Workshops to Promote Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
WISELI is not delivering this workshop at this time. Check back in 2024 for updates.
The Breaking the Bias Habit® workshops introduce academic audiences to the concepts of implicit or unconscious biases and assumptions about diverse groups of people by treating the application of such biases as a “habit,” with a focus on race, ethnicity, and gender. Participants will uncover their own biases, discover the underlying concepts and language used in the psychological and social psychological literature to describe such processes, participate in interactive discussions about the potential influence of implicit or unconscious bias in their department/unit, and learn evidence-based strategies for reducing the application of these biases. One workshop is aimed at general academic audiences, and the other is tailored specifically to academic medicine (BRIM).
Both workshops ares based upon our previous workshop that focused on gender bias and was the first randomized-controlled study of an intervention that aimed to reduce the impact of bias in academic settings. The content and some of the materials from the gender bias workshop are available in the supplementary materials to our 2012 paper, “Promoting Institutional Change Through Bias Literacy.” See below for full reference.
Contact us for more information about the workshops, and costs for bringing the workshop to your institution.
For information about scheduling a Breaking the Bias® workshop with a UW–Madison department or unit, click here.
Institutions Visited
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center/Wisconsin Energy Institute. May 5, 2021. (Virtual mini-workshop)
- Washington State University. November 10, 2020. (Virtual workshop)
- University of Indiana – Purdue University at Indianapolis (UIPUI). March 28, 2017.
- Washington State University. October 3, 2016.
- American Family Insurance. July 27, 2016.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology. April 2, 2016.
- Kansas State University. February 2, 2016.
- Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Societies. November 17, 2015. (Mini-workshop)
- University of Virginia. March 9, 2009; October 22, 2009; October 15, 2015.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute. December 16, 2014.
- University of Maine. November 20, 2014.
- University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. October 31, 2014. (Mini-workshop)
- Emory University/Laney Graduate School. January 27, 2014. (Mini-workshop)
- Louisiana Tech University. October 10, 2013.
- Johns Hopkins University. January 12, 2012. (Mini-workshop)
- Reykjavik University. September 8, 2011. (Mini-workshop)
Relevant Publications
Improving Department Climate Through Bias Literacy: One College’s Experience
Sheridan, Jennifer; Eve Fine; Manuela Romero; Carmen Juniper Neimeko; Molly Carnes; Christine Bell; You-Geon Lee; and Casey Stockstill. 2021. Improving Department Climate Through Bias Literacy: One College’s Experience.” Journal of Women and Minorities in Science …
Engaging Faculty in a Workshop Intervention on Overcoming the Influence of Implicit Bias
Carnes, Molly; Jennifer Sheridan; Eve Fine; You-Geon Lee; Amarette Filut; and Sharon Topp. 2021. “Engaging Faculty in a Workshop Intervention on Overcoming the Influence of Implicit Bias.” Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, 5(1), e135.
Teaching Academics About Microaggressions: A Workshop Model Adaptable to Various Audiences
Fine, Eve; Jennifer Sheridan; Christine Fabian Bell; Molly Carnes; Carmen Juniper Neimeko; and Manuela Romero. 2018. “Teaching Academics About Microaggressions: A Workshop Model Adaptable to Various Audiences.” Understanding Interventions Journal. In press.
A Gender Bias Habit-Breaking Intervention Led to Increased Hiring of Female Faculty in STEMM Departments
Devine, Patricia G.; Patrick S. Forscher; William T. L. Cox; Anna Kaatz; Jennifer Sheridan; and Molly Carnes. 2017. “A Gender Bias Habit-Breaking Intervention Led to Increased Hiring of Female Faculty in STEMM Departments.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 73(Nov): 211-215.
Difficult Dialogues: Faculty Responses to a Gender Bias Literacy Training Program
Isaac, Carol; Linda Baier Manwell; Patricia G. Devine; Cecilia Ford; Jennifer T. Sheridan; and Molly Carnes. 2016. “Difficult Dialogues: Faculty Responses to a Gender Bias Literacy Training Program.” The Qualitative Report. 21(7):1243-1265.
Effect of an Intervention to Break the Gender Bias Habit: A Cluster Randomized, Controlled Trial
Carnes, Molly; Patricia G. Devine; Linda Baier Manwell; Angela Byars-Winston; Eve Fine; Cecilia E. Ford; Patrick Forscher; Carol Isaac; Anna Kaatz; Wairimu Magua; Mari Palta; and Jennifer Sheridan. 2015. “Effect of an Intervention to Break the Gender Bias Habit: A Cluster Randomized, Controlled Trial.” Academic Medicine. 90(2): 221-230.
Promoting Institutional Change Through Bias Literacy
Carnes, Molly; Patricia Devine; Carol Isaac; Linda Baier Manwell; Cecilia Ford; Angela Byars-Winston; Eve Fine; David Burke; and Jennifer Sheridan. 2012. “Promoting Institutional Change Through Bias Literacy.” Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. 5(2): 63-77. PMID: 22822416. PMCID: PMC3399596.
- More relevant publications
Media Coverage
Innovative Ideas Fight Bias in Medicine
Dr. Karen Freund brought the novel anti-bias training called “Bias Reduction in Internal Medicine (BRIM)” to all divisions of the Tufts MC Department of Medicine, and envisions extending that training to all School of Medicine …
Breaking Bias
In 2015, Devine partnered with Molly Carnes, the director of the UW’s Center for Women’s Health Research, to examine, and potentially reduce, gender bias in departmental units covering all fields of science, engineering, and medicine …
Devine et al. 2017 paper included in Gender Action Portal
The Gender Action Portal at Harvard University has selected the Devine et al. 2017 paper “A gender bias habit-breaking intervention led to increased hiring of female faculty in STEMM departments” in their database. The Women …
Carnes et al. 2015 paper included in Gender Action Portal
The Gender Action Portal at Harvard University has selected the Carnes et al. 2015 paper “The Effect of an Intervention to Break the Gender Bias Habit for Faculty at One Institution: A Cluster Randomized, Controlled …
How training doctors in implicit bias could save the lives of black mothers
“How training doctors in implicit bias could save the lives of black mothers.” Elizabeth Chuck. May 11, 2018. NBC News.
Deeply entrenched gender bias in academic medicine is treatable
“Deeply entrenched gender bias in academic medicine is treatable.” February 27, 2018. Ted Bosworth. Clinical Psychiatry News.
New Initiatives Offer Jobs, Funding to Women Only
“New Initiatives Offer Jobs, Funding to Women Only.” Ashley Yeager. The Scientist. January 5, 2018.
Yes, You Have Implicit Biases, Too
“Yes, You Have Implicit Biases, Too.” David Gooblar. The Chronicle of Higher Education. November 19, 2017.
These female engineers increased their job offers by 47% in only 2 hours
“These female engineers increased their job offers by 47% in only 2 hours.” Heidi Moore. Ladders. July 20, 2017.
Could a Two-Hour Workshop Help Get More Women Hired in STEM
“Could a Two-Hour Workshop Help Get More Women Hired in STEM?” Jesse Singal. The Cut. July 12, 2017.
Is this how discrimination ends?
“Is this how discrimination ends?” Jessica Nordell. The Atlantic. May 7, 2017.
Gender bias: how to break the habit (NIH)
"Gender bias: how to break the habit.” Advances & Insights: the NIH Women in Science Newsletter. 9(6): November/December 2016.
Stop Bias and Start Change in STEM
“Stop Bias and Start Change in STEM.” Beth Mitchneck. The Hill/Congress Blog. May 6, 2016.
Feature Articles: The Effect of an Intervention to Break the Gender Bias Habit for Faculty at One Institution: A Cluster Randomized, Controlled Trial
“Feature Articles: The Effect of an Intervention to Break the Gender Bias Habit for Faculty at One Institution: A Cluster Randomized, Controlled Trial.” NIH Updates on Women in Science Newsletter. Volume 8, Issue 1, January 2015.
- More media coverage