Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Annual Report

Everything must change:

Forging the future 2022–23 Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Annual Report

Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 2022-23 by the Numbers

Our Purpose The Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (HSDEI) exists to foster an inclusive environment for students, trainees and faculty within the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences. HSDEI facilitates a spectrum of educational sessions, participates in paneled dialogue and serves in advisory positions, among other requests.

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Trainings, workshops and enrichment opportunities

2,500+

Mission The Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s mission is to:

People reached through town halls, workshops or special events

50+

• Champion diversity, inclusion and social justice as integral values.

• Diversify and transform the health sciences workforce to meet the current and emerging needs of society.

Number of University of Pittsburgh units and offices benefiting from our programs

• Propel health equity forward and strive to eliminate health disparities through our practice, scholarship, education and service.

• Remain resolute in our efforts to ensure a supportive, nonjudgmental environment that acknowledges, respects and appreciates the distinctive, authentic presence and heterogeneity of everyone in our community.

• Advocate for more just and equitable health care and human service delivery systems.

• Place utmost importance on reciprocity with local communities and public entities.

• Nurture and foster connections by forging strategic partnerships in alignment with the missions of the University of Pittsburgh and its schools of the health sciences.

“I often have to remind myself that it is in the small moments, mini actions and daily habits that change will occur. It might be past my lifetime, but if I can show up a little bit more compassionately and with a little more curiosity each day, that could create small ripples that will foster a different future.” ­ Jena El-Sabeh — Professional Coach Coordinator University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine From the Social Justice Education Summit held by HSDEI in February 2023

2 University of Pittsburgh

$52,000

Estimated cost savings and value of programs offered Examples of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and social justice trainings and enrichment topics offered: • Implicit Bias and Positionality • Building a Lab Culture • Racism in Medicine • Building Equity in University-Community Relationships • Applications of Social Justice in Public Health • DEI and Belonging in Dental Education and Practice • Black Women’s Health: Past, Present and Future

2022–23 Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Annual Report

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Message from the Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences

Paula K. Davis: Over the Years Former Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Integral to our mission

The sankofa bird symbolizes the importance of allowing the lessons of the past to inform the present and the future. It is my distinct pleasure, as I move on to the next phase of my life, to reflect upon the founding and first 14 years of the Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (HSDEI).

HSDEI was created in 2008 to bring convergence to the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)-related activities in the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences. Our overarching goal is to ensure that the University does its part to prepare the health care workforce needed to serve our changing population. At that time, only the School of Medicine had a long-standing—since 1979—DEI office with a leader at the dean’s level. I was honored to fill that role for 14 years before being asked to institute HSDEI. In establishing HSDEI, we were, and continue to be, cognizant that each school and field has its own culture and approach to mounting, supporting and advancing DEI efforts. We met each school where it was and served on committees to provide guidance or perspective. We led workshops, lent voices or extra sets of hands to recruit, vet policy or refine admissions processes. It was a pleasure to explore the possibilities and realize advances with our deans, admissions, student and faculty affairs teams, as well as with our outstanding students (who are always the engine that drives us to do more and to do better).

I applaud the determination of Arthur S. Levine, MD, former John and Gertrude Petersen Dean for the School

Collectively, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences serve as a linchpin of one of the largest and best academic medical centers in the world. As such, we play the critical societal role of educating the medical professionals of tomorrow, addressing the health needs of our diverse communities and advancing scientific understanding of human health and disease.

It’s well documented that diverse care teams measurably improve health outcomes for patients in minority groups whose populations experience significant health inequities. That’s why the continuing efforts of our Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (HSDEI) are integral to our mission. We simply cannot improve health for all people if our community of faculty, students and staff doesn’t more accurately reflect and respect the populations we serve.

I want to offer my special thanks to Paula K. Davis, MA, CDE, who retired from her role as associate vice chancellor for HSDEI in June 2023 after 36 years of impassioned service to Pitt—29 of those supporting the advancement of students, faculty and trainees underrepresented in health-related professions. Her legacy is immeasurable, and her impact lives on.

—Anantha Shekhar, MD, PhD Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences John and Gertrude Petersen Dean, School of Medicine

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From left: Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences, and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean, School of Medicine, and Paula K. Davis, former associate vice chancellor for the Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

of Medicine, to establish health sciences-wide DEI engagement and the decision of Anantha Shekhar, MD, PhD, John and Gertrude Petersen Dean for the School of Medicine and Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences, to have senior-level DEI leaders appointed in each health science school. This ensures not only a connection to the root vision but also provides internal philosophical and operational impetus that might otherwise lag. The community of practice that has developed among the health sciences diversity deans is a true model of partnership wherein each helps another to learn and grow.

In 2023, we are faced with yet another challenge to the programs and processes that have allowed us to make any progress on a long, slow road to diversify the health care workforce. The need has not abated. Lives are still being lost needlessly while the data tells us that diverse perspectives ensure creative problem-solving.

I wish my successor and the current amazing HSDEI team the very best as they continue the fight. Look back to learn from the parry that avoided the blades, the pivot that dodged the punches and the transom we entered when the doors were closed. The only way to go is forward.

Paula K. Davis, MD, CDE Former Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

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Making Pitt Work: Meet Our Directors Lisa Upsher MSOL Director, HSDEI Lisa Upsher joined the Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (HSDEI) after leading diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE).

Upsher was instrumental in having CORE declared a site of the Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program, which promotes positive health behaviors through public education by focusing on diseases and behaviors that lead to the need for transplantation in minoritized communities.

As HSDEI director, Upsher has introduced the concept of transformational and transactional leadership. She believes that it is important to inspire employees in ways that go beyond exchanges and rewards. This approach continues to increase the team’s intrinsic motivation by expressing the value and purpose behind the organization’s goals. In contrast, she uses transactional leadership to give employees positive reinforcement for meeting goals and deadlines. As an organizational leader, she balances these styles to help the HSDEI team reach its full potential.

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Noble A-W Maseru PhD, MPH Director of Social Justice, Racial Equity and Faculty Engagement, HSDEI Noble A-W Maseru furthers transdisciplinary, collaborative racial and health equity work across the health sciences. Maseru leads the Health Sciences Social Justice Fellowship by guiding faculty on where and how to imbue social justice throughout their work while carving out spaces in the fellowship’s design to connect and build cohorts for working around community-led initiatives.

Within the health sciences, he continues to form strategic collaborations, working with HSDEI initiatives through programming and curriculum reshaping. Maseru’s many accomplishments underscore the critical need to design work and processes in the health sciences that engage faculty members in learning opportunities and experiences that address structural inequity and racism.

Bee Schindler EdD, MSW Assistant Director, HSDEI Assistant Director Bee Schindler believes it is essential to think deeply about best practices of diversity, equity and inclusion work tied to the office, including humanizing the work of the health sciences, being engaged in reciprocal practice in campus-community partnerships and continuing to measure HSDEI’s impact through evaluation. Schindler advances the translation of knowledge in their commitment to training and enrichment with students, staff and faculty in the schools of the health sciences and across the University more broadly.

As founding program manager of the Health Sciences Social Justice Fellowship, they serve as a leader in the “skilling-up” of faculty members who engage in community-partnered work.

This outward-facing work creates partnerships for mentoring and support to advance community engagement. Schindler collaborates with colleagues to produce programming and initiatives that are informed by an understanding of history, a mindfulness of the present and in anticipation of a changing future.

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HSDEI Programming

Q&A with the HSDEI directors Question: Achieving health equity and social justice requires a growth mindset. What “growth mindset” needs to be attained in making progress toward fulfilling this objective?

Upsher: As I ponder the last year, the Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has faced numerous climate changes. Rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic, the associate vice chancellor’s (AVC) retirement, race and school programming, office remodeling, University-wide cluster hire and retention initiative, health sciences diversity dean experiences, and social justice fellow graduation to our strategic plan, we persevere.

Paula K. Davis, former AVC, spent the last year of her tenure preparing the team for her departure. She shared her diversity resource lens and future dreams for HSDEI while modeling true leadership. She is small in stature but left a pair of shoes too large to fill. We wish her well in her much-deserved retirement.

Thank you for helping us better understand your experiences, responsibilities, and challenges. HSDEI will continue to build on the University of Pittsburgh’s commitment to become an anti-racist institution and a leader in the efforts to address race and social determinants of equity and well-being. We will reorient ourselves to new leadership and face new obstacles, as we have been prepared for this day!

Maseru: What’s required in the context of establishing a “growth mindset” is a shared understanding of the effects of white supremacy and institutionalized racism as well as the academic climate and social mission of the schools of the health sciences. The overall health of our communities requires that we come to grips with the realities of our country’s racial exclusion and inequities, white supremacist and patriarchal past, and its implications for our present.

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The Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion actively collaborates with thought leaders from various departments within the University of Pittsburgh and across the country to provide educational opportunities to build community within areas of social justice, health disparities and health equity. These events serve as a way for participants to gain a deeper understanding of these issues and equip them with tools to become better advocates for necessary change.

The prescription for a transformation of one’s thinking and of the institutions in place is to make all people’s well-being both the end and means of policies and practice, which will move the diagnosis of our racial inequity and socioeconomic apartheid toward concrete treatment plans that heal our communities and make Allegheny County a place where everyone can thrive.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. appealed for people to “not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character.” We expand on his appeal with people being judged on the content of their commitment. Equity is not a threat to white folks, but it is a threat to white supremacy. When inequality is too great, the idea of community cannot be realized.

Programs for the 2022–23 year included: • Community Engaged Scholarship Forum • Community Epigenetics: Can Healthy Outcomes be Shaped by Gene Expression • Diversity Deans Retreat

Schindler: More and more, we need to lean into the proof of change as the practice of equity and inclusion sits on the chopping block across the nation. Often, cuts stem from misinformation and fear of the unknown. When we underscore the growth mindset of courage, we disrupt the usual benchmark of discomfort as the metric for change. If we can collectively find the courage to be more transparent and vulnerable in our practice of humanizing health, the chance to make sustainable change becomes possible.

One might ask: “How do we get to a space of action?” I encourage folks to engage with voices and experiences that might be different than their own, acquaint oneself with histories and policies to understand the why of mounting bias and disinformation, and to think about the self as the start for change. From there, we can imagine the self in community and in systems and be a part of the change needed for advancing health equity.

• Diversity Forum • Food Truck Fair • Health Disparities and Social Justice Poster Competition • “Lake of Betrayal” film viewing and dialogue with the filmmakers • Pride on the Patio • Race & … Lecture Series • Social Justice Education Summit • Social Justice Fellowship Seminar Series Students from the schools of the health sciences enjoying a food truck provided by HSDEI and the School of Dental Medicine.

• Town Hall: “This is Not Normal: Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression” • Underrepresented in the Health Sciences Mixer • U.S. Army Medicine Panel in recognition of Women’s History Month

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Partnerships of Impact The following is a sample of the Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (HSDEI) partners within the University of Pittsburgh this year.

CTSI

The Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is a longterm partner of HSDEI. HSDEI supports CTSI as a facilitator for its twice-yearly Orientation to Research Fundamentals and its Responsible Conduct of Research sessions. HSDEI leans on CTSI for community engagement connections and utilizes CTSI’s Human-Centered Design framework in both facilitator and learner capacities. HSDEI also represents a seat on the CTSI Stakeholder Advisory Board.

ECA

The University of Pittsburgh Office of Engagement and Community Affairs (ECA) collaborates with HSDEI to build faculty and staff capacity to undertake high-quality community engagement. Over the past year, HSDEI has actively participated in ECA’s Engagement Community of Practice and partnered with ECA to ensure a close link between the Community Engaged Scholarship Forum and the inaugural Health Sciences Social Justice Education Summit.

RECI Spotlight CRSP

Race and Social Determinants of Equity, Health and Well-Being Cluster Hire and Retention Initiative

FDD

The University of Pittsburgh Office of Faculty Diversity (FDD) and Development and HSDEI continue to work together to lead efforts to develop and diversify the faculty of Pitt. A central focus of the joint work has been the Race &…

Initiative, launched in 2020. Key activities of the OEDI Race &… Initiative include the Race and Social The University of Pittsburgh Office for Equity, Diversity and Determinants of Equity, Health and Well-being ClusInclusion (OEDI) partners with HSDEI on many initiatives throughout the year. These include the Diversity Forum, Pride ter Hire and Retention program, the Race &…Lecture on the Patio, and the Inclusion Network, a virtual platform that Series, the Race &…Conference, the Race &…Research Collaboratories, the Race@Work Summer Retreat and serves as the University’s diversity, equity and inclusion comthe Race@Workshops. munity of practice. OEDI aligns with HSDEI to sustain a University-wide culture of diversity, equity and inclusion through thought-partnership and initiatives that go beyond programs.

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The Office for Health Sciences Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (HSDEI) plays a pivotal role in bolstering the mission of the Racial Equity Consciousness Institute (RECI). Through their collaboration, HSDEI and RECI aim to foster a deep understanding and the skills to dismantle racism while promoting racial equity. The HSDEI team supports and actively facilitates learning cohorts within RECI and champions the integration of racial equity consciousness throughout the University of Pittsburgh. Collaborating with the Center for Race and Social Problems, HSDEI spearheads new courses and engagement avenues, ensuring that our community broadens its awareness and nurtures an inclusive environment for everyone.

The University of Pittsburgh Center on Race and Social Problems (CRSP) partners with HSDEI in spearheading new courses and engagement avenues. One such partnership is serving as facilitators for the Racial Equity Consciousness Institute (RECI), an education platform that provides individuals and communities with the tools to actively deconstruct racism and cultivate racial equity. Ron Idoko, MPA, associate director of CRSP and founding director of RECI, played an instrumental part as moderator for the keynote session at the Health Sciences Social Justice Education Summit, a program sponsored by HSDEI, CRSP, ECA and OEDI. The summit brought together social justice advocates from across the country to discuss social justice practice and health sciences education.

Ron Idoko, associate director of the Center on Race and Social Problems, founding director of the Racial Equity Consciousness Institute, and assistant professor of research, School of Social Work

Building upon the Plan for Pitt, which launched in the fall of 2021, the University of Pittsburgh has committed to hiring at least 50 faculty members from underrepresented groups in medicine to conduct research, educate students and engage in service designed to eliminate racial disparities and improve measures of equity and well-being in the Pittsburgh region, nationally and around the world. To date, in partnership with the Office of Faculty Diversity and Development (FDD) and the Office of the Provost’s Latinx Cluster Hire Committee, more than five dozen Black and Latino faculty have been recruited.

FDD and the HSDEI continue to work together to lead efforts to develop and diversify the faculty of the University. We partner with University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences and the provost’s area schools to effectively recruit, hire and retain scholars from underrepresented groups.

A central focus of our joint work has been the Race &…Initiative, launched in 2020.

The Race &…Initiative’s key activities include the Race and Social Determinants of Equity, Health and Well-being Cluster Hire and Retention program, Race &…Lecture Series, Race &…Conference, Race &…Research Collaboratories, Race@Work Summer Retreat, and Race@Workshops.

FDD would especially like to acknowledge the valuable contributions of Paula Davis, MA, CDE, former associate vice chancellor of HSDEI. Lori Johnson-Osho, EdD, director of FDD, said, “Paula has been an integral part of the Race &…Initiative since its inception. Her hard work, commitment and dedication have contributed greatly to the project’s success.”

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Health Sciences Social Justice Fellowship Commencement The Health Sciences Social Justice Fellowship program was initiated in February 2022 to educate and raise awareness of health inequities that exist in the community. Open to faculty members in the six health science schools who show commitment to social justice and equity, the program’s first year concluded with a graduation ceremony on December 6, 2022.

The colleagues, mentors, leadership and family members in attendance were led by John Wallace, PhD, vice provost, Office of Faculty Diversity and Development, who focused the commencement on why and how the fellows conducted their community-engaged work. In its inaugural year, the fellowship successfully brought together community organizations and faculty members from five of the six schools of the health sciences.

Throughout the program, participants engaged in various activities, including monthly seminar sessions, meet-ups, campus-community projects and mentorship. The following is the culmination of those faculty members’ time in the program:

The Pittsburgh Study, Healthy Start, and Jennifer J. Adibi, MPH, SCD, assistant professor of epidemiology, School of Public Health, and of obstetrics/gynecology and reproductive sciences, School of Medicine

Adibi engaged in work to address structural inequities and racism in prenatal care as a social determinant of health through long-term relationship building between campus and community stakeholders.

The Birmingham Clinic and Sharon E. Connor, PharmD, associate professor pharmacy and theraputics, School of Pharmacy

Connor addressed the social determinants of health that burden patients in the community and built competency in addressing structures that lead to inequity and poor health outcomes, including ascertaining learner structural competency within health professional education.

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The Black Equity Coalition and Jennifer S. White, CSCD, MOT, assistant professor of occupational therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

White engaged with stakeholders and conducted an environmental scan to address inequities, named top priority areas and developed a short recording to explain social determinants of health.

Autism Connection of Pennsylvania, Achieva, and Daniel Wilkenfeld, PhD, assistant professor of acute and tertiary care, School of Nursing

Wilkenfeld worked to identify problems through a literature review and created media to reduce stigma for autism diagnoses. The team continues to generate training for providers to assist in diagnosis in underrepresented communities.

UPMC Horizon-Shenango and Katherine Williams, MD, MPH, research instructor, Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine

Williams utilized strategies informed by the Healthy People 2030 Social Determinants of Health in a Rural Population and community-based input to craft messaging and motivate rural communities to participate in vaccine uptake.

Stay tuned for the Social Justice Fellowship 2.0, which will build upon the success of the pilot year by updating the program based on analysis of the data and expanding our partnership opportunities.

The winners of the 2023 Health Disparities and Social Justice Poster Competition.

2023 Health Disparities and Social Justice Poster Competition Winners Instituted in 2010, the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences sponsor the annual Health Disparities and Social Justice Poster Competition. This event gives young researchers an opportunity to present their health disparities-based scholarship and community engagement work to expand their scientific professional skill set. Students and trainees from the six schools of the health sciences, the Schools of Social Work and of Education, as well as the Department of Psychology, submit abstracts for review. Posters are judged for originality, significance to the authors’ field, representation of the poster, research methods, visual impact and presentation skills. Cash prizes are awarded to the winners of each category.

The winners for this year are: Bachelor’s Priya Gupta, School of Social Work “Assessing bias in mobile crisis intervention: An experimental pilot study” Master’s Aparna Ramani, School of Public Health “HDPulse: A resource for understanding disparities in mental health outcomes” Doctoral Oshin Miranda, School of Pharmacy “DeepBiomarker2: Prediction of alcohol and substance abuse disorder risk in post-traumatic stress disorder patients using electronic medical records and multiple social determinants of health parameters”

First Professional Julia Lam, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences “A future beyond survival: Occupational therapy’s role in homelessness” Postdoctoral Fellow Lilcelia (CeCe) Williams, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences “Social characteristics of racial minority stroke survivors and perceived discrimination: A secondary analysis”

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Deans Retreat: Reset, Rewire and Refresh

Saying Goodbye to Paula Davis

The second annual Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (HSDEI)-sponsored Deans Retreat was held on May 12, 2023, in the William Pitt Union. This year’s retreat brought together faculty members as well as other professionals whose work centers on sustaining DEI through innovation and education.

Fred Brown, president and CEO of The Forbes Funds, served as the keynote speaker and focused the event on the well-being of those who work as DEI advocates. Lorie Johnson-Osho, director of Faculty Diversity and Development, Office of the Provost, and Cheryl Ruffin, institutional equity manager, University of Pittsburgh Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, provided insights into supportive avenues for self-care and stress reduction. HSDEI office members also shared their insights with participants. The event concluded with attendees participating in a soul line led by dance instructor Roland Ford.

Paula K. Davis Thank you once again for your vision and perseverance over the last 30 years. As you walk into your new adventure, please remember how much we have appreciated you. May you spend lots of time enjoying your friends, family, hobbies and, of course, Oliver. Congratulations on your retirement and all the incredible years you have dedicated to being an agent of change. Cheers to your retirement!

Clockwise: Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences, Paula K. Davis, former associate vice chancellor, Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Martina Anto-Ocrah, assistant professor of medicine, Department of Medicine.

Proclamations awarded to Associate Vice Chancellor Davis during her retirement party. 37th Annual Great Race in Pittsburgh. Medical Explorers for Minority High School Students graduation.

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Shown in yellow: Roland (the Line Dance King) Ford, died Oct. 14, 2023. He was a champion, colleague and community friend who inspired many to be healthy and fit. He graced the Diversity Deans Retreat in May 2023 with a line dance lesson. We salute his contributions to the University of Pittsburgh community. He will be missed.

—HSDEI Team

More than 150 friends, family and coworkers gathered at the University Club on June 30, 2023, to wish Paula K. Davis, MA, CDE, well on her retirement as associate vice chancellor for health sciences diversity, equity and inclusion. The master of ceremonies for the evening was John M. Wallace, Jr., David E. Epperson Professor and vice provost for faculty diversity and development, University of Pittsburgh. Proclamations were bestowed upon former Associate Vice Chancellor Davis from the City of Pittsburgh Office of Mayor Ed Gainey, Pittsburgh City Council, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and United Way in recognition of her ongoing work and accomplishments within the community. We’d like to extend a special thank you to the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences for its immense support.

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We know that serious health care disparities persist among communities of color and other underrepresented populations. This is particularly true for Pittsburgh, where race, poverty and access to health care remain inextricably connected.

One of the ways to correct these disparities is by expanding access and training health care professionals. We must prepare experts to confront health disparities and promote efforts to correct the imbalances. We also know that an essential step in this effort is recruiting—and retaining—a diverse population of faculty, staff and students. The Office for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion has been proud to partner with the Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to bring the University’s resources to bear on addressing these problems in research, education, clinical practice and outreach.

We acknowledge that there is much work to be done, but our cross-University partnership and collaboration is making real progress in the effort to impact change.

Clyde Wilson Pickett, EdD Vice Chancellor Office for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion University of Pittsburgh

As we work with our community and institutional partners, our expectation is that our work will transform people, systems and institutions to become more diverse, just and inclusive. I want to thank my creative and dedicated colleagues for their impactful work. It will make a difference. As Maat, the ancient Egyptian deity of truth and justice, points out, “We should never close our eyes, our ears, or our hearts to the truth.”

Chenits Pettigrew, Jr., EdD Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Associate Dean for Student Affairs University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

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I am excited about the increased level of collaboration between the HSDEI and the Office of the Provost. The success of the Race and Social Determinants of Equity, Health and Wellbeing (i.e., Race &…) Initiative, including the Cluster Hire and Retention program, is clearly the result of our joint efforts.

HSDEI Team Paula K. Davis, MA, CDE Former Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Health Sciences

John M. Wallace, Jr., PhD Vice Provost, Faculty Diversity and Development Office of the Provost David E. Epperson Professor University of Pittsburgh

The Office of Engagement and Community Affairs (ECA) regularly works with thought partners and collaborators across Pitt to implement innovative community engagement programs. ECA considers HSDEI one of those close collaborators, especially in the area of building faculty and staff capacity to undertake high-quality community engagement. Over the past year, HSDEI has actively participated in ECA’s Engagement Community of Practice as well as partnered with ECA to ensure a close link between the Community Engaged Scholarship Forum (CESF) and the inaugural Health Sciences Social Justice Education Summit.

Vice Chancellor Lina Dostilio copresented at the summit with Jamilah Ducar about community engagement infrastructure and the next week, Associate Vice Chancellor Paula Davis copresented with Noble Maseru at the forum to review summit proceedings and outcomes. The HSDEI team has committed to coleading the Health Equity thread at the 2024 CESF to ensure strong continued involvement across the schools of the health sciences.

Lina Dostillo, EdD Vice Chancellor of Engagement and Community Affairs University of Pittsburgh

Lisa Upsher, MSOL Director, HSDEI Noble A-W Maseru, PhD, MPH Director of Social Justice, Racial Equity and Faculty Engagement, HSDEI Bee Schindler, EdD, MSW Assistant Director, HSDEI Karla Perelstine, MEd Communications Specialist, HSDEI Mary Ann Merranko Administrative Assistant, HSDEI

Rear, from left: Noble A-W Maseru, Bee Schindler and Karla Perelstine Foreground, from left: Paula Davis, Mary Ann Merranko and Lisa Upsher

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Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

School of Dental Medicine

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Partnerships Consulting Recruitment Training/Education

School of Medicine

School of Nursing

Universtiy of Pittsburgh Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion M216E Alan Magee Scaife Hall 3550 Terrace St. Pittsburgh, PA 15261 Phone: +1-412-648-2066 Fax: +1-412-383-5728 diversity@hs.pitt.edu healthdiversity.pitt.edu

Find us on: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFcNzF8L_OoRCZI-PxOTzog

School of Pharmacy

https://twitter.com/PittHSDiversity https://www.facebook.com/groups/202236102541

School of Public Health

https://www.instagram.com/pittohsdei/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/hsdei-university-of-pittsburgh-541b68258/

The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution.

Produced by the Office of Strategic Communications for the Health Sciences

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