The Science of Inclusion

As Assistant Dean for Inclusion and Academic Excellence at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), Dr. Melanie J. Ragin applies her lived, professional, and educational experiences to create more diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning and work environments. Her goal is to ensure each individual in the CVM community feels valued and respected, and has a sense of belonging. Dr. Ragin also serves as senior director of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute-Cornell University Research Transfer program, which enhances the success of two-year community college transfer students in the life sciences by increasing their participation in undergraduate research, community building, and integration, as well as the NIH-funded Cornell Initiative to Maximize Student Development, which works to enhance the success of underrepresented and deaf/hard-of-hearing graduate students in life science graduate programs.

Prior to these roles, Dr. Ragin served as director of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at Binghamton University and as director of inclusion and cultural enhancement at the University at Buffalo’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. She earned a B.A. in Biology from Whittier College, a Ph.D. in Pathobiology from Pennsylvania State University, and a certificate of business leadership from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business.

Born in Vietnam, Steve L. Robbins immigrated as a child to the United States with his mother, where they faced many challenges during a time when there was much anti-war and anti-Vietnamese sentiment. Working through and rising out of the challenges of poverty, discrimination, and the tough streets of Los Angeles, Dr. Robbins has become a thought leader whose unique, science-based approach to inclusion and diversity has captured wide acclaim from organizations like Amazon, Chase Bank, Coca-Cola, Disney, Ford Motor Company, Microsoft, Pepsi, Pixar, NASA, the NBA, Victoria’s Secret, Walmart, and numerous others.

Dr. Robbins earned an undergraduate degree in Communication from Calvin College and his Master and Doctorate degrees in Communication Science from Michigan State University. Drawing upon his background in communication, social psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, the core of Dr. Robbins’ work is about understanding human behavior and leveraging human differences in the fast-paced and dynamic 21st-century world.