nhlbi_d&i_background_and_program_info.pdf

National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Diversity & Inclusion Program

Purpose:

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) requires services in the field of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) for the ongoing planning and implementation of activities to support the program.

The NHLBI is interested in collaborating with organizations which have demonstrated success in providing proven D&I strategies in scientific organizations, hospitals, or research-based communities and institutions (either academic, private, or commercial).

Introduction/Background:

At the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Diversity and Inclusion is a top priority. Centrally within NIH, there are dedicated resources, consulting, training, data and policies provided to Institutes and Centers (ICs) to facilitate a diverse and inclusive workforce. Each IC has the responsibility of executing a local decentralized strategy to ensure a diverse and inclusive workforce. The NHLBI is one of 27 ICs at the NIH. The mission of the NHLBI is to advance medical research related to heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. To fulfill its mission, it is necessary that the NHLBI cultivates a workplace where employees can perform to their highest potential, feel included, connected and engaged, and where they can bring their unique skills and perspectives to the fulfillment of the mission. In that belief, the D&I Program at NHLBI was birthed.

The D&I Program is commissioned out of the NHLBI Office of Management (OM). The OM’s mission is to support the business of science through information technology, contract award and administration, oversight of ethics and the Freedom of Information Act, workforce development and training and general management analysis and consulting. Although most of the Institute’s work is research and research administration, the OM supports the Institute’s internal scientific program units from the Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science (CTRIS), the Division of Extramural Research Activities (DERA), the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences (DCVS), the Division of Lung Diseases (DLD), the Division of Intramural Research (DIR), and the Division of Blood Diseases and Resources (DBDR).

While NHLBI has always supported and reported on diversity and inclusion initiatives, in 2016, the NHLBI embarked on an effort to expand its commitment to have a more diverse and inclusive workforce. The goal was to move beyond general demographics and build and sustain a culture where various backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and areas of expertise are sought, valued and respected to further enrich our workforce. In June 2017, a major milestone in the program was the development and debut of the “Strength Through Diversity: The NHLBI’s roadmap to an inclusive, diverse workplace” (also known as the Roadmap). The Roadmap is provided as a reference document and is included as a PDF file attachment to this Industry Day Special Notice posting.

The Roadmap builds upon our steadfast commitment to addressing the challenges that face the Institute on its path to becoming one of the best places to work at the NIH. In the development of the Roadmap, the NHLBI also sought input from the Human Capital Committee (HCC), a diverse group of staff who represent different viewpoints, backgrounds, and work and life experiences. Finally, senior leadership from our Strategic Investment and Management Steering Committee (SIMSC) provided their input.

The focus of the Roadmap is inward on NHLBI staff and, as such, it serves as a guide with clearly defined goals, objectives and desired outcomes for creating a workplace culture that truly values, operates and is enriched by D&I principles.

The goals (The Three C’s) of the Roadmap are to: (1) Cultivate a Culture of Inclusion; (2) Create and Renew a Diverse Workforce; and (3) Commit to Nurturing and Keeping Talent.

In addition to having a plan (i.e., the Roadmap), the NHLBI recognizes that to ensure success of the D&I program, there must be commitments to the program at all staffing levels within the organization. Thus, after the Roadmap launched, the NHLBI partnered with a local firm and staff to provide input on actions we could take to meet the goals of the Roadmap. A formal announcement was made to solicit staff volunteers to join the effort as D&I Champions. The purpose of the champions is to develop and carryout D&I activities at the ground level and across the organization. There are approximately 34 champions represented across all scientific and administrative areas of the Institute.

With the support of a local firm, strategy sessions were held with the Champions. The Champions developed a statement to define the outcome of the D&I Program, which is:

A diverse and inclusive NHLBI is a workplace where individuals of myriad background are heard, valued, respected, retained and recruited for the unique talents and perspectives they bring, fostering a thriving, empowered culture throughout the organization.

The Champions participated in a Racial Equity Seminar, conducted over two days by the Racial Equity Institute in partnership with a current NHLBI vendor. The Champions also participated in an unconscious bias training. All efforts with the Champions were designed to equip them to carry out their role at the local level and drive change within NHLBI.

At the leadership level, the NHLBI D&I team has held strategy sessions, with an outcome of an agreed upon phased approach to ensure a strategic view on what will be accomplished over the next several years. The ultimate vision of the NHLBI’s D&I Program is to facilitate a culture where D&I is a natural part of the staff’s approach to work, interactions with one another and in the fiber of all organizational decisions, outcomes, programs and initiatives. The phases of the approach are as follows:

Current Environment / Landscape of the Program:

The Institute’s population is made up of approximately 950 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) and over 1,000 contractors, fellows, interns, and volunteers to support our mission. Of this number, approximately 56% of the FTEs are scientists and the remaining 44% support the business of science through administrative functions.

In addition to the D&I program, NHLBI has implemented several efforts that support staff engagement and development. The contractor shall work with those NHLBI personnel, including other contractors, leading these efforts. The contractor shall become knowledgeable of these efforts and incorporate the work, when appropriate. These efforts are outlined as follows:

Leadership Development Programs: The goal is to develop staff at every level within our organization. Through these programs, the NHLBI will continue to promote an environment where trans-NHLBI dialogue, shared vision, and employee engagement are valued and demonstrated. Leadership programs are offered at the GS-5 thru GS-15 levels. Most of the leadership development classes are cohort based and highly competitive, operating on an annual basis. We also offer an Executive Leadership Program in which the directors of each division, within the organization, and their deputies participate to drive a consistent, healthy culture within NHLBI.

Coaching and facilitation: We offer coaching and facilitation services to staff.

Onboarding & Offboarding Program: The NHLBI has a dedicated priority and effort to improve onboarding and offboarding, in which we plan to improve our process for onboarding of new hires and enculturate them into the organization, as well as our process for offboarding staff. Within the program, we plan to pilot a New Employee Orientation in 2019 whereby we demonstrate our investment and commitment to a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Supervisor and Managers Resources Project: In 2019, we will identify resources that will assist supervisors in their role of managing, developing and mentoring staff. The current plan includes hosting a series of brown bags for supervisors on topics that will help them in their roles of supporting and leading a diverse and inclusive staff.

Recognition: The NHLBI has an annual Director’s Award Ceremony where we recognize the accomplishments of staff throughout the year.

To effectively execute on initiatives of the D&I program, it is essential to collaborate and obtain input from the following internal committees:

Human Capital Committee (HCC): a diverse group of staff who represent different viewpoints, backgrounds, and work and life experiences. This group identifies strategic opportunities and projects for the organization to pursue and works in collaboration with the NHLBI D&I champions who are designed to execute strategies. The HCC is currently working on a project to develop a vision and create values for the organization, which is scheduled to start in February 2019 and end in December 2019.

Strategic Investment and Management Steering Committee (SIMSC): the top leadership of the organization. The SIMSC members are division directors for core program areas within NHLBI scientific program units.

In addition, data from the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) is used to help chart the direction of our workforce efforts. The 2018 survey indicated positive shifts and trends for NHLBI. However, we still have progress to make. We have four (4) areas we intend to focus on in 2019: 1) connecting with leadership and performance; 2) communications; 3) employee satisfaction and recognition; and 4) workload.

In a review of our efforts, we have identified that a gap exists in our past approach, in which we first focused on a tactical approach rather than building a three to five year strategic approach.

For example, when the NHLBI embarked on developing the D&I Program, a charter was developed to map the goals of the program. The charter did not necessarily align with the goals outlined in the Roadmap. There were no clear goals developed beyond 2018, supporting efforts were not integrated into the program, and key partners were not identified. Over the next year, the NHLBI seeks to normalize D&I concepts to expedite change of the culture.

The following represents immediate D&I program plans for implementation in 2019 that are in progress:

• Using a phased approach, we are developing an Implementation Plan to achieve goals over the course of 3 years. We have identified key goals and objectives from the Roadmap to implement under the following high-level categories: Leadership Commitment, Training and Support; Strategic Alignment; Data & Analysis; and Awards & Recognition.

• Host trainings for supervisors and managers to facilitate a culture of inclusion.

• Support the efforts of the Champions, which include:

o Speaker Series o Blog posts to discuss diversity and inclusion topics o Events to celebrate the diversity of the staff

• Integrate D&I concepts in ongoing projects and initiatives.

• Enhance communication efforts strategically and regularly, engaging with partners in regular and reoccurring conversation and via our organization’s blog on the Intranet.

Activities in Support of the D&I Program:

The NHLBI seeks input and discussion on innovative approaches to a range of activities in support of a D&I program to include, but not limited to:

Development of Tailored Approaches, Programs and Communications Personnel Training and Development Community Engagement and Relationship Building Services Recommendations for Human Capital Programs, Policies, Systems, and D&I

Goals Facilitation Services Project Management and Administration