Lauren Couch is Wellcome Trust's Head of Diversity and Inclusion. Under her leadership, diversity and inclusion (D&I) became a strategic priority area for Wellcome. The five year, £12.5m program aims to ensure that science and health research is open to anyone with a great idea. Leading by example, the work also focuses on ensuring that Wellcome itself is diverse and inclusive. Now two and a half years in, Lauren is leading the team in a refresh of Wellcome's D&I strategy. Previously, Lauren worked as a funding adviser for Wellcome's Humanities and Social Science team, where she supported researchers to obtain funding. This stems from her passion for helping others to thrive, and interest in medical history. Her Masters explored the depiction and experience of lovesickness in seventeenth-century England. Currently she is exploring the application of behavioral science and systems thinking approaches to D&I. She received an MA in medical history and BA in history from the University of Exeter.