Posted by j.laird on 10 February 2021 - 9:30am 

We are thrilled to announce that Dr Chonnettia Jones will deliver the Collaborations Workshop 2021 (CW21) keynote on Diversity and Inclusion. This keynote will introduce CW21 participants to issues of equity, diversity and inclusion in research, how these issues affect them, and how it is everyone's responsibility to help build an inclusive research culture.

Dr Chonnettia Jones is Vice President, Research at the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research - British Columbia’s health research funding agency. Founded after Nobel Laureate Dr Michael Smith, the foundation’s work contributes to healthier lives through research, enhancing the knowledge economy and strengthening the health system by supporting the use of research evidence in policy and practice.

With more than two decades of experience in science and health research, strategy and policy in government and philanthropic sectors in the US, UK/Europe and Canada, Chonnettia guides the foundation’s funding programs, knowledge translation and evaluation activities, and strategic partnerships with provincial, national and international partners to maximise the impact of British Columbia’s investments in health research. Chonnettia also serves on a number of international advisory groups on scientific publishing, open science and anti-racism in research - including Wellcome Trust’s Anti-racism Expert Group.

Prior to joining the Michael Smith Foundation, Chonnettia held an executive leadership role at the Wellcome Trust in London, where she provided strategic leadership to maximize the impact of Wellcome's funded research and strategic initiatives in global health research. While at Wellcome, she was a founding partner of the Research on Research Institute, an international consortium driving a translational research agenda to make research systems more equitable, diverse and inclusive.

Chonnettia trained as a scientist in developmental neurobiology at Emory University in the US. Following her postdoctoral studies, Chonnettia went on to manage a transdisciplinary, international research program at the Janelia Research Campus, an intramural research campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, to advance innovations in science.

Chonnettia is an active public speaker on issues of equity, diversity and inclusion in research and maintains a long-standing commitment to the mentorship of emerging leaders.

About Collaborations Workshop 2021

Collaborations Workshop 2021 will take place from Tuesday 30 March to Thursday 1 April online and registration is open! 

This year the CW21 keynote presentations and panel will be broadcasted live via the Institute’s YouTube channel and immediately made available for everyone, particularly those who are unable to participate in the full programme. You can sign up to receive a reminder and the links to the live streams closer to the event here. 

To find out more information, see the agenda and view the call for submissions, please visit the CW21 website.