Looking back on Black History Month 2022
By posting an open call for members to get involved in our Black History Month campaign, we were fortunate enough to collaborate with biomedical science staff across the UK.
We heard from Zonya Jeffrey, one of our council members, a senior biomedical scientist, and several of her team from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Zonya and colleagues provided a perspective of their roles in the profession, helping to shine a light on the incredible work of black biomedical scientists and support staff across the UK.
We additionally heard from other members, such as Deborah Entiriwaa, a biomedical scientist, who provided a thoughtful statement of advice to budding black students wanting to enter the field.
Collaborating with organisations like SiSTEM additionally allowed us to bringblack voices to the forefront of our field, where co-founders Donna and Abigail Otchere of SiSTEM – an initiative designed to support young girls in STEM - featured some IBMS members on their own social media pages.
Later in the month, the Blackpool Teaching Hospital’s Pathology Department worked together with our communication team to write a story detailing the achievements of key black biomedical pioneers throughout history – from William Augustus Hinton who helped to revolutionise syphilis treatments, to Alma Levant Hayden who played a vital role in modernising the FDA’s scientific techniques.
In addition, Bamidele Farinre, the IBMS’s Biomedical Scientist of the Year Award for 2022, talked to us about her career and the importance of being a role model for young black biomedical scientists. Bamidele comments on the award, “I hope that I will not be the last female black scientist to reach this milestone and that there will be more after me. We still have a long way to go, but we charge forth.”
Lastly, we heard from IBMS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group member, Divine Azange, as he took a moment to reflect on how we can help to create environments that allow all individuals to thrive regardless of race and ethnicity. In the full story, Divine provides a commentary on his own professional journey and the challenges he has encountered along the way.
The IBMS is extremely grateful for everyone who participated in our campaign this year for Black History Month. We hope to continue promoting diversity and inclusion in our profession, and to fostering inclusive working environments across all biomedical science fields. To see more of our campaign this month, search our hashtag ‘#IBMSBlackHistory’ on Twitter and Facebook.