Chapin Hall

The Doris Duke Fellowships Equity Study assessed how staff members, national advisory board members, academic and policy mentors, and Doris Duke Fellows experienced diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) during their participation in the Doris Duke Fellowships for the Promotion of Child Well-Being (“fellowships”).

The Doris Duke Fellowships for the Promotion of Child Well-Being were launched in 2010 by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation. Over 10 years, the program engaged 120 fellows from diverse disciplines in a peer-learning network that fostered interdisciplinary thinking and collaboration while promoting actionable research.

The Equity Study was a mixed-methods study that used surveys and interviews to examine aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the fellowships program. Findings were summarized in four briefs that highlight what was done well and what opportunities were missed and includes recommendations for similar programs.

Lee Ann Huang, a Chapin Hall researcher and director of the fellowships transition, and Dr. Jacquelynn Duron, a Doris Duke Fellow on the faculty at Rutgers University, led the study. Two other team members include Mickie Brown, research associate at Start Early, and Amber Joiner-Hill, owner and principal consultant of Magnolia Detroit Consulting.

Four Equity Study briefs have been released:

1. Recommendations for Elevating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in a Professional Network identifies recommendations for similar programs that aim to elevate diversity, equity, and belonging.
2. The Role of Social Support and Belonging examines the factors that positively affected the fellows’ feelings of social support and belonging, and offers recommendations for creating a positive experience and inclusive culture for all members.
3. Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Mentoring examines the perspectives of fellows and their academic and policy mentors regarding the mentor-fellow relationships.
4. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Doris Duke Fellowships explores the Fellowships program itself and how diversity, equity, and inclusion were conceptually considered, structured, and experienced by the program’s key constituents.