Scientific Diversity Officer selected for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
This article was first published in NIAAA Spectrum Volume 15, Issue 3.
Dawn Wayman, M.H.S., has been selected as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Scientific Diversity Officer (SDO). The role of SDO represents a new position at NIAAA and emphasizes the institute’s commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) both internally and in the broader alcohol research community. In her role as SDO, Ms. Wayman will lead efforts to formulate, plan, execute, and evaluate NIAAA’s DEIA initiatives. SDOs are critical to the success of the federal government-wide strategic plan on DEIA, which was developed to facilitate implementation of President Biden’s Executive Order 14035: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce.
Ms. Wayman earned her Master of Health Science in infectious disease epidemiology from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. She began her National Institutes of Health (NIH) career in 2009 at the National Human Genome Research Institute, where she coordinated research on the use of genomics and race in clinical decision making. Starting in 2015, Ms. Wayman served as a Management Analyst and Human Resources Liaison at the National Institute of Mental Health, and in 2017, she joined the NIH Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) as a Diversity and Inclusion Strategist. Ms. Wayman also served as the Director for the Special Emphasis Programs and Strategic Diversity and Inclusion branches during her tenure at NIH EDI.
“I am excited to join the NIAAA family as its first Scientific Diversity Officer,” Ms. Wayman said. “After spending many years doing this work at the agency level, I am convinced the way I can have the greatest impact in creating a more welcoming and inclusive work environment is at the institute/center level. NIAAA is the right-sized organization and has a senior leadership team who is fully committed to this important work. That’s why I made the decision to join this organization. I look forward to making a difference here for years to come.”