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

Join Us for a 2-Day Event at Tides in the San Francisco Presidio Park

Two persons looking at a poster in a symposium

Register for the 2-day Symposium

Symposium (June 6th & 7th): 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. The Symposium is a time to share and equip you with tools.

Gala social night

Gala RSVP

The Gala Celebration (June 7th 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.  

BUILD scholars

Event Details At a Glance

Symposium: Thursday, June 6th, 2024 from 9am – 6pm PT; Friday, June 7th, 2024 from 9am – 6pm PT

Gala: Friday, June 7th from 6pm – 9pm PT

Location

TIDES San Francisco in the Presidio1012 Torney Avenues San Francisco, CA 94129-1755

Join us for a symposium dedicated to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) professionals, student research training program leads, T32 program directors, faculty, and staff. The symposium centers on professional development and knowledge sharing, equipping attendees with practical strategies and effective tools to implement inclusive practices within their respective roles. 

Through interactive workshops showcasing case studies and tools from successful SF BUILD programs, participants will gain actionable insights to address key issues identified in our recent assessment survey. Additionally, the symposium offers a platform to share experiences, exchange stories, and engage in meaningful discussions with fellow program directors, DEI professionals, students, staff, and university administrators.

Your leadership and active involvement are essential to achieving our transformative goals. Don't miss this opportunity to drive meaningful change within your organization.

Event Details

Symposium:

  • Thursday, June 6th, 2024 from 9am – 6pm PT

  • Friday, June 7th, 2024 from 9am – 6pm PT

Gala:

  • Friday, June 7th from 6pm – 9pm PT

Dress Attire:

  • Wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. From gowns to hoodies, you're welcome to dress as you wish and catch up with current and former SF BUILD colleagues, faculty, and staff.

TIDES San Francisco in the Presidio

1012 Torney Avenues 
San Francisco, CA 94129-1755 

Symposium Registration  

Symposium for T32 program directors, faculty and staff: June 6 and June 7 (9am-6pm). The symposium centers on professional development and knowledge sharing, equipping attendees with practical strategies and effective tools to implement inclusive practices within their respective roles. Through interactive workshops showcasing case studies and tools from successful SF BUILD programs, you'll glean actionable insights to address priority issues identified through our assessment survey. Moreover, the symposium offers a platform for sharing experiences, exchanging stories, and engaging in meaningful discussions with fellow program directors, students, staff, and university administration. Your active involvement as T32 Program Directors is pivotal to achieving this transformative goal. 

Save your spot for the two-day symposium!

Deadline to register is May 31st, 2024

$500, Non-refundable.

Gala Registration

Gala: June 7, 6-9pm. A celebration of community and progress! A dynamic program showcasing scholar research, SF BUILD impact, and actions for sustained institutional transformation will accompany dinner and dancing. Come connect, celebrate, and create relationships for the next phase of SF BUILD.

No registration fee for attending the Gala. 

RSVP early! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a two-day event? 

Yes, this is a two-day event. The symposium component is on June 6 and June 7, 2024. The Gala component will happen the afternoon and evening of day two, June 7, 2024.  

Is this an overnight event? 

No, this is not an overnight event. Guests will have to leave and return the next day.  

Is parking provided on site? 

Yes, parking is available for guests on site. Visit the TIDES Directions and Parking section on their website.  

Will food be provided? 

Yes, we will provide light breakfast snacks and lunch for symposium attendees and a catered dinner for gala attendees. 

Overview of The Legacy of SF BUILD

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 6th & 7th): 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 7th): 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. 

Symposium and Gala Agenda

Day 1 Thursday, June 6th, 9:00 - 5:00
Time Session
9:00 - 9:30 Registration, Check-in, Light Breakfast
9:30 - 10:10 Welcome, Introductions to the SF BUILD Framework
10:10 - 11:00 Keynote: "Promoting Broad Participation in the Biomedical Research Workforce", Alison Gamie, PhD, NIH 
11:00 - 12:00 Workshop: "Are You the Mentor You Wanted?", Ekland Abdiwihab, PhD
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch
1:00 - 2:00 Workshop: "Recognizing and Reducing Stereotype Threat", Leticia Marquez-Magana, PhD
2:00 - 3:00 Workshop: "Cultivating Faculty Agents of Change to Increase Student Sense of Belonging in STEM", Audrey Parangan-Smith, PhD
3:00 - 3:15 Break
3:15 - 4:00 Panel: Reframing Institutional Barriers: Students' Perspectives, Erendira Di Giuseppe
4:00 - 4:50 Workshop: "Writing for Institutional Change", Meghan Morris, PhD
4:50 - 5:00 Closing
   
Day 2 Friday, June 7th, 9:00 - 5:00
   
Time Session
9:00 - 9:30 Registration, Check-in, Light Breakfast
9:30 - 10:00 Introduction: Acknowledging Culture and History
10:00 - 10:10 Break
10:10 - 11:00 Keynote: "A Case for BUILDing Together", Frank Gomez, PhD, CSU STEM NET 
11:00 - 11:45 Breakout Session 1: Student Empowerment
11:45 - 12:45 Lunch
12:45 - 1:00 Group Photo Break
1:00 - 1:45 Breakout Session 2: Student Empowerment
1:45 - 2:30 Breakout Session 3: Student Empowerment
2:30 - 2:40 Break
2:40 - 3:00 Keynote: "Perspectives of the SF BUILD Impact on Careers", Cathy Samayoa, PhD, SF State
3:00 - 3:20 Keynote: "How SF BUILD Shped my Scholarship, Career Development, and Mentoring", Marilyn Thomas, PhD, UCSF
3:20 - 3:25 Break
3:25 - 4:25 SF State & UCSF Institutional Leader Panel & Discussion, Tung Nguyen, MD
4:25 - 4:35 SF BUILD Future: Sustainability & Institutional Office, Tung Nguyen, MD
4:35 - 5:00 Closing and Call to Action
   
Gala Friday, June 6th, 5:00 - 10:00
   
Time Session
5:00 - 6:00 Sign-in, Poster Walk, Networking Session with Appetizers and Drinks
6:00 - 7:00 Dinner
7:00 - 7:45 Keynote:  Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS & Leticia Marquez-Magana, PhD
7:45 - 7:55 10 Years of SF BUILD: Slideshow
7:55 - 8:15 Awards
8:15 - 8:40 Speeches, Call to Action, Looking to the Future
8:40 - 10:00 Dance Party