The Department of Psychology’s EDI Committee is responsible for implementing policies and initiatives related to equity, diversity and inclusion within our department.
EDI Committee Members
In the 2026/27 academic year, the EDI Committee consists of the Associate Head, EDI (Amori Mikami; committee chair) and the leads of the EDI working groups (Kalina Christoff Hadjiilieva, Luke Clark, David King, Joelle LeMoult, Lily May, Noah Silverberg, Miriam Spering), and Graduate Student Council representatives Emma Furland and Jackie Heitzner. The committee meets monthly during the academic year and is responsible for all decisions and policies that reflect our Department EDI Committee. Like all Psychology Department committees, the membership on the EDI Committee differs year by year and we expect that in each academic year some new members will join while others will depart.
Read below to learn more about the initiatives undertaken by each working group, each group’s goals, and the many department members who are contributing to that working group’s efforts. These department members are not part of the committee that is creating the decisions and policies attributed to our Departmental EDI Committee as a whole, however, the initiatives carried out by each working group could not succeed without these department members’ efforts.
EDI Working Groups
This working group consists of trained graduate student and supervised undergraduate student consultants who are available to support department members on EDI-related goals. This 2026-2027 year, members will be working to consult on recommended readings for courses that help provide diverse perspectives. In previous academic years, the consultants have also offered syllabi review to any faculty or graduate student teaching a course. In such a review, consultants can offer suggestions about diversifying the course reading list, EDI-friendlier course policies, land acknowledgements, and syllabus language. Consultants may also be available to support other individualized EDI-related goals that department members or areas may have, such as reviewing the graduate curriculum, creating a more inclusive lab environment, developing a more equitable system of selecting undergraduate research assistants, or using non-biased language in recommendation letters. (Inclusion 4, 10, 11)
Lead
Lily May (Faculty)
Members
Jenn Burrell (Graduate Student)
Jackie Heitzner (Graduate Student)
Dana Hunter (Graduate Student)
Marissa Nelson (Graduate Student)
Mio Wang (Undergraduate Student)
Recruiting new members: yes
The focus of this working group is on supporting EDI-related learning and conversations between department members about this content. This working group has arranged lunch and learn workshops (sometimes involving external speakers and other times involving internal facilitators), as well as a book club, about EDI-related topics. It has also sponsored affinity groups within the department such as PrideMind. Most events are open to all department members. A high priority is placed on encouraging attendees to dialogue with one another about the material and how they want to apply it. Sign up for the EDI Dialogue and Learning newsletter. (Inclusion 5, 7, 8)
Lead
David King (Faculty)
Members
Vania Amani (Undergraduate Student)
Zeba Bhagat (Undergraduate Student)
Erica Chu (Undergraduate Student)
Lauren Farahani (Undergraduate Student)
Erica Flaten (Post-doc)
Jay Hosking (Faculty)
Kristin Laurin (Faculty)
Kiarah O'Kane (Graduate Student)
Hitechha Sahni (Undergraduate Student)
Recruiting new members: yes
This working group is aimed at creating priorities and programs that provide financial support for graduate and undergraduate student research assistantships, in ways that support diverse students, including students who otherwise would not be able to have these research opportunities. This group created the Psychology Inclusive Excellence (PIE) Fund which is a funding stream for these research assistantships. This working group has led fundraisers for the PIE Fund, and developed procedures for adjudicating graduate and undergraduate student awards. (Inclusion 15, 16, 22, 23, 24, 25)
Lead
Noah Silverberg (Faculty)
Members
Daniella Beyene (Undergraduate Student)
Hin Fu (Graduate Student)
Francis Yuen (Graduate Student)
Recruiting new members: yes
The working group is helping the Department Search Committees to implement recommendations concerning the recruitment and selection of faculty members who advance our department’s EDI-related goals. Some efforts have involved getting the word out about our jobs more broadly, changing language in our job ad and interview procedures in ways that value our department commitment to EDI, suggesting interview procedures that are more equitable to candidates with diverse backgrounds, and contributing to procedures to adjudicate applicants that involve consideration of their EDI contribution as a part of the decision. (Hiring 1 through 16)
Lead
Luke Clark (Faculty)
Members
Dipra Gulati (Undergraduate Student)
Tanoulu Li (Graduate Student)
Alia Mahrez (Graduate Student)
Shayden Schofield-Lewis (Graduate Student)
Recruiting new members: no
This working group runs the Diversity Mentorship Program, which aims to prepare and mentor undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students from diverse, under-resourced, traditionally underrepresented, and/or marginalized backgrounds for graduate admissions in psychology. Mentees are paired with a graduate student mentor and participate in workshops, discussions, and coaching. This working group helps to design, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of this program each year. (Inclusion 17)
Lead
Program Director: Joelle LeMoult (Faculty)
Members
Program Managers: Seonwoo Hong and Cindy Yu (Graduate Students)
Benjamin Cheung (Faculty)
Yangyilin Guo (Graduate Student)
Yash Joshi (Graduate Student)
Brian Liu (Graduate Student)
Shuyuan Shi (Graduate Student)
Recruiting new members: no
This group supports the other working groups in their goal setting for the year and promotes the transparency of these goals on our website. The working group also conducts an annual EDI climate survey in the department, writes an annual EDI report, and contributes to a yearly department-wide Town Hall about our department’s EDI goals and progress. (Progress Monitoring 1, 2)
Lead
Miriam Spering (Faculty)
Members
Camila Cavalli (Faculty)
Douglas Forrest (Graduate Student)
Wynter Hasti Nikfarjam (Undergraduate Student)
Victoria Sangermano (Undergraduate Student)
Recruiting new members: no
This working group has the goal of evaluating and making recommendations for things like merit procedures, space allocation, and promotion and tenure for faculty, to align with departmental EDI goals. Another relevant task is evaluating and making recommendations for equity in resources related to graduate students, undergraduate students, and staff. This group administered a survey to assess department members’ views about inequitable areas in our department, in order to set priorities for the current academic year. (Progress Monitoring 3)
Lead
Kalina Christoff Hadjiilieva (Faculty)
Members
Kassandra Darbel (Staff)
Jason Rights (Faculty)
Tara Martin (Staff)
Recruiting new members: no
EDI Involvement
Looking to get involved in EDI? Join an EDI Working Group to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion priorities and initiatives in the department.
EDI Statements of Support
Our EDI Committee’s statements of support, plus policy and decisions for issuing statements of support concerning events in the world as well as closer to home.
EDI Strategy and Initiatives
Our EDI Working Groups are implementing a number of initiatives and actions for faculty hiring, inclusion, and progress monitoring in the department.
EDI Goals and Actions
Our EDI Working Group’s goals and actions advance equity and inclusion in the Department of Psychology. These initiatives stem from the Psychology EDI Task Force report and recommendations. Plus, read the EDI Annual Report.
Psychology EDI Surveys
EDI Climate Survey
The EDI Annual Reports provide results from annual Department-wide surveys conducted each Spring to assess the Department climate with regard to equity and inclusion. These reports also summarize EDI Working Group’s progress on a wide range of EDI-related goals each academic year, as well as challenges faced and future directions.
2025 Equity in Departmental Resources
The Equity in Resources Working Group implemented a department wide survey to gather data on areas of perceived inequity in resources in our department. The survey results were presented to the department for reflection and discussion.
2021 First Generation Student Survey
The EDI committee is organizing a community for First Generation students—students who’re the first in their family to pursue higher education. We wish to put in touch students that have similar backgrounds and experiences, with the ultimate goal of creating a safe and positive community with the department. Let us know what we can offer you.
2018 EDI Committee Survey
In February 2018, the EDI committee distributed a survey to understand if the psychology community is aware of UBC’s Equity and Inclusion resources and policies.
2017 EDI Committee Survey
In March 2017, the EDI committee distributed a brief survey to faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students about equity issues that affect our department and how we may better support an inclusive environment. Below are survey questions and results for your reference.
Contact Us or Get Help
Do you have EDI related questions or concerns? Complete our Contact form and select I have an inquiry about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
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