The Power of an Inclusive Workplace Recognition Project

The UNITE initiative launched The Power of an Inclusive Workplace Recognition Project to diversify the portraiture within NIH buildings and digital spaces to recognize the contributions of all NIH staff and engender a spirit of inclusion by acknowledging the rich diversity of our NIH workforce. The project was spearheaded by NIH researcher, Sadhana Jackson, M.D., a pediatric neuro-oncologist at both the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and National Cancer Institute, and co-chair of the UNITE “T” Committee. In early discussions about racial equity, Dr. Jackson noted the lack of diverse racial and gender representation in the portraiture on the walls and hallways of NIH buildings. Recognizing that the artwork in shared or public spaces encodes an institution’s values and provides messages to its members about belonging, Dr. Jackson initiated the concept through UNITE, which came to be known as the Recognition Project. It is one of many efforts by the UNITE initiative to reduce barriers and provide solutions to creating racial equity in the biomedical research workforce. This project aims to highlight inclusive excellence to help foster organizational change and a sense of belonging among underrepresented groups in administrative, scientific, and executive careers at the NIH.

Read Dr. Sadhana Jackson’s April 2022 op-ed in STAT about the NIH’s Power of an Inclusive Workplace Recognition Project. To stay up to date on this and other UNITE news, sign up for our emails.

To view and download more images visit the NIH Flickr.