RBC, a long-standing supporter of the arts and film community, has announced its 16th year as the official bank partner of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). This partnership showcases RBC’s commitment to nurturing emerging talent and celebrating the arts community. With programming designed to enhance the festival experience for film fans and RBC clients, RBC aims to bring impactful stories to the big screen while supporting the arts and fostering Canadian talent.

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RBC House will host several events for emerging and established filmmakers and talents. Located at Petros82 in Toronto’s Entertainment District, RBC House will offer guests signature GREY GOOSE® Vodka cocktails and a martini cocktail bar. The programming at RBC House includes exciting events such as RBCxMusic Night, featuring a performance by DJ Diesel (also known as Shaquille O’Neal). This event aims to amplify and connect music fans to emerging artist PRIMO, who will open for DJ Diesel.

Additionally, the Los Angeles Times Studio presented by RBC will return to RBC House, providing a platform for directors and international stars for video interviews and photography. This year, the collaboration with the L.A. Times includes “Los Angeles Times Talks @ TIFF,” featuring an in-person conversation with director George C. Wolfe. The panel will discuss the historical drama “Rustin,” a film about civil rights icon and LGBTQ pioneer Bayard Rustin.

Furthermore, RBC will host The Black Academy Legacy Kick-Off Party, a celebration that highlights the contributions of Black artists and creators in the film industry. This event emphasizes RBC’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity in the arts.

Through its partnership with TIFF, RBC continues to champion the arts, support emerging talent, and provide a platform for diverse voices and unique perspectives. By bringing together the worlds of film, music, and conversation, RBC reinforces its dedication to fostering cultural vibrancy and community engagement.

WASHINGTON /PRNewswire/ — The 2023 Mosaic Awards will recognize and honor organizations and individuals that have shown commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through their creative work, advocacy, and company-wide initiatives. Included will be the launch of the inaugural Mosaic Awards Scholarship Fund to support the next generation of diverse talent. The 2023 winners will be celebrated at a gala event which will be held on September 22, 2023, at The Capitale in New York’s historic Bowery neighborhood. Hosting the awards ceremony for a second year in a row, is Quintessential Harlem girl, Gracie Award winner and life-long New Yorker, Bevy Smith.

This year’s honorees serve as a North Star for leveraging the power of advertising & media to promote systemic changeTweet

Each year, the Mosaic Awards receive entries from companies and agencies across the country that are reviewed and judged by senior industry leaders. This year’s Council of Judges included senior industry leaders from fluent360, LinkedIn, OMD, Redscout, SANTA Productions, Snap, Spotify, TEAM Enterprises, TikTok and Weber Shandwick.  Among the award sponsors are SiriusXM (Presenting), ClearChannel Outdoor, dentsu, IPG, Google, Meta, Omnicom Group, Publicis Groupe, P&G, Sony Music Group, TikTok and The Trade Desk

The American Advertising Foundation will honor the following campaigns, industry leaders and programs during the 2023 Mosaic Awards:

Mosaic Champion – Individual  
Geraldine White, Chief Diversity Officer
Publicis Groupe US  

Mosaic Champion – Organization
VMLY&R

Multicultural Talent and Suppliers in Advertising
“Widen the Screen”
Client: P&G
Agencies: Grey, Cartwright, H&K and Carat

Innovative Narratives
“The Gentle Giant”
Client: Ad Council, Love Has No Labels
Agency: R/GA

Integrated Creative Campaign
“We Can Talk About It”
Client: Ad Council
Agency: Droga5

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DE&I) Student Program
Program: Detroit Experience Studio
Agency: VMLY&R

Workforce Inclusion Program
Initiative: Inclusivity Product Council (IPC)
Agency: Leo Burnett

Allyship to Advocacy
“Pampers Maternal Health Equity Initiative: Raise Care, Deliver Joy”
Client: Pampers, P&G
Agency: MSL Group

Student Impact Award
“This Hand”
Client: National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
School: Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass
Communication, The University of Oklahoma

Data Driven Transformation
“Beyond the Rainbow, an Investigation into
LGBTQ+ Marketing and Its Future”
Agency Network: WPP Unite

“This year’s Mosaic Award recipients are a glowing representation of the Mosaic Principles we strive to champion daily. Each campaign, initiative, and leader, illustrates the necessity of accurate and intersectional stories in our industry, and the leadership required to accomplish that goal. Our honorees serve as a North Star for leveraging the power of advertising and media to promote systemic change through equity and inclusion,” commented Candace D. Queen, VP, AAF Mosaic Center.

In addition, this year marks the inaugural launch of the Mosaic Awards Scholarship Fund, an initiative dedicated to supporting the next generation of diverse talent pursuing careers in advertising, marketing and media. “For two decades the Mosaic Center has celebrated the changemakers driving our industry forward. This felt like a logical next step as we reimagine how we create a strong pillar of advocacy with the Mosaic Awards by removing financial barriers to entry into the industry,” said Ms. Queen.

For further details regarding this year’s Mosaic Awards, including a list of winners and judges, visit aaf.org/mosaicawards; or contact Candace D. Queen ([email protected]) or LeAirra Lacey at ([email protected]).

ABOUT THE AAF MOSAIC CENTER
Creating an inclusive and progressive industry is a core mission of the AAF that has been brought to life by The Mosaic Center for nearly three decades. The Mosaic Center serves as a resource and advocate for diversity and inclusion. The Mosaic Center is committed to helping the advertising, media and marketing professions reflect our country’s evolving cultural diversity and creating sustainable impact with its partners. 

The Mosaic Center sits under the umbrella of the newly established American Advertising Foundation, founded July 1, 2023. The Foundation will serve as the American Advertising Federation’s philanthropic arm. Programs developed by the Foundation include Education Services and Mosaic Center Programs. One of the Mosaic Center Programs is the Mosaic Awards.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN ADVERTISING FOUNDATION (AAF FOUNDATION)

The American Advertising Foundation is a service arm of the American Advertising Federation that exists primarily to identify, nurture, prepare and advocate for diverse and inclusive talent for the advertising, media and marketing industries. The American Advertising Foundation strives to develop wholly inclusive communities that champion and celebrate a culture of personal and professional development, prepares the next generation of leaders, and equips participants to grow and thrive in the dynamic and competitive advertising, media and marketing marketplace. It is a 501(c)(3) and tax-exempt organization. Learn more about the AAF Foundation here.

SOURCE American Advertising Foundation

NEW YORK /PRNewswire/ — The Lupus Research Alliance is pleased to announce the 2023 recipients of the Career Development and Postdoctoral Awards to Promote Diversity in Lupus Research. The Diversity in Lupus Research Awards aim to foster the development of outstanding, underrepresented minority scientists and establish a diverse community of researchers and clinicians in the field of lupus.

Lupus is a debilitating autoimmune disorder, and the prevalence, severity of symptoms, and mortality are higher among people of color. Yet a recent report by the National Science Foundation showed that while “Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and American Indians or Alaska Natives represent 30% of the employed U.S. population, they are 23% of the scientific workforce.”¹

The LRA announced the Career Development and Postdoctoral Awards to Promote Diversity in Lupus Research recipients.Tweet

“Addressing these disparities will require a diverse workforce to ensure equitable opportunities and optimal health outcomes,” noted LRA Chief Scientific Officer Teodora Staeva, PhD. “To foster the development of talented underrepresented minority early-career scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and research trainees, the LRA launched a comprehensive Diversity in Lupus Research Program last year that has already supported 21 researchers in the lupus field. We see great promise in the work these talented professionals are doing and are encouraged by their commitment to lupus research.”

This year, four individuals will be awarded the Career Development Award, which provides up to $600,000 over four years to talented underrepresented minority scientists. The recipients are Alí Duarte-García, MD, Mayo Clinic, Maria Gutierrez-Arcelus, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital, Ekemini Ogbu, MD, MSc, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and Jessica Williams, MD, MPH., Emory University. Additionally, one talented postdoctoral research fellow, Shady Younis, PhD, from Stanford University, is the recipient of the Postdoctoral Award. This award provides fellows with up to $170,000 over two years to support the generation of data and progress needed to become independent lupus researchers.

Career Development Award to Promote Diversity in Lupus Research Recipients:

Alí Duarte-García, MD, Mayo Clinic – Standardizing Glucocorticoid Treatment

Dr. Duarte-García will investigate the effectiveness and safety of different glucocorticoid regimens and prescribing patterns based on factors including race/ethnicity to develop a much-needed standardized regimen and reduce racial disparities in glucocorticoid prescribing. Through studying a large, multiethnic cohort of patients with lupus nephritis and leveraging data from multiple clinical trials, he aims to optimize the benefits of glucocorticoid therapy while reducing infections, mortality, and other conditions that can develop with glucocorticoid use.

Maria Gutierrez-Arcelus, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital – Understanding Lupus Heterogeneity

Dr. Gutierrez-Arcelus will test if the marked heterogeneity of lupus – the variation in how the disease differs from person to person – can be attributed to mutations affecting particular genes. Specifically, she is studying if some of these mutations disrupt alternative splicing — a process by which a product of a single gene is cut and joined in different combinations to produce different proteins with distinct structures and functions, producing a different protein that affects how immune cells mediate immune responses.

Ekemini Ogbu, MD, MSc, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center – Identifying Stroke in Pediatric Lupus

Dr. Ogbu will identify potential biomarkers that could distinguish children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and strokes from other pediatric cases of strokes to determine early indicators of increased risk. Findings from her study could enable healthcare providers to prevent, monitor and better manage stroke in children with lupus and improve stroke outcomes.

Jessica Williams, MD, MPH, Emory University – Addressing Barriers to Lupus Research Participation in Rural Areas

Dr. Williams will survey patients with lupus in rural Georgia to determine the particular barriers to enrollment in lupus research and whether environmental and social risk factors for lupus are associated with the geographic clustering of patients in this region. Dr. Williams aims to address how the obstacles to treatment, access, and research participation faced by people living in rural areas could be overcome to promote adequate representation in lupus clinical trials.

Postdoctoral Award to Promote Diversity in Lupus Research Recipient:

Shady Younis, PhD, Stanford University – Investigating How Epstein-Barr Virus Triggers Lupus

Dr. Younis will investigate how Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) infection impacts antibody-producing B cells, an immune cell type often dysregulated in SLE. Dr. Younis will use cutting-edge tools to assess the molecular changes in EBV-infected B cells compared to uninfected B cells to provide insight into how EBV transforms B cells to become pathogenic, or disease-causing, in SLE.  Findings from this study will further our understanding of how viral infection promotes SLE and could lead to the identification of potential therapeutics.

Teodora Staeva, PhD, said, “We congratulate the recipients of the 2023 Diversity in Lupus Research Awards, which were created to promote an outstanding, diverse scientific pool of lupus researchers. We look forward to seeing how their studies progress toward understanding the mechanisms underlying lupus and developing novel treatment approaches.”

About Lupus
Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. More than 90 percent of people with lupus are women; lupus most often strikes during the childbearing years of 15-45. Black/African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asians and Native Americans are two to three times at greater risk than Caucasians. In lupus, the immune system, which is designed to protect against infection, creates antibodies that can attack any part of the body including the kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, blood, skin, and joints. 

About the Lupus Research Alliance
The Lupus Research Alliance is the largest non-governmental, non-profit funder of lupus research worldwide. The organization aims to transform treatment by funding the most innovative lupus research, fostering diverse scientific talent, and driving discovery toward better diagnostics, improved treatments and ultimately, cure for lupus. Because the Lupus Research Alliance’s Board of Directors funds all administrative and fundraising costs, 100% of all donations goes to support lupus research programs. 

1. National Science Board, National Science Foundation. 2021. The STEM Labor Force of Today: Scientists, Engineers and Skilled Technical Workers. Science and Engineering Indicators 2022. NSB-2021-2. Alexandria, VA. Available at https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20212.

SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance