Dareen Basma
Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, Climate & Equity (DICE)
Dr. Dareen Basma is the Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, Climate & Equity (DICE) at Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University.
Dr. Basma is an educator, researcher and clinician, one whose work is grounded in social advocacy, community engagement and the dismantling of oppressive systems. She firmly believes that in order for social and racial justice to prevail, it must be addressed within an institutional and cultural context, and not solely as a problem to be solved by individual enlightenment. As a result, much of Dr. Basma’s career has focused on the development of research, teaching, training curricula and clinical practice that aims to do so.
Prior to coming to Heinz, Dr. Basma consulted on and coordinated Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Research & Initiatives within academic and non-academic institutions. She’s secured grant funding, published and presented on the development of culturally responsive pedagogy and clinical practice; establishing community based interventions that attend to pre and post migration stressors impacting international students, refugees and undocumented immigrants; uncovering the way discrimination impacts the overall well-being and academic success of BIPOC students in higher education; and developing evidence-based group interventions that address racial and historical trauma. Prior to moving to Pittsburgh, Dr. Basma secured grant funding and consulted on the development of University Assisted Community Schools (UACS) in East Tennessee, which is a K-12 school model that strives to address the needs of an entire community beyond the traditional role of schools. Specifically, she developed initiatives that attended to the needs of refugee and undocumented children and families. She continues to play a national role in the development and evaluation of UACS programming.
Dr. Basma is from the Middle East, and moved to the U.S. to pursue her education. She received both her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology & Religious Studies, and her Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Florida. She completed her Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision, with a concentration on Disasters, Displacements & Human Rights from the University of Tennessee, and is a licensed clinician in Pennsylvania and Tennessee.