SITE MAP
 » Home
» Biography
» Curriculum Vitae
» Articles
» Presentations/Lectures
» Contact
|
 
|
60-Second Interview with Thomas Landefeld, Ph.D.
As seen from www.justgarciahill.org
Thomas Landefeld: Promoting Diversity from the Inside Out
JGH: Why did you get into science?
TL: Science gives one the opportunity to answer “why”. There are so many things that we seemingly do not have answers for and through scientific investigation, we can explore those answers.
JGH: You are a white advocate for racial diversity in academia. How did this happen, and are there more of you out there?
TL: Interestingly, there is no one event or incident that occurred causing me to “be this way” but rather I believe that it is due to just something inside that drives one to make this type of commitment. There are others like me out there, in fact, there are some, such as Robert Jensen and Tim Wise, who are much more visible (e.g. have written books about it). However, there are certainly not enough of “us”!
JGH: What do you think are the biggest obstacles to achieving better diversity in our academic institutions?
TL: Attitude and accountability (or lack thereof). The attitude of academia has to change to be one of more inclusiveness and for those that do not accept this they have to be accountable for not doing so. That is why these programs are only effective when there is a commitment from the top, i.e. President/Provost, which is actually true in society efforts in this area as well.
JGH: What do you imagine will be the most important application of science in the next 10 years?
TL: Applying our knowledge to determine the causes of certain diseases and thereby developing cures. We have the technology to do this, we just need more of a prioritization of federal funding in this area. In fact, taking a portion of the funds currently being spent for defense and the war would make a major difference in finding cures.
JGH: How has science affected your worldview in the rest of your life?
TL: Recognizing that we are capable of answering more and more unanswered questions but at the same time realizing that some questions may always remain unanswered; i.e., there are limitations.
JGH: What potential discovery would be the most meaningful for you, personally?
TL: As an endocrinologist, I want us to be able to determine the causes for the minority health disparities, many of which are endocrine disorders and diseases, so that these disparities can be eliminated. Not surprisingly, this actually goes back to my foundation of advocacy for minority issues.
JGH: What have you always meant to do, but haven’t done yet?
TL: I am still waiting to realize what that is!
|
