BSD Diversity Committee

The BSD Diversity Committee works to enhance diversity in UChicago Biosciences by providing a central office that coordinates and promotes:

Social, cultural, and scientific interactions
Awareness of minority issues
Administrative student support, educational programs, and mentorship
Availability of funds for diversity programs
Student recruitment strategies through networking with established regional and national URM-serving organizations as well as by enhancing our programs' visibility.

The committee is led by co-chairs Barry Aprison, Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, and Carolyn Johnson, Committee on Evolutionary Biology, and is composed of faculty, administrators, and students who represent the breadth of our graduate programs.

View the BSD Diversity Committee members list.

1975

Janet Rowley: discovered cancer can be genetic

Presidential Medal of Freedom winner and geneticist Janet Davison Rowley, LAB’42, PhB’45, SB’46, MD’48, discovered the first consistent chromosomal abnormalities associated with cancer in the 1970s, demonstrating a link between cancer and genetics. She later was a key player in the development of the first precisely targeted anti-cancer drug.

2014

Paul Sereno and Nizar Ibrahim: helped solve the puzzle of Spinosaurus, the first dinosaur known to swim

German scientist Ernst Stromer unearthed the original bones of Spinosaurus at the turn of the 20th century but they were lost in World War II. The giant dinosaur eluded scientists until 2014, when an international team, including UChicago paleontologists Nizar Ibrahim and Paul Sereno, analyzed newly acquired fossils, remains from museum collections, and historical records to render the dinosaur’s skeleton and reveal it as the first truly semi-aquatic dinosaur.

1930s

Joseph B. Kirsner: transformed the field of gastroenterology

Gastroenterologist Joseph B. Kirsner joined UChicago in 1935, then pioneered modern understanding and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease He was one of the first to show the link between ulcerative colitis and increased risk of colon cancer, introduced guidelines for how doctors should care for patients, and helped found the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

1942

Julian H. Lewis: debunked race-based blood typing

Julian H. Lewis, PhD 1915, the first African American to hold both an MD and a PhD, conducted groundbreaking research on race and blood typing that led to his hallmark book, Biology of the Negro (1942). His book was a precursor to the field of anthropathology and is credited with changing many people’s perspectives on race. Lewis was also the first African American to teach at the University of Chicago, where he was a noted expert in immunology.

1965

Donald F. Steiner: discovered proinsulin, advancing diabetes treatment

Biochemist Donald F. Steiner, SM’56, MD’56, discovered proinsulin, the first “pro-hormone” and precursor to insulin. The 1965 finding led to the synthetic production of human insulin, markedly improving therapy for diabetes sufferers, and laid the groundwork for improved understanding of how other proteins in the body are made.