An Environment for Excellence

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is committed to fostering a culture of diverse and inclusive scienti c excellence in which persons of all identities and from all backgrounds feel welcome, supported, and encouraged to engage in the free and open exchange of ideas. Our dedication to excellence means HHMI employees and guests at HHMI events can expect to experience a safe, collaborative environment in which they are treated with dignity and respect. This requires a community free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and intimidation. Behaviors that do not uphold the highest standards of scienti c integrity and professional ethics are not welcome at HHMI events.

 

Expectations for Event Attendees

HHMI expects all event attendees will contribute to an environment free of discrimination
or harassment based on any protected characteristic (see below) and a community free of intimidation or bullying of any form. Offensive and unwelcome behaviors, even if intended as “humor,” are not permitted.

HHMI policies (see “Policies” below) do not permit discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, marital status, genetic information, genetic status or characteristics, military or veteran status, or on any basis protected by an applicable law (a “protected characteristic”).

We expect event attendees to immediately comply with requests to stop behavior that is not consistent with HHMI expectations and/or policies.

Examples of forms of harassment include, but are not limited to:

● Verbal (for example, epithets, derogatory statements, slurs, comments or jokes related
to a protected characteristic, unwelcome sexual advances, or requests for sexual favors)

● Physical (for example, assault or inappropriate physical contact)

● Visual (for example, displaying inappropriate images of any sort via any media, sending written or electronic messages such as text messages or emails that are inappropriate, leering, or making sexual gestures)

 

Complaint Procedure and Assurances

If you experience or witness behaviors that do not align with HHMI expectations and/or policies, we encourage you to raise your concerns as soon as possible with your event organizer or their designee. (The name and contact information for your event organizer or designee are provided in your event materials and are made available on site at your event.) Additional reporting paths, including an anonymous option, are described in HHMI policies.

In response to reports of perceived violations of HHMI expectations and/or policies, HHMI will promptly investigate and take any appropriate corrective action. Reports will be kept con dential by HHMI to the extent possible; however, complete con dentiality is not guaranteed.

HHMI prohibits any form of retaliation for good faith reporting as described in these Expectations or HHMI policies, for participating in the investigation or resolution of such reports, or for testifying or assisting in any proceeding related to such reports.

 

Policies

To access HHMI policies regarding discrimination and harassment, see Workplace Behavior. For more details on HHMI’s reporting pathways and investigation processes, see Complaint Resolution Procedure. Both are available on HHMI’s public website and are available below.

 

Access Policies

Workplace Behavior: hhmi.org/sites/default/les/about/policies/hhmi_workplace_behavior_policy.pdf

Complaint Resolution Procedure: hhmi.org/sites/default/les/about/policies/hhmi_complaint_resolution_procedure.pdf