Robert Carrillo appointed as the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Basic Science

The Biological Sciences Division has announced two new leaders to guide the Division as it continues to center diversity, equity, and inclusion in its tripartite missions and implement its new unified Mission, Vision, and Values. Doriane Miller, MD, has been appointed as the Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Robert Carrillo, PhD, has been appointed as the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Basic Science.

As Vice Dean, Dr. Miller will work with other senior leaders to play a key role in implementing the division’s strategic plan while creating opportunities to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion across the BSD and with our partners in UChicago Medicine. She will report directly to Mark Anderson, MD, PhD, Dean of the Biological Sciences Division and Pritzker School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, and Iris Romero, MD, Executive Vice Dean. Dr. Miller will serve as the Division’s most senior DEI expert and overseeing the Office of Diversity & Inclusion. She will work closely with DEI leaders in the academic units to develop and maintain practices to support DEI for all division members, including postdocs, trainees, faculty, and staff.

Dr. Miller is a Professor of Medicine and the Director of the Center for Community Health and Vitality (CCHV). As a general internist, she has been providing care to underserved minority populations for more than 30 years, with a special interest in behavioral health. Under her leadership at the CCHV, physicians, educators, and community members work to improve population health outcomes for residents on the South Side of Chicago through community-engaged research, demonstration, and service models. Dr. Miller's research focuses on the intersection of health disparities and race, and she has served as the project director for several studies designed to augment care by promoting collaboration among physicians, patients, and families, including a nationally recognized program to improve asthma outcomes through school and community interventions.

As Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Basic Science, Dr. Carrillo will support the division’s efforts in basic science departments. He will be a key leader of the BSD’s DEI leadership team, working to support faculty, staff, postdocs, and students in the BSD. He will play an essential role in implementing programs to increase science engagement with our local communities.

Dr. Carrillo is an Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology whose research focuses on the molecules and mechanistic programs that regulate neuronal development and circuit wiring. His lab seeks to understand how these processes are perturbed during neuronal degeneration and disease. Since joining the faculty in 2017, he has dedicated himself to mentorship and leadership that actively promotes inclusivity, guiding numerous undergraduate and graduate students. He has led several initiatives aimed at increasing diversity in science, including the NSF-funded Diversity Access to Research in Neuroscience (DARN) program for undergraduates from Puerto Rico and the Neuroscience Early Enrichment and Training Opportunity (NEETO) program for high school students and teachers from the southwest side of Chicago.

Additionally, he collaborates with colleagues to give undergraduates from UChicago and other universities access to research opportunities through the Neuroscience Early Stage Scientist Training Program (NESSTP), the Developmental Neurobiology Undergraduate Fellowship Opportunity (DNUFO), and the Leadership Alliance.

This article was originally published on the BSD News website.