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The NIH Director’s Award Recipients for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 2018

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The Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is excited to announce the following award recipients from the NIH Director’s Award. Each award acknowledges employees for their commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion across the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The Harvey J. Bullock Jr. Award was established to recognize employees who champion the ideals of equity, diversity and inclusion. This award was specifically designed to recognize the achievements of those employees who are not at the senior level (i.e. GS 12 and below or equivalent).

The Yvonne Thompson Maddox Award was established to encourage significant and continued efforts in promoting equity, diversity and inclusion at NIH. This award was specifically designed to recognize the achievements of non-supervisory employees at grades 13 and higher or the equivalent who exemplify the spirit of the award.

The NIH Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award of the Year was established to recognize executives, supervisors or managers who have excelled in furthering NIH’s equity, diversity and/or inclusion efforts. This award will be granted to leaders who exemplify the ideals of equity, diversity and inclusion.

The 2018 Awards Ceremony took place on Wednesday, August 29, 2018. Congratulations to the recipients!

HARVEY J. BULLOCK, JR. AWARD FOR EDI

Jennifer Eybl, Management Analyst, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

From left, Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Jennifer Eybl, Amy Patterson, M.D., and Treava Hopkins-Laboy
From left, Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Jennifer Eybl, Amy Patterson, M.D., and Treava Hopkins-Laboy (Photo by NIH Awards Team)

Award Citation

In recognition of your efforts in leading the development of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Roadmap.

Ms. Jennifer Eybl has made an outstanding contribution to the development of workforce diversity within the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Ms. Eybl led the effort to develop the Institute’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Roadmap. The roadmap, which has been conceptualized and lauded by the Institute’s director, aims to cultivate a workplace where employees can perform at their highest potential. In addition, this roadmap aims to ensure that employees feel included, connected, and engaged in fulfilling the mission of NHLBI. Ms. Eybl’s work towards creating the Institute’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Roadmap involved a tireless journey in gathering staff input and researching strategic approaches towards launching the roadmap. The resulting roadmap highlights areas with corresponding deliverables that support equity, diversity, and inclusion. These areas include outreach, organizational planning, decision making, employee development, and retention.

Ms. Eybl’s work led to the successful debut of the roadmap on June 27, 2017. More than 300 NHLBI staff and media contributors on diversity and inclusion gathered together to learn about the roadmap and engage in a conversational Question and Answer about what Diversity and Inclusion means to them. The momentum gained from this event has afforded opportunities for NHLBI staff at all levels to share their stories and take on leadership roles in furthering the institute’s D&I efforts. Jennifer’s hard work and dedication has served to expand the NHLBI’s appreciation for diversity, build a framework for creating an inclusive environment, and lead the path to embracing a culture of diversity and inclusion that is worthy of NIH-wide recognition. It is for these reasons that Jennifer Eybl was awarded the 2018 Harvey J. Bullock Jr. Award for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

YVONNE THOMPSON MADDOX AWARD FOR EDI

Katie Patillo, Management Analyst, NHLBI; Diana Weigel, Workforce Development Program Specialist, NHLBI; Lisa Douek, Section Chief of Workforce Development Section, NHLBI

From left, Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Diana Weigel, Lisa Douek, and Treava Hopkins-Laboy
From left, Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Diana Weigel, Lisa Douek, and Treava Hopkins-Laboy (Photo by NIH Awards Team)

Award Citation

In recognition of your participation in creating the inaugural NHLBI Strength Through Diversity Roadmap.

The NHBLI Strength Through Diversity Roadmap is an innovative guide designed to cultivate a culture of inclusion, create and renew a diverse workforce, and commit to nurturing and retaining talent. The guide was created by a small and diverse team from the NHLBI Office of Management and the Office of the Director. The process in creating the NHLBI Strength Through Diversity Roadmap initiated by gathering resources and tools from external and internal organizations that have created Diversity and Inclusion strategic plans. This subsequently led into the development of a guide that presents diversity and inclusion strategies through colorful language and imagery. Following the inaugural event that launched the NHLBI Strength Through Diversity Roadmap, NHLBI staff garnered the momentum necessary in taking on leadership roles in furthering the institute’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts. The impact to NHLBI and the NIH is significant and is expected to expand as the Roadmap continues going through the implementation process. The NHLBI Strength Through Diversity Roadmap is the first of its kind and is deserving of recognition for its support in furthering the workplace culture where staff can perform to their highest potential. It is for these reasons that the team responsible for creating the NHLBI Strength Through Diversity Roadmap were awarded the 2018 Yvonne Thompson Maddox Award for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

NIH EDI AWARD OF THE YEAR

Tricia Coffey, Chief of Hospital Information Management, Clinical Center (CC)

From left, Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Tricia Coffey, James K. Gilman, M.D., and Treava Hopkins-Laboy
From left, Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Tricia Coffey, James K. Gilman, M.D., and Treava Hopkins-Laboy (Photo by NIH Awards Team)

Award Citation

In recognition of your leadership for incorporating gender identity in the Clinical Research Information System and for educating staff about gender identity.

Tricia Coffey has been providing outstanding care and support to patients at the Clinical Center as the Chief of the Health Information Management Department. In her 20-year career at the Clinical Center, Tricia has had a direct impact on patients at the Center. In 2017, she took initiative and provided leadership in developing a program that created a new mechanism in collecting patient gender identity. The program specifically allows patient to indicate their identity of preference in the Clinical Center’s intake system and patient records. Additionally, the program has eliminated the requirement of patients to wear gender identification on their bracelets. The Clinical Research Information System (CRIS) now includes information about gender identity, which was not present before. This information is not only helpful for the patients and staff, but enhances the quality of research performed at the Clinical Center. This change has been positively received by patients and staff and has consequentially allowed the Clinical Center to provide better care for all patients. In addition to incorporating gender identity in the Clinical Research Information System (CRIS), Tricia Coffey created and implemented a training program about gender identity. This training program is recommended for all NIH staff who may have patient interaction. In the program, NIH staff of the Clinical Center acquire the skill set and sensitivity necessary in obtaining information from patients and understanding the complexity of gender identity.

Tricia Coffey is tremendously dedicated to patient inclusion and is currently devising next steps to begin including sexual orientation in patient care. Tricia Coffey’s outstanding efforts to include gender identity and sexual orientation information in the Clinical Center’s medical record is indicative of her inclusive nature, trustworthiness, and dedication to improving the experience of patients visiting the Clinical Center. It is for these reasons that Tricia Coffey was awarded the 2018 NIH Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award of the Year.

Do you have a story idea for us? Do you want to submit a guest blog? If it's about equity, diversity, or inclusion, please submit to edi.stories@nih.gov.

For news, updates, and videos, follow or subscribe to EDI on: Twitter, Instagram, Blog, YouTube.

Do you have a story idea for us? Do you want to submit a guest blog? If it's about equity, diversity, or inclusion, please submit to edi.stories@nih.gov.

For news, updates, and videos, follow or subscribe to EDI on: Twitter, Instagram, Blog, YouTube.