In Episode 7 of the Breaking Down the Ivory Tower series,  Dr Dionna Williams (Emory University School of Medicine, US) - (they/them), HIV neuroscientist at Emory University School of Medicine (US), will share “A Journey of Self-Awareness towards Understanding Disability.” Dionna will reflect on their experience navigating academia while living with multiple disabilities, and discuss how self-awareness became a path toward advocacy, inclusion, and accessible neuroscience training.

Dr. Dionna Williams from Emory University (US)

This episode will feature Dr. Dionna Williams (they/them), a HIV neuroscientist whose research centers on how inflammation, substance use, and HIV therapies impact the brain in people living with HIV. Dionna will share their journey navigating scientific training and academia as someone living with multiple disabilities and detail the intersecting ways in which these experiences are shaped by their experiences as a nonbinary, Black woman that comes from a disadvantaged background. A champion for accessibility and being intentional about making their laboratory and classroom environments inclusive for all, Dionna was unaware of their own disability status until recently. They will discuss the challenges trainees face in accessing accommodations and the professional implications of being a disabled trainee. Further, they will share how faculty can use their power to facilitate access to a neuroscience career for their disabled students and trainees.

This webinar is part of a series by the ALBA Disability & Accessibility Working Group with the mission to break down the ivory tower of ableism in brain research — one extraordinary neuroscientist at a time. The webinar series amplifies the voices of scientists with disabilities worldwide, fostering dialogue on inclusion, accessibility, and equity in neuroscience. More