Meiosis in Quarantine discussions lead to an action plan to increase diversity and inclusion within the genetics community

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, virtually-held conferences have emerged as a safe substitute for community-wide scientific discussion. The meiosis community held the virtual webinar series, "Meiosis in Quarantine" that included a forum to discuss diversity and equity issues with the goal of providing actionable items to foster the inclusion of underrepresented groups in annual meetings, labs, institutions, and the scientific community.

In this Opinion Piece, we take a broad definition of the term ‘underrepresented groups’ to promote inclusion. Our definition includes, but is not limited to, individuals from underrepresented gender, racial, and/or ethnic groups, but also neurodiverse individuals, those with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and first-generation students for whom neither parent completed a bachelor’s degree. For a more inclusive definition refer to https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-20-031.html.

The discussion consisted of two sessions. In the first session, trainees (technicians, graduate students, and postdocs) discussed the barriers encountered by underrepresented individuals in science and highlighted active measures to address these barriers. Specifically, this discussion focused on the shortage of diversity in academia [1], the poor retention and visibility of underrepresented groups in academia [2–5], and the financial burden these groups encounter [2,5–8]. In the second session, trainees’ concerns and solutions were discussed with PIs and group leaders to develop a strategic diversity and inclusion action plan for the meiosis community, and more broadly for the communities we are part of (e.g., genetics). Importantly, for any intervention to be effective it requires a holistic approach—within the community and our research institutions. This perspective piece summarizes many of the opinions expressed at the two ‘Meiosis in Quarantine’ discussions.