The Krummel lab has committed to establish a diverse and inclusive environment, which is also simultaneously absolutely excellent.  Current and past members are fellows from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, immigration status and ethnicity.  The combination of these different backgrounds has allowed our group to approach tasks from multiple angles depending on people’s different experiences.  We believe that this comes at no negative cost to the quality of our science, but rather makes the group stronger and resilient.  Truly revolutionary discoveries combine ideas stemming from people with exceptional skills, exceptional drive and an environment full of new ideas.  We welcome all people independent of their race, color, nationality, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability status, or socio-economic background to be part of our lab.

Despite the diverse background in our lab, we realize that certain minorities are not or only minimally represented in our lab and in the scientific community in general.  To provide onramps to excellent junior scientists, some Krummel lab members participate in a monthly ImmunoDiverse Allyship program meetings.  ImmunoDiverse is a faculty- and student-initiated program to uncover and fight social iniquities in science and beyond. They seek ways to bring in these best minds and give them onramps and allyship in adjusting to what can be a different world.  Max Krummel has been a part of the ImmunoDiverse Leadership Team since its inception and encourages his trainees to actively participate in those meeting to learn how to be a better ally and anti-racist. He is also a strategic advisor to the IgEquity group, whose goal is to reverse gender bias in our community (see below re: Maternity support in particular). He does this in addition to his powerful studies of immune biology.  This is not, for us, an either/or. Both can be done, and serve humanity.

The Krummel lab believes that it is important to not only be welcoming, but also actively recruiting future scientist from wherever they come.  We are part of a university whose job it is to educate and train the very best of the next generation.  Krummel lab members have previously mentored first-generation undergraduate students from multiple backgrounds including Wayne State University, local junior colleges and via the Emerson Collective.  Being a first-generation to college student often pairs with being part of an additional underrepresented minority in science.  Trainees have included those of LatinX, African American, or Native American heritage, being older than peers, having a lower household income, and/or caring for dependents.  All have produced exceptional contributions to science. Summer programs that we create or participate in allow first-generation students to work alongside the rest of the scientific teams, to also have a paid summer internship in our laboratory; serving the need to earn essential income with a career-advancing experience. Additionally, Krummel lab members have supervised high school juniors through the UCSF CURE Internship. This program provides a paid internship opportunity for African American or LatinX individuals that show interested in cancer research and fills the needed gap of sparking interest in science and its associated work environment even before college.  Again, one essential part of the program is that the internship is paid which allows not only the elite participation of children from wealthy families.  Instead, teenagers born to non-wealthy parents have the opportunity to gain essential work experience and combine these with a fully supervised summer internship.

The Krummel lab is additionally committed to reduce the burden of parenthood on scientists.  The transition from postdoc to faculty positions often comes during the years in which researchers are starting to build their families.  While over the past years inequities based on sex have been reduced, one of the main drop-out reasons for female scientists is childbirth and the subsequent parenthood.  We as the Krummel lab believe that parenting and science are not exclusive endeavors and actively support parenting scientist.  Pregnant and parenting scientists in the Krummel lab are paired with assistants that especially support them.  In this, our lab raised an endowment under the ImmunoX initiative that provides Momentum grants to women scientists, post-partum. Meetings are scheduled to match schedules of parenting scientists.  With these action items we hope to encourage parenting scientists to stay in academy and to make the scientific environment more family-friendly to attract non-wealthy, underrepresented individuals who might otherwise be deterred from science.

Despite those action items that we are taking in the Krummel lab we do understand that our actions are only a small part of our work. We have open discussions of the above, as of all topics. We are committed to continue to learn and act to provide a better future.  We value all people and believe science should serve humanity.