Ph.D.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Zeynep Erim, Ph.D.
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Leonardo Garzon-Velez
Fogarty International Center
Bettie Graham, Ph.D.
National Human Genome Research Institute
Leah Hubbard, Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute
Patricia Jones, M.S., M.P.H., Dr.PH.
National Institute on Aging
Vonda Smith, Ph.D.
Center for Scientific Review
Mark Stevens, D.P.A.
NIH Office of the Director/Office of Management
James Washington, M.S., Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke
Maryam Zaringhalam, Ph.D.
National Library of Medicine
This page last reviewed on March 17, 2021