College of Public Health and Human Sciences

The Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) has recently taken laudable steps towards increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the society, including participation in the Annual Meeting. In this essay, we argue that there is one critical piece of the diversity and inclusion equation that is, however, overlooked: institution. At the 2019 Annual Meeting, a mere 8 institutions accounted for a disproportionate number of both oral concurrent sessions and symposium speakers. This lack of institutional diversity, unless addressed, will hinder SER's ability to address other aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion.