EDI strives to advance diversity and inclusion at NIH and ensure that the civil rights of all of our employees are protected. The Sexual & Gender Minority (SGM) Portfolio is directed at ensuring that this constituency remains a successful part of a broader diversity and inclusion strategy for the NIH.
Portfolio GOALS and VALUES
In service of the mission, we are guided by the following beliefs:
- Sexual and gender diversity adds value to our workforce and to scientific research
- All persons deserve equal access to employment opportunity - irrespective of sexual orientation/gender identity
EDI is committed to fostering a workplace atmosphere that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans*, intersex, queer, two-spirit, and gender non-conforming employees, patrons, and research. The term sexual and gender minority” (SGM) more broadly references LGBTI and other populations whose sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and reproductive development is considered outside cultural, societal, or physiological norms.
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 SGM Portfolio. Together, we develop collaborations to advance the representation of our SGM employees in all occupations of the NIH workforce and to support this constituency in achieving their fullest potential.
The SGM Portfolio is an EEO program that works to ensure that equal opportunity for SGM employees are present in all aspects of the agency’s programs and services. Among its goals, the Portfolio seeks to:
- Improve employment and advancement opportunities for SGM employees
- Identify systemic barriers to opportunity for SGM employees
- Monitor agency progress in eliminating discriminatory practices that adversely impact SGM employees
- Cultivate a more welcoming environment for SGM employees and patrons
- Collaborate in strategic partnerships with Institutes and Centers (ICs) to recruit and retain members of the SGM community
- Educate and increase awareness of issues pertaining to SGM populations
- Provide guidance and support to supervisors, managers, and employees
- Our trainings further understanding and challenges regarding perceptions of sex, sexuality, gender, and human difference in a safe atmosphere.
Check here regularly for training:
MEET THE Engagement Committee
- Brandon McCullough, Human Resources Specialist, Client Services Division, Office of Human Resources
- Courtney F. White, Administrative Lab Manager, National Institute of Mental Health
- Kyle Hartwig, Corporate Recruiter, NIH Human Resources
- Louis Choporis, Management Intern ’18, Office of the Director, Office of Human Resources
- Rashada Alexander, Health Science Policy Analyst, National Institute of Gen Medical Sciences
- Ryan Mahon, Program Analyst, Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office, DPCPSI
- Sharon Milgram, Director, Office of Intramural Training & Education
- Shauna Clark, Director, NIH Academy Office of Intramural Training & Education
- Susannah Allison, Program Officer at National Institute of Mental Health
- Vanessa White, Program Analyst, Office of AIDS Research
MEET THE STRATEGIST
Bali White
Bali is a magna cum laude graduate of Columbia University where she also completed her masters work. With an academic background in cultural studies and languages and extensive professional experience in public health arenas Bali first joined the National Institutes of Health in 2014 as a NIH Academy Intramural Research Training Awardee. Assigned to the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences and the mentorship of Dr. William Elwood, as a Fellow she presented research posters across NIH, on Capitol Hill, and at the International AIDS Conference in South Africa regarding intersectional impacts on the health of African American women of transgender experience in NYC. She also co-authored an American Psychological Association textbook chapter on counseling transgender people of color.
Prior to NIH, Bali was an Associate at the National Center for Transgender Equality organizing trainings, workshops and meetings on improving workplace policies, health and legal coverage, and other diversity and inclusion topics related to cultural sensitivity for federal agencies such as the Department of Justice, White House, Department of Education, Congressional Staffers, as well as corporations and universities, and facilitated communications with sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities and allies nationally.
Bali’s previous career efforts focused on addressing the unique health needs of hard-to-reach SGM populations. She received a commendation in 2009 by the NYC Comptroller for her outstanding work and research and was invited to the White House in 2013, as an emerging LGBT leader and a longtime Research consultant with NYC Department of Health. She designed and managed NYC and CDC funded health programming at community-based organizations such as Hetrick-Martin Institute, Housing Works, GMHC, and Harlem United serving SGM youth and adults. Most recently at Lutheran Medical Center she coordinated HIV/STD and Hepatitis prevention strategies targeting populations often thought inaccessible—undocumented immigrants, the homeless, youth, LGBT—throughout Brooklyn neighborhoods. She also served on the National Advisory Board for the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, and the NYC HIV Prevention Planning Group.
In her spare time Bali studies kathak, a classical north Indian dance form, and volunteers weekly at the Smithsonian Institution's Cheetah Conservation Station.