Samantha N. Melendez pens Denver Post op-ed

CU Psychology and Neuroscience graduate student Samantha N. Melendez (Clinical, mentored by Cinnamon Bidwell) wrote an op-ed piece for The Denver Post about the lack of diversity in psychological research and the consequences of underrepresentation in clinical trials. In the piece, Sam emphasizes the consequences of centering science on “WEIRD” (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) populations and shares her experience as a first-generation Mexican American researcher whose NIH Diversity Supplement award was unexpectedly terminated, underscoring how the exclusion of underrepresented scientists and participants harms both scientific progress and community health. Read the entire Denver Post piece.