Statement on Systemic Racism & Racial Injustice
The Department of Kinesiology is committed to the following:
- Acknowledging racism is a public health issue
- Leading as professionals
- Prioritizing racial justice and equity in our curriculum
Please click here to see our full statement.
Current Initiatives & Engagement
Diversity & Inclusion Teaching
HEAL 380/580: Disparities in Health in America
This course explores social, behavioral, and medical determinants (e.g., race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation) that influence health and health disparities within populations, as well as strategies to reduce and eliminate those disparities. A lecture on “Systemic Racism and Implicit Biases” was added in Fall 2020, in addition to existing lectures on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, minority participation in clinical trials, and other related material.
EMSP 281: EMT and EMSP 282: Advanced EMT
Students in EMSP 281 (EMT) and EMSP 282 (Advanced EMT) participate in a learning module on topics related to health care resources, how people access and pay for them, and the role of EMS in connecting people with health care. Specifically, students are introduced to an overview of emergency medicine resources (e.g., stroke, cardiac, burn and trauma centers), medical health insurance in the United States (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, the health insurance marketplace, and commercial health insurance), and issues related to access to health care, including common obstacles for people who have trouble accessing care (e.g., cost of care, lack of insurance, or lack of accessible providers).
Health Disparities & Equity Research
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Stress Disparities among College Students
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nutrition, physical activity, and stress among college students in the greater Houston area. It explores disparities by living situation, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other factors. For more information, visit our Research page.
Cancer-Related Health Disparities
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Dr. Daniel C. Hughes, focuses his research on cancer-related health disparities. Dr. Hughes is a first generation Mexican-American and a cancer survivorship researcher. His dissertation engaged 25 Hispanic breast cancer survivors in a 10-week exercise intervention in the lower socio-economic areas of Houston. He continued this trajectory of research studying cancer-related health disparities with Latino cancer survivors in Houston, Puerto Rico, South Texas-Mexico border regions, and most recently, San Antonio. For more information on Dr. Hughes's research, visit his faculty profile.
Asian Cancer Disparities
In collaboration with researchers in the Department of Health Disparities Research at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Assistant Teaching Professor, Dr. Diep, and two Health Sciences undergraduate students (Alyssa Cahoy and Yunee Park) are working on a study to better understand cancer risks among Houston’s five largest Asian communities: Vietnamese, Indian, Chinese, Filipino, and Pakistani. Data collection was completed by MD Anderson in 2017-2018, but team members are now analyzing and disseminating the results. A project summary is available through the funding site.
Diversity & Inclusion Committee Service
Dr. Cassandra Diep, Member of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Task Force for the Wiess School of Natural Sciences at Rice
This task force assesses the current structure and practices of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in the Wiess School of Natural Sciences at Rice University and recommends actions that will improve awareness of existing institutional and cultural barriers experienced by members of our community and create substantially improved processes with measurable outputs.
Dr. Amanda Perkins Ball, Diversity Committee Chair for Association of Applied Sport Psychology
The Diversity Committee of the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) ensures AASP honors its commitment to equal treatment of race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, nationality, physical capacities and sexual orientation.
For more information on this committee, visit AASP by clicking here.
Rice University Resources for Diversity & Inclusion
NSCI Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Poster Series
April 2021: Stigmas and discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic-Click HERE for poster
May 2021: The 'model minority' myth and how it harms Asian Americans-Click HERE for poster
August 2021: Invisibility and inequality of LGBTQ+ people in STEM-Click HERE for poster
Office of Diversity Diversity Showcase
Visit the Office of Diversity & Inclusion to see their Diversity Showcase, which shows the following:
- University Centers & Programs
- Diversity Pipeline Programs
- Ethnic/Gender Programs
- Student Cultural Organizations
- Institutional & Consortia Memberships
Contact Us
The Department of Kinesiology welcomes opportunities to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion. If you have feedback, suggestions, or ideas, please let us know. You may reach out to Dr. Cassandra Diep at csdiep@rice.edu.