Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs and Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Director, The Friedman Brain Institute
Dr. Nestler is an internationally recognized and widely published psychiatrist-neuroscientist whose research focuses on the biological basis of addiction and depression. His laboratory exposes mice to drugs of abuse or chronic stress and then characterizes changes induced in specific regions of the brain at the epigenetic, synaptic, and circuit levels that underlie the resulting behavioral abnormalities. The ultimate goal is to better understand how brain diseases manifest and how they might better be treated in people.
Eric Nestler is a native New Yorker from a Jewish immigrant family. His parents, both schoolteachers, were from the first generation in their families to attend college. The most important guiding principle he learned from his family, he says, is the desire to always do better. He sees that as a strength, and in his career, he has always tried to help others do better too. While Dr. Nestler believes no opportunity was denied to him because of his ethnic background, he has experienced anti-Semitism. He says, however, “I was able to not let it stick to me,” something he understands is not always the case when people face discrimination and bias with loss of opportunity.
Dr. Nestler had an “aha” moment about 20 years ago when a series of experiences led him to think more carefully about diversity and the fact that many people in academia did not have the same positive experiences or opportunities that he did, particularly women and those from minority backgrounds.
“My own realization helped me lead efforts to be more mindful and proactive about diversity and inclusion—something I call ‘affirmative attention.’ It’s not about quotas, but about making sure that diversity is considered and pursued in everything we do, whether it’s recruiting speakers for a symposium, recruiting faculty and staff, or considering pilot grant recipients, and that we create an environment where all people, perspectives, and opinions are considered equally.”
Overall, he believes that having a diverse team in a scientific environment helps to design experiments and generate data that are “richer, broader, and deeper.” In his neuroscience lab, he has seen progress in research that he believes stemmed in part from having a diverse team.
Dr. Nestler believes respect starts at the top of an organization, and leaders must show respect and sensitivity about diversity overall. “I also make sure I am open to getting feedback about myself and giving feedback to others,” he says.
“I’ve found that often when there is an issue or problem, the offending individual actually does not understand how what they said or did was perceived or why it might just be wrong. Without making excuses, this lack of insight may be the root of the problem, and once issues are surfaced and talked about, communication improves and progress can be made. We have to feel comfortable to talk about these issues, and it’s not always easy to discuss gender, race, or other differences.”
“At Mount Sinai, we have seen diversity not just be embraced across the institution, but we are now also seeing tangible results that make the institution better and more productive.”
Dr. Nestler believes that the more people learn about diversity and inclusion, the more they embrace it.
“Over the years, I have gotten plenty of ‘eye-roll’ responses when discussing diversity efforts, from both men and women,” he says. “Some men have thought we did enough about it already, and some women with more senior status felt that they had succeeded in academia, so why could others not?” He believes that as core issues are addressed—for example, of people being treated equally because of their accomplishments, education, and potential, or involving different people and considering their thoughts and ideas—the skeptics came on board and began to embrace diversity in science and medicine.
“We still have more to do, but I think at Mount Sinai we have seen diversity not just be embraced across the institution, but we are now also seeing tangible results that make the institution better and more productive.”
Photo Credit: Claudia Paul, January-February 2020