The UMRA News is offering colleagues across the University an opportunity to share with us some of their experiences on being maroon and gold, and Black. Cognitive neuroscientist and 2020 MacArthur Fellow Damien Fair, PhD, joined the University of Minnesota faculty last summer as Redleaf Endowed Director of the Masonic Institute of the Developing Brain, with faculty appointments in the Department of Pediatrics and the Institute of Child Development.—Kristine Mortensen, editor

When did you come to the University of Minnesota and what brought you here? In July 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic! 

I started the process nearly two and a half years ago, with an invitation to speak from Megan Gunner at the Institute of Child Development and Dean Jean Quam in the College of Education and Human Development. 

I was already being recruited [from Oregon Health & Science University] by a few other institutions to grow my lab and build a new program or center, and had already built a vision of what it would require to break down silos of expertise—development, neuroscience, non-invasive imaging, clinical practice, computing and engineering, community engagement and outreach (particularly in underrepresented populations), tech transfer, and business leaders, policy makers, etc.—and start building “information bridges.” 

The first thing you need is to have all of the expertise, and to be honest, the only place [that did] was the University of Minnesota. The second thing you need is energy, motivation, excitement, drive, and the will to make it go.

"The commitment was unabashed and clear-eyed. We were going to do something big.”—Damien Fair, PhD

On a subsequent visit I met Dean Jakub Tolar and I was nervous. Well, Dean Tolar walked out of his office and screamed, “Damien!!! I’m so excited for you to be here. Let’s do this!” 

His energy and excitement were uplifting. The commitment was unabashed and clear-eyed. We were going to do something big on developmental brain health and we were going to do it now. In less than 10 minutes, I knew I had to be here. And to put the icing on the cake, I’m from Minnesota, I love it here, and I couldn’t imagine a more comfortable place and environment for me to carry on building this transformative program.

What was something about the University that surprised you when you got here? Its depth of expertise. The University is a “crown jewel” that is underappreciated in the academic communities. I think the culture here is a bit modest … but some of the world’s experts across many disciplines are sitting right here at home. 

How do you as a neuroscientist see the impact of discrimination on individuals and society? The impact is extremely large. For places like Minnesota, where it is becoming more diverse and whose growth is largely driven by underrepresented populations, maximizing opportunities for everyone is critical. After winning the MacArthur Award, I tried to sum up these sentiments with this quote:

“Every step toward a deeper characterization of brain function brings advances in health care, education, technologies, economics and other enhancements to our society that deeply touch our everyday lives. However, continued progress will not come with a homogeny of ideas, thoughts, education, experience, and culture. 

“We need to embrace ‘variability’—our diversity—and provide access to this pursuit to all of the talents that exist in our society. It could be argued that the driving factor of discovery and advancement of nearly every civilization has been the result of human variability, where some outlier, oftentimes being of minority status, pushed the society in a way that no one could have ever imagined. Ironically, in the sciences our ability to proportionally value the importance of this principle has been limited. I am hopeful, at this critical juncture in our history, we can harness our privilege and awareness to embrace a change of course.”

Was there a mentor who was important to your education and development as a scholar? Absolutely. My first mentor was my basketball coach at Cotter High School in Winona, Minnesota, Mike Costello. We are still close, and he really set me on a good course and kept me humble.

From there one of my most notable mentors was Gary Earl at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where I was recruited to play basketball and was a biology major. He was my organic chemistry professor and when I began in his course, I didn’t really present myself in a manner that screamed success—slouched in my chair, hat backwards, baggy shorts, etc. I also didn’t take many notes, which Dr. Earl noticed, and worried that I would not do well in his class. Well, little did he know that I had already taken much of the material in an advanced course in high school. So, after our first quiz, on which I did quite well, he called me to his office to ask me how I did it. From there on, we had a bond and he kept very close tabs on me.

College is a place where there are lots of distractions, and having somebody making sure you don’t get too distracted is quite important.

Dr. Earl was one of very few mentors that I’ve had over the years who could see right through me. He made sure I stayed focused and reached for high goals. He used to tell us, “confidence and competence” are the two things one needs to accomplish your goals. He was right, and even today I use this experience and his example to mentor students. His guidance really kept me on track academically throughout my time at Augie, and my appreciation for that guidance cannot be overstated.

And now I have new mentors here at the University of Minnesota. Mentorship never really ends, in my book. I’m always looking for mentors and advice to help me along my journey.