QBIN member and assistant professor at the Faculté de médecine, Département de pharmacologie et physiologie at the Université de Montréal, AmanPreet Badhwar, has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award from the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM). The award is given in recognition of her ongoing role in many initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion within and beyond the organization. Her contributions include spearheading the OHBM mentoring program, organizing the annual Diversity Symposium, drafting the OHBM Code of Conduct, and providing EDI training for OHBM committees.
It was a great honor to receive this award from the OHBM. I strongly believe that science thrives in the presence of a diversity of ideas, views and approaches, and the inclusion of people with varied perspectives and lived experiences. We all benefit when everyone has a voice and the ability to contribute, but the process of change can be difficult and uncomfortable. Communication, and the willingness to really listen to each other, is key. As a scientist who combines brain imaging and molecular omics, my research requires me to always be at the cutting edge of science. I find this is the same for equity diversity and inclusion (EDI) work, it is multi-pronged and complex, requires collaboration from all facets of society, and much like science, needs leadership and vision to make an impact.
AmanPreet Badhwar
OHBM is an international society of over 5,000 members dedicated to advancing the understanding of the anatomical and functional organization of the human brain using neuroimaging.