Moving the Needle: A Call to Action for Social Justice in Research: An Urban School of Higher Education's...

The murder of George Floyd by police was a defining moment in American history. Following national social justice movements, Rutgers School of Health Professions (SHP) joined the conversation about the need for change towards more purposeful diversity, inclusivity, and social justice. Through a call to action, SHP established an equity task force (SET) charged with expanding understanding of the role of the healthcare provider in promoting health equity within the school. Three subcommittees were formed to focus on each goal. The work of the SET Research and Scholarship subcommittee is the focus of this commentary. Using a scoping review method, committee members used an evidence-based approach to assesses levels of intentional diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in faculty scholarship. Findings of low levels of intentional DEI in the published scholarly works was viewed as an opportunity to foster and encourage some level of DEI in scholarship across the health disciplines. Strategies such as raising awareness about opportunities for intentional DEI-focused research were shared with SHP faculty. Continued assessment for increased levels of DEI inclusion in our faculty scholarly works is needed to measure the impact of these strategic efforts.