Former Associate Provost and Chief Diversity Officer
Dr. Bennett served as the Associate Provost and Chief Diversity Officer at Northwestern University. In addition, he was an Associate Professor of Medicine at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. As the University’s chief diversity officer, Dr. Bennett directed the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, and lead and coordinated efforts to create and sustain a diverse, inclusive and welcoming environment for all Northwestern community members including students, faculty, staff and alumni. Prior to joining Northwestern, Dr. Bennett served as associate dean of the Graduate School, associate dean for diversity in the Division of Biology and Medicine, and clinical assistant professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. In the Graduate School he was responsible for recruitment and coordinating professional development activities for graduate students and postdocs. In the Division of Biology and Medicine Dr. Bennett oversaw the recruitment and advancement of medical students, faculty and trainees who are members of underrepresented groups.
Before his appointment at Brown, he served on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and directed the Office for Multicultural Faculty Careers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Previously, Dr. Bennett also served as Senior Director of Development for Life Sciences, Healthcare and Education Industry Partnerships with United Way of Massachusetts Bay in Boston, and as Research and Science Specialist in the Office for Diversity, Inclusion and Community Partnership at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Bennett is a life member of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and former professional board member. Currently, he serves as a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Graduate Research Education and Training (GREAT) Group Steering Committee, Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) Diversity and Inclusiveness Advisory Committee, and the Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology Diversity Advisory Committee.
Dr. Bennett received his BS in biology and minor in Spanish from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical (A&T) State University, and his PhD in biomedical sciences from Meharry Medical College. At Meharry he was funded as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Alliance for the Enhancement of Science Education and Technology Graduate Teaching Fellow, and later as a UNCF-Merck Postdoctoral Research Fellow while training in the Department of Pathology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Bennett is an alumnus of the Massachusetts Education Policy Fellowship Program and the Harvard University Administrative Fellowship Program.
Dr. Jabbar R. Bennett left Northwestern in early 2020. He is currently the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Michigan State University.