On September 5, 2025, the BSD Diversity Committee held its bi-annual Impact and Action Retreat. The daylong conference's goal was to maximize the division's collective impact on students, staff, faculty, and the communities we serve, and to plan strategic actions to advance the institutional mission.
The retreat featured three interactive workshops:
- Science Policy 101, with UChicago’s and the BSD’s Offices of Government Relations
- Funding Strategies, with the Offices of Research Administration and Development
- Constructive Communication in Mentorship Relationships, with Dr. Jill Weber from UIC School of Medicine
A large component of the retreat focused on building new connections across the university, along with the regional community of scientists and physicians in the Chicagoland area. The Impact and Action poster session and adjoining inter-institutional strategy exchange invited participants to brainstorm solutions to complex issues facing higher education, such as workforce development and community service.
John Schneider, MD, Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences and Director of the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, delivered a keynote discussing how applying a radically compassionate perspective on public health drives progress toward serving vulnerable communities on the South Side of Chicago. Attendees walked away feeling inspired, empowered and informed to direct progress in their own local facets of science and medicine.
