HICCC Welcomes New DEI Assistant Directors

As the new co-assistant directors in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) within the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, MD and Emily Mace, PhD are working to enable diversity beyond representation; aiming to foster an academic culture that ensures everyone, regardless of background, feels valued and heard. 

Both Mace and Lovinsky-Desir were drawn to DEI work through their previous involvement with national organizations. Mace has served as co-chair for the Women in Cell Biology committee within the American Society for Cell Biology for the past three years, along with getting involved with the Pediatrics Diversity and Inclusion Council (PDIC). “The PDIC does amazing work and implements great programming including an annual symposium,” she says. While the PDIC is more oriented towards medical training, Mace was inspired by the work they were doing and wanted basic researchers within her department to get involved too. 

Lovinsky-Desir, who serves as the vice chair of the health equity and diversity committee at the American Thoracic Society, noticed a clear parallel between the work being done within this committee and her goals for the office of DEI at the HICCC. “We’ve done a lot within this organization to create inclusive spaces and opportunities for people from underrepresented backgrounds.” she says, “We want to make sure our workforce is mirroring the populations we serve.” 

Tasked with creating their own individual “passion projects” as a part of their new roles, Mace and Lovinsky-Desir each touch on an area they hope to explore. Mace wants to address areas where representation is still lacking and ensure that the vibrant community surrounding the cancer center is represented across the board, from faculty meetings to medical school classrooms. She acknowledges that this is not an easy fix. “The answers to this are often complex and the only way to be effective is to identify barriers and find ways to work on those.” 

Along the same lines, Lovinsky-Desir hopes to tap into her passion for inspiring younger generations to consider careers in STEM, noting the importance of creating pathways to help facilitate these career discoveries at an early age. “I really want to give young people from historically marginalized communities an opportunity to see what we do inside these ivory towers at Columbia.” She also mentions the significance of a considerate hiring process and equipping those already here with the ability to aid in these efforts to reach these communities. “It’s on both ends, the recruitment and retainment.” she says. “It’s an important balance we have to consider, how do we bring in diverse faculty and how do we actually retain them?”  

Both mention their excitement about the inaugural LaGuardia Community College and HICCC partnership, viewing this as a great way to incorporate members of the community into the world of science at the cancer center. This program provides students with hands-on experience within the HICCC, ultimately building a pipeline of experienced research assistants coming from a variety of different backgrounds. As someone who attended community college herself, Mace sees this as a significant way to incorporate members of the community into the world of science at the cancer center. Lovinsky-Desir views this opportunity as a way of connecting students from marginalized backgrounds with careers in STEM, mentioning how beneficial it can be to see people that look like you in certain spaces that may seem unattainable otherwise.  

As they look towards the future, the new assistant directors aim to make notable change within the HICCC and beyond.  “There are a lot of great people with great ideas, and I think the more we can do in the medical center to bring everyone together, the better, says Mace.” Lovinsky-Desir agrees, adding, “there is a degree of conformity within academia that encourages people to fit themselves into a box. We benefit most from diversity, and avoid feeling undervalued and unheard, when given the opportunity to show up in spaces as we are.”