2024-25 Office for Equity & Diversity Faculty Fellows

Photos of the four faculty fellows: Dr. Edgar Arriaga, Dr. Devaleena Das, Dr. Jennifer McComas, and Dr. Elizabeth Sumida Huaman

Meet Our 2024-25 OED Fellows
 

Edgar Arriaga photo

Edgar Arriaga
College of Science and Engineering, Twin Cities

Dr. Edgar Arriaga (he/him/él) is the Northey Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota, with graduate appointments in the Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics, and Biomedical Engineering. He also serves as the Dean’s Fellow for Inclusion in the College of Science and Engineering and as the Associate Dean of Faculty Initiatives in the Graduate School. Dr. Arriaga's research in bioanalytical chemistry focuses on the complexities of biological systems, particularly the aging process, supported by the National Institute on Aging. His work aims to bridge gaps in understanding how biological variability influences aging, which is crucial for advancing scientific knowledge and developing therapeutic strategies. His scholarly contributions have led to innovative techniques for single-cell and organelle analysis. A passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Dr. Arriaga has played a key role at the national level as the chair of the Committee on Professional Training for the American Chemical Society (ACS), where he led the initiative to introduce DEI guidelines for ACS-approved BS degrees across the country. He actively promotes an inclusive climate for all members of his college and institution, drawing on both his personal and professional experiences. Learn more about Dr. Arriaga

As an OED Faculty Fellow, Dr. Arriaga will employ data-driven strategies to establish inclusivity and equity priorities within the University of Minnesota. His efforts will focus on leveraging data analytics to identify exemplary stories of equity and inclusion within the institution, informing new strategies and directions. He will work to pinpoint areas needing support to address equity and inclusivity gaps, fostering collaboration among university stakeholders and partners to implement effective solutions to build an inclusive institutional climate.


Devaleena Das

Devaleena Das
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS) and the School of Medicine, University of Minnesota Duluth

Dr. Devaleena Das (she/her or they/them) is Associate Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, with a joint appointment in the Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health in the Medical School and the Department of Studies in Justice, Culture, and Social Change (Duluth campus). Das is the co-director of MPact Minnesota Health Curriculum at the UMN Med School where she teaches medical students on addressing how social determinants of health shape relationships and power dynamics in clinical, research, and advocacy settings—particularly for patients from rural, urban, Indigenous, immigrant, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities. Her area of expertise includes Body & Sexuality Studies, Intersectionality of Sexuality and Disability, Queer Ecological Health and Social Justice,, the Potential of AI in Aging Body and Health, Politics of Knowledge Formation, and Migration and Diaspora Studies. She is the recipient of the 2023 Impact Case Award from the University of Minnesota's Research and Innovation Office for her significant contribution to public health research. Additionally, in 2020, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) honored her as an "Outstanding Professor and Researcher of International Recognition" for her work in Body, Sexuality, and Health Disparities. Learn more about Dr. Das.

As an OED Faculty Fellow, Dr. Das aims to leverage her expertise through theoretical, methodological, and community-driven partnership structures focusing on social determinants of health and their impact on community education and well-being. Her work will address mind-body health and well-being within the campus and Minnesota communities, diverse embodied sexuality intersecting with sexual ecologies, aging and growth, chronic illness, and racial capitalism, thus challenging human-centric and heteronormative frameworks.  While focusing on how cultural factors influence health outcomes across life stages of students, faculty, and staff, she intends to address invisible diversity, foster academia-civic sphere engagement, and empower students to understand themselves as both individuals and products of their cultural and socio-political environments. 


Jennifer McComas

Jennifer McComas
College of Education and Human Development, Twin Cities

Jennifer J. McComas, Ph.D. is Professor of Special Education at the University of Minnesota where she coordinates the MA in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis and is the faculty lead of the Collaborative Action for Radical Equity in Applied Behavior Analysis (CARE ABA) lab. Dr. McComas was a middle and high school special education teacher in a rural school before earning her Ph.D. in 1994. Dr. McComas’ research focuses on systematic and individualized analysis and intervention for supporting successful academic, social, and functional communication behavior of individuals with intellectual and developmental disorders and neurodiverse and autistic individuals in educational and other community settings. She recently co-authored a chapter with Dr. Kolb titled “Beyond Cultural Responsivity: Applied Behavior Analysis Through a Lens of Cultural Humility” and is humbled by how much she learns from autistic people, individuals with disabilities, and other marginalized people every day. Her father taught her two lessons that guide her: 1. Make yourself useful, and 2. Leave a place better than you found it. She is learning to follow her father’s guidance while not centering herself or her white, middle-class, educated perspective. Learn more about Dr. McComas

As an OED Faculty Fellow, Dr. McComas will focus on disability issues within the University community. Her goals include making faculty, staff, and students with disabilities feel a sense of belonging, fostering connections across centers and committees to address disability issues, and dismantling ableism while promoting universal access and inclusion. Her work will emphasize the intersectionality of disability with other marginalized identities.


Elizabeth Sumida Huaman

Elizabeth Sumida Huaman
College of Education and Human Development, Twin Cities

Elizabeth Sumida Huaman (Wanka/Quechua) is Professor in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota. She is affiliated with the Departments of American Indian Studies, American Studies, Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, and is a Faculty Fellow of the Institute on the Environment. Her research focuses on Indigenous lands, place-based cultural practices, and in and out-of-school learning in collaboration with Indigenous communities and Tribal Nation institutions in the Americas. As an Andean Indigenous scholar, her goal is to advance Quechua research methodologies, and she writes about these processes in fellowship with other Indigenous methodologists worldwide. Her most recent projects include work that examines 1) Indigenous land stewardship and climate change in the Andes; 2) Andean earth-and-community rights and reciprocities; 3) American Indian scientists, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and STEM learning reappraisals; 4) stories and practices of small Indigenous schools across the Americas; and 5) labor, violence, and life aspirations with Quechua women in Peru. Learn more about Dr. Huaman

As an OED Faculty Fellow, Dr. Sumida Huaman is committed to strengthening the relationship between diversity, inclusion, access, justice, and equity, and Tribal Nations in Minnesota and Indigenous communities in the Americas. Her work will focus on how system-wide educational gaps and calls for ethical structural transformations intersect with hemispheric Indigenous scientific and land-based educational needs and Indigenous ideas and practices of sustainability, through the lens of environmental justice and global climate change. Her approach integrates Indigenous Knowledge Systems with ecological planning and biocultural diversity. Through this fellowship, she aims to address environmental violence against Indigenous communities and explore how educational institutions can contribute to reframing design and experiences to combat environmental racism and promote the well-being of Earth's communities.