​The Legacy of SF BUILD: Counter Initiative Symposium and Gala

SF BUILD is a project funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for Enhancing the Diversity of the NIH Funded Workforce. SF BUILD activities are grounded in the Signaling Affirmation for Equity (SAFE) Model that was developed for the successful NIH grant application. Through its implementation, we focus on students, faculty, and institutional practices to create change that will transform teaching and research environments and thereby enhance the diversity of the biomedical research workforce.  

The SF BUILD mission is to overcome these limitations, the mission of SF BUILD is to enhance the diversity of the biomedical research workforce by transforming the teaching and research environments at SF State. We create engaging and supportive spaces where students and faculty can safely represent different backgrounds and perspectives. Additionally, in partnership with UC San Francisco (UCSF), students and faculty receive training and mentoring to make significant contributions to biomedical research by asking innovative questions that are relevant to local communities. 

Learn more about our goals, interventions, and core facilities!  

The Legacy of SF BUILD: Counter Initiative Symposium and Gala is a two-day event to honor the legacy of SF BUILD and cultivate new partnerships.   

Symposium (June 6^th & 7^th): The two-day symposium focuses on professional development and knowledge sharing where, as an attendee, you will receive practical and effective strategies to implement within your roles. Workshops will highlight case studies and SF BUILD programs as successful ways to respond to the issues you’ve identified as high priority in the survey. The symposium is a time to share and equip you with tools. Throughout the day you will have opportunities to share your experiences, stories, and input as well as engage in thoughtful discussion with other program directors, students, and staff.  

Gala Celebration (June 7^th): It is a time to showcase and honor the incredible impact SF BUILD has achieved over the past 10 years. Our evening program will showcase scholar research, SF BUILD impact, and actions for sustained institutional transformation. This is a time for our broad community to connect, recognize, and create new relationships for the next phase of SF BUILD.  

The Legacy of SF BUILD: Counter Initiative Symposium and Gala aims to: 

• Support the professional development of T32 Directors and students.  

• Celebrate accomplishments and highlight the legacy of SF BUILD. 

• Foster collaboration between faculty, program directors’ students and staff.  

• Build a communal space where a sense of belonging is felt.

The initial objectives of the Legacy of SF BUILD: Counter Initiative Symposium and Gala are to engage with T32 Directors and research leaders at UCSF and SF State to support the advancement of marginalized trainees by sharing successful strategies that align with the SF BUILD theoretical framework. It is anticipated that piloting the Counter Initiative with the select group will lead to regional increased engagement from biomedical research faculty and student training program directors; creating a mutually supportive learning community of faculty and program directors; and advocating to improving the CSU to UC pathway and transition.  

• Objective 1. Gather T32 Program Directors at UCSF and SF State professors and research leaders with trusted access to historically excluded students in a manner that builds buy in and empowerment. 

• Objective 2. Engage in discussions of evidence-based practices for recruitment, retention, and successful advancement of minoritized trainees to improve biomedical research by their inclusion to T32 materials, approaches, curricula, training of mentors etc. to make the change.   

• Objective 3. Develop advocacy platform for improving CSU to UC transition from bachelor’s degree completion to doctoral work.   

• Objective 4. Improve T32/training programs for historically underrepresented students at UCSF by considering social and cultural diversity and educational disparities, structural bias, and implications for access to quality education. 

• Objective 5. Create an interprofessional counterinitiative network to address recruitment and retention of historically underrepresented students at UCSF in T32/training programs.