EDI strives to advance diversity and inclusion at the National Institutes of Health, and ensure that the civil rights of all employees are protected. The Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) Employment Portfolio is directed at ensuring that this constituency remains a successful part of a broader diversity and inclusion strategy for the NIH. This portfolio is federally mandated, having its authority grounded in Presidential Executive Orders.
THE PORTFOLIO
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander employees are an integral part of the NIH community and we are committed to ensuring that every member of this constituency are supported, given the tools needed to be successful, and encouraged to contribute their ideas and perspectives to tackle challenges at the NIH. We are responsible for designing rich programming and outreach initiatives, our goal being to ensure positive experiences at every level of employment. We count on the commitment and support of leaders and managers from all NIH Institutes and Centers to sustain this important work. EDI works in partnership with the Office of Human Resources (OHR), the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD), and NIH leadership to support the AA and NHPI Portfolio. Together, we develop collaborations to advance the representation of our AA and NHPI employees in all occupations of the NIH workforce and support this constituency in achieving their fullest potential.
At NIH, we understand that our responsibility to diverse groups extends well beyond federal mandates. We define diversity broadly to include all elements of our human identities and to encompass every aspect of difference. Within EDI, we are interested in leveraging the ideas of each NIH employee to fuel innovation and drive health discovery. The AA and NHPI constituency is a critical piece of our overall diversity strategy.
THE STRATEGIST
Caroline Goon, MS, MBA, is the Principal Strategist for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) Employment Portfolio in the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Prior to EDI, Caroline worked in the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) at NIH where she was a Career Development Program Lead. In that role, she helped to research, develop, and support opportunities to recruit, retain, and advance women in biomedical research careers. Caroline cares deeply for the community and is working to empower AA and NHPIs to find their voice and place in the workplace, and beyond. She is actively seeking and developing ways to intentionally cultivate multi-cultural coalitions to act as partners for greater impact.
Prior to NIH, Caroline spent over 12 years working at Georgetown University Medical Center and was the Assistant Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Marketing for Biomedical Graduate Education programs. She focused on the strategic development of education initiatives with international and domestic partners, recruited talented graduate students to the University and managed several biomedical graduate education programs for the University. Caroline was also the founding director of a specialized Career Strategy and Professional Development office that served 33 different biomedical graduate programs. In that capacity, she built on external relations and the creation of fresh programs/services to help students clarify their career goals, develop search strategies, and pursue job/graduate opportunities.
Caroline graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Community Health. She then went on to complete her M.S. in Biohazardous Threat Agents and Emerging Infectious Diseases at Georgetown University. Afterwards, she transitioned into leadership and organizational development and completed her Masters in Business Administration from Georgetown University