Best practices for diversity, equity, and inclusion for faculty members who conduct research at academic medical institutions

Purpose Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is an increasingly important focus in academic medicine. While DEI best practices are well-documented at the institutional level, they are less well described for individual faculty members, particularly for those who conduct research. Herein, we propose DEI best practices for faculty members to support: (1) supervision, mentorship, and teaching; (2) conduct/dissemination of research; and (3) development/conduct of creative professional activities. Design/methodology/approach Trainees led a narrative synthesis of best practice recommendations with faculty input based on national/international DEI guidelines and contemporary research. Findings For supervision, mentorship, and teaching, we discuss strategies to support the equitable recruitment of trainees and to create an inclusive learning/research environment. For research, we describe best practices to include DEI principles throughout the research process, from designing and conducting the study to disseminating the results. Additionally, we propose strategies to build/maintain high-performing and diverse research teams, including the recruitment of diverse and qualified investigators, inclusion of all team members in the research environment, avoiding tokenism, maintaining boundaries, and building DEI capacity within research teams. Finally, we describe practical ways for faculty members to incorporate DEI principles into their creative professional activities. Originality/value This article serves as a starting point for faculty members to foster a more inclusive environment in academic medicine. By incorporating DEI principles throughout their academic activities, faculty members can improve the educational experiences of trainees, cultivate a culture in academic medicine that values different perspectives, and build healthcare systems that better serve individuals from all sociodemographic backgrounds.