Newswise — LOS ANGELES (June 27, 2024) -- A team of investigators in Cedars-Sinai’s Department of Computational Biomedicine is spotlighting the importance of diversity in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and artificial intelligence (AI) research. A recent opinion column published in the Cell Press journal Patterns lays out what the investigators see as the challenges and opportunities for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning (LGBTQ+) to increase their representation in these fields. The column emphasizes the importance of addressing the biases and erasure of gender and sexual diversity in data and computational models.
“Our team works to improve patients’ lives by using computers, computing technologies and data resources; insights from a diverse community are invaluable in helping us do that,” said Jason Moore, PhD , professor and chair of the Department of Computational Biomedicine and an investigator who helped author the opinion article. Moore said it’s not only a matter of tolerance and acceptance: “LGBTQ+ inclusion is necessary to enhance scientific problem-solving, generate more equitable knowledge and address the health disparities and needs of diverse communities. Not doing so can impact computer models and all patients, potentially leading to harmful conclusions.
” The column’s authors propose strategies and resources for LGBTQ+ inclusion, such as improving data collection and m.
