Updates from the HFES President

To my Human Factors/Ergonomics Colleagues and the HFES Community

The last month has been an unprecedented time of stress and upheaval for many, if not most of us—both personally and professionally. Many of the executive orders have fundamentally challenged and diminished the ability of HF/E researchers’ and practitioners’ ability to do their work. Others have struck at fundamental principles of HF/E and the vision of HFES to create designs that work for all individuals.

HFES’ role is not to be political in this type of circumstance. However, it IS our role and responsibility to advocate for those actions that support our mission, vision, and strategic goals. This is not just a responsibility we have to our members; it is a responsibility we have to those whose lives we all touch through our research, design, and practice. The world is a safer and better place because of the work we do, and HFES’ role is to continue to advocate for us to be able to do that work.  

With regard to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

On Jan. 21, 2025, an executive order (EO) targeted not just formal DEI and DEIA programs, but also all DEI principles and practices “under whatever name they may appear” and “whether specifically denominated DEI or otherwise.” This EO requires federally funded institutions to disband committees or organizations with any “identify” focus—even veteran organizations. HFES is not a federally funded organization, so we are not required to do so. The leadership met and considered what our action should be, and we decided that we will continue with our current operations. Here is our reasoning:

Fundamentally, human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) includes all humans. We cannot do our job well without an approach of equity and inclusion.

HFES strongly values its vision of "a future in which the reach, relevance and quality of human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) are greatly expanded by enriching the science and enhancing its impact on solving societal problems.” Diversity and equity are enshrined among the five Society’s five core values.  We want our members and other stakeholders to know that HFES remains committed to advancing DEIA and will not eliminate or reduce related programs and practices nor modify the name of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

Because some of our volunteers may be in institutions that prohibit them from volunteering in these types of committees, we want to provide transparency, so people can make their own decisions regarding any risk associated with continuing to engage with those committees.

It is important to note that many of the EOs will be challenged in court and in fact, lawsuits have already been filed.  HFES will continue to closely monitor all executive, administrative, and congressional actions that impact our members and will continue to advance the science and practice of designing for all people through knowledge exchange, collaboration and advocacy.

About funding

There are two fundamental issues that our colleagues whose work depends on federal funding are struggling with right now. First: not receiving funding that was allocated. Second: their universities receiving a remarkably smaller amount of money from the grants they are awarded. The challenge with the first issue is obvious very fast. People are not getting paid, students do not know if they can continue their studies, and research that can change the face of our understanding of important issues (e.g., humans and AI, emergency response, health care resilience) cannot be done. The challenge with the second one may not be as obvious. Many universities require those indirect funds to—literally—keep the lights on. If this continues, there may be small universities that have to close, and we may see a complete restructuring of the university system as we currently know it. My concern is that there will not be as much room for basic or applied research in this “new world.”

About safety

Some of you may have heard that there has been a proposal to somehow disband OSHA. This is of course extremely alarming and something we are watching very closely as are our colleagues internationally.

What we are doing

To address all of this, HFES, along with our government advocacy partner, Lewis Burke, are closely watching all activities regarding funding appropriations for research in the immediate, near, and distant future. There will be no answers soon, but I ask you to follow and respond to calls from HFES for information about how any of these things are impacting you and your work. It is with a collective voice that we can provide them with the information they need to inform our representatives about the impact this is having.

ASPIRE

GOOD NEWS! We have had another history making number of submissions to HFES ASPIRE! 965! This speaks to the community's readiness to share what they have been doing and our desire to get together as well.We are working on having resources available for those whose travel funding has been limited or eliminated so please don’t give up hope about attending.

Health Care Symposium

Are you ready to see beautiful Canada?! There’s still time to register and come to experience the great program this team has put together.

Regional Meeting

Tell me you have heard about the regional meeting happening on April 11th! Pick which one of the five regions you want to go to—Palo Alto, CA; Houston, TX; West Lafayette, IN; Kennesaw, GA; or Philadelphia, PA! Then, figure out what you want to submit (for those taking submissions) because submissions are open. Go ahead and register too, so we can get an idea of numbers. Going to be a GREAT event and can’t wait to see you there.

Attend the First-Ever HFES Regional Meetings

Save the Date: April 11, 2025. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to engage with fellow HF/E professionals in your region (or whichever region you'd like)

www.hfes.org

All

Take care of yourself and each other. I am reminded of my favorite Gandhi quote: “Be truthful, gentle, and fearless.” This quote challenges me every day to discover truth, remember to be gentle and find the courage to be fearless in a time of so much uncertainty. Would love to hear from you about quotes that work for you.

S. Camille Peres, Ph.D., CHFP

President | Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (hfes.org)