Last week, Paulette Granberry Russell, J.D., spoke to the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) about implicit bias. Implicit biases are our unconscious associations, assumptions, stereotypes, and beliefs that we have of others. These biases affect how we understand situations, decisions we make, and actions we take.

“We all have them,” said Granberry Russell, Senior Advisor to the President for Diversity and Director of the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, during her presentation “Disrupting Bias.” Throughout her one-hour overview, Granberry Russell covered a variety of topics, including the differences between explicit and implicit biases, sources and characteristics of implicit bias, and debiasing.

The presentation, hosted by the CVM Office of Diversity and Inclusion, supports the College’s mission to promote diversity and inclusion efforts. Their objective was to provide the CVM community with an overview of the science behind implicit bias and to aid in the understanding of disrupting bias.

“When we come together as a community to understand and learn about these concepts, we’re able to move forward in unison, wiser, and promoting a better working environment for our teams and a stronger classroom for our students,” said Hilda Meja Abreu, MS, PhD, CVM’s Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion and Assistant Dean for the Office of Admissions. “These are the important learning opportunities we want to provide.”

For more information on implicit bias, contact The Office of Diversity and Inclusion.