The Diversity and Inclusion Office has released its 2023-24 annual report ahead of the Diversity Summit on Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Faculty Conference Room at UMass Chan Medical School. The 24-page document tells the story of the department’s work through its priority areas as laid out under the diversity and inclusion pillar of the IMPACT 2025 Strategic Plan.
Major highlights of the report include the addition of an assistant director for equity, inclusion and campus climate and Title IX coordinator to which Jeanna Lee, PhD, was appointed; the diversity and engagement survey results; the increased use of restorative justice as a source of mediation; and the thematic focus on racism in medicine that set the tone for dynamic programming such as the Centering the Margins speaker series and the Diversity Campus Read.
Revised policies and processes for community members to share their grievances were created to provide a greater sense of accountability and transparency and improve campus culture and climate. New components of the Diversity Engagement Survey have created opportunities for departments to delve deeper into their diversity, equity and inclusion practices, and, in collaboration with the Diversity and Inclusion Office, tailor Diversity and Equity Action Plans and initiatives to improve team dynamics.
Meanwhile, restorative justice has not only become a method for conflict resolution, but an opportunity to build community and strengthen bonds among departments. Finally, the racism in medicine theme brought forth renowned physician Uche Blackstock, MD, whose memoir, Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine, bore witness to the inequities in health care delivery in the United States. Dr. Blackstock’s book served as the Diversity Campus Read and she gave a virtual talk to the campus.
The Diversity Summit will invite the UMass Chan community to strengthen its commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion work internally and externally.
Hard copies of the annual report will be available to attendees at the Diversity Summit, and it can be accessed online here.
At the Diversity Summit, speakers Marcus Lambert, PhD, associate vice president for research at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, and Su Joun, principal at Diversity@Workplace Consulting Group LLC, will serve as keynote speakers.
In-person attendance is highly recommended. Click here to register.
To attend virtually, click here.
