PLAN TO ENHANCE DIVERSITY: PROJECT SUMMARY The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Center (MCC) Director Robert A. Winn, MD, established an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) in early 2021 to assist with further diversifying the MCC workforce and developing a stronger, more equitable, and inclusive culture to conduct cancer research that benefits all. Winn empowered the ODEI to synergistically drive MCC faculty and staff recruitment and retention efforts with the MCC’s Human Resource Office to increase diversity as well as promote diverse leadership development within the MCC. ODEI also collaborates with the MCC Offices of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) and Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination to synergistically promote an inclusive and supportive environment for faculty, staff, student/trainees, and its external advisors. These efforts align with MCC’s 2021-2025 Strategic Plan and the National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant priorities aiming to promote diverse perspectives among those who are addressing the nation’s cancer burden and address well-documented workforce gaps among certain racial/ethnic, geographic, sex/gender, and socioeconomic populations. This can only be accomplished by ensuring that diverse teams of faculty scientists and leaders, staff, students, and advisors have equitable input into new approaches and solutions. Led by the Associate Director for DEI, Emmanuel A. Taylor, DrPH, and supported by senior, staff-level DEI Operations Director, Tremayne D. Robertson, they work collaboratively with MCC, VCU, and VCU Health senior leadership to implement more equitable hiring practices and promote a culture that is inclusive of all voices. The ODEI will attract an increasingly diverse pool of talent for MCC consideration, assist with partnership building with other minority-serving institutions to reach underrepresented populations, inform and promote career enhancement and leadership development pathways, develop and refine DEI policies that drive diversity across MCC, and establish methodologies to monitor and evaluate progress. Collectively this work ensures that the MCC workforce best reflects the diversity of the catchment area it serves as well as the nation.