- Dr. Brionca Taylor serves as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Research Project Manager for the UMass Boston – Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) U54 Partnership.
Research Focus
In this position, Dr. Taylor works in collaboration with institutional DEI offices to understand and address barriers to recruiting and retaining faculty of color who may be underrepresented at UMass Boston and DF/HCC. She draws on existing reports on DEI recruitment and retention issues and collects primary data to develop better practices for building and sustaining a diverse medical workforce. Dr. Taylor works with the scientific, operational and administrative teams within the U54 Partnership to plan and implement program activities that address issues of faculty diversity. Dr. Taylor is also responsible for developing and maintaining a network for mentors for diverse early-stage investigators and postdocs at UMass Boston, DF/HCC, and other institutions in the Boston metro area.
Background
Dr. Taylor holds Bachelors degrees in Sociology and African American Studies from the University of Florida and a Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also obtained her PhD in Sociology from UNC-Chapel Hill where her research interests and advocacy focused on race, gender, class, and the sociology of emotions and work.