Wall of Scientists receives Diversity Award 2022

Historically, the achievements of researchers have not always been given equal recognition and visibility due to socio-cultural prejudices. Enriqueta Vallejo-Yagüe, Oli Walker and Fatma Abdi from D-CHAB have created a new compilation of inspiring scientists throughout history that aims to open a new perspective. For their commitment regarding diversity, the team received the ETH Diversity Award.  Enriqueta Vallejo-Yagüe was also honored with the award as the founder of the initiative. 

Enriqueta, what does the award mean for you and for the Wall of Scientists team?

The existence of this ETH AVETH Diversity Award means that there is a community at ETH that cares about diversity. Indeed, last year many exceptional projects were conducted, and I hope that more will come and this community will continue growing.
From Wall of Scientists we thank everyone who has supported the project from any angle, either directly contributing to the implementation of the project, or providing ideas and feedback, suggesting names for the collection, or reading through our portraits. This is a very appreciated feedback from the ETH community that encourages us to continue working hard.

Why is the focus on diversity important from your perspective?

I believe that representation yields opportunity, which brings diversity, which improves every aspect of our day a day life.
Regarding research, we all provide a different approach to address gaps and issues, and when we combine diverse opinions and perspectives, we have a higher probability to succeed in developing the best and fairer strategy.

What are your future plans for the Wall of Scientists and what would be your wish for ETH in terms of diversity?  

Wall of Scientists will continue growing its collection of scientists, and we expect that, in the future, its visibility and reach will increase and go beyond ETH to other educational institutions of every age level. We also hope that Wall of Scientists will inspire teachers and professors to implement diversity and representation in their lectures, for example, providing examples or mentioning some of the often less cited scientists.
I would like to continue tackling this topic in my day a day conversations, which brings up people's involvement and enriches everyone's understanding of the benefits and possibilities that embracing diversity in our teams mean. As pharmacist, researcher, and epidemiologist, I address diversity in healthcare in my current research, specially from the gender perspective. Healthcare is a field that not only will benefit from a more diverse community among the decision-making teams, but it is urgently needing an update on the diversity-driven values in many aspects of its strategy and implementation worldwide. I invite others with ideas to support diversity and equity to pursue them, to believe in themselves, to team up, and go for it.