Lynn Hernández, PhD
Lynn Hernández, PhD, (she/her/hers) is assistant vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion. She formulates and implements a strategic plan for enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion at UMass Chan Medical School and develops metrics to assess the plan’s impact on the environment. She also provides guidance on empirically supported best practices to enhance the recruitment, retention and advancement of students, staff, trainees and faculty from underrepresented-in-medicine backgrounds, and establishes professional development opportunities to foster a more structurally competent and equitable UMass Chan community.
Prior to joining UMass Chan in November 2021, Dr. Hernández was assistant dean for diversity and inclusion and associate medical professor of community health and social medicine at the City University of New York School of Medicine. Hernández has experience in utilizing data-driven and empirically supported approaches to foster a learning environment that promotes meaningful inclusion. She has been involved in delivering multicultural-competence training to health care practitioners, faculty and students, and in developing anti-racist/anti-bias medical education curricula. Prior to her administrative roles, Hernández was a faculty member at Brown University School of Public Health for more than 10 years where she developed a federally funded program of research focused on addressing health care inequities impacting communities of color, particularly children and adolescents. Hernández received her doctoral degree in developmental psychology and a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Florida International University.