OED Diversity Matters Newsletter - April 2020

DIVERSITY MATTERS

MARCH – APRIL 2020

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Taste of Arabia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 NSAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Black History Month. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Diversity Passport Program. . . . . . . . . 3 BSA Awards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Diversity Certificate Conference. . . . 4-6 Documenting Your Contributions . . . 6 International Students Association . . . 7 Speakers Bureau. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 SAAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Book Club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Mandatory Reporter Training. . . . . . . 8 Women's History Month. . . . . . . . . . . . 8

SAUDI STUDENTS ASSOCIATION HOSTS

TASTE OF ARABIA Written by Jackie Denton

Mini-Grants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Religious Holidays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

On Friday, February 21st, the Saudi Students Association (SSA), a newly formed six-member student organization, hosted their inaugural event, Taste of Arabia.

OFFICE OF EQUITY AND DIVERSITY TEAM

Taste of Arabia brought the campus together to learn more about the culture of Saudi Arabia and featured music, authentic cuisine, and souvenirs for visitors to take home.

uthsc.edu/oed/staff Michael Alston, EdD, CCDP/AP Assistant Vice Chancellor/CDO Olivia Ralph, JD Compliance Officer Lauren Rotonda, JD, MBA Compliance Officer Dominique Crockett, MHA Associate Assurance Consultant Tiffinie Snowden Inclusion and Engagement Coordinator Isabella Porcaro, MA Administrative Aide The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/ Section 504/ADA/ADEA/V institution in the provision of its education and employment programs and services.

“I’m proud to announce that we are the first Saudi association on campus,” said Manal Alshakhs, a graduate student in Health Informatics and president of SSA. This past December, the student group received approval to become an official student organization at UTHSC. “Everybody told us, you’re crazy, you are just five students on campus,” said Alshakhs. “You cannot start an association. One of you is about to graduate and two of you are new on campus. You cannot do it. We said – we can, and we will. We have a mission and we have a vision. And we have goals.”

Their vision is to host scientific, cultural, and volunteer opportunities for the UTHSC scientific community, Saudi students, and local Memphians with a mission of being a valuable asset to those groups. The group plans to celebrate their holidays, national day, and share their culture, leaving an impact through their involvement with events throughout campus. The group also plans to give back to the community through volunteer opportunities.

“We'd like to work on projects that are sustainable in the Memphis community,” said Alshakhs. “We want to work on projects that will go on. We want to be a center for Saudi newcomers on campus and surrounding universities.”

DIVERSITY MATTERS

MARCH – APRIL 2020

NATIONAL STALKING AWARENESS MONTH JANUARY 2020 To commemorate National Stalking Awareness month, the Office of Equity and Diversity (OED) and Office of Human Resources took a photo of the campus investigation team. Stalking is prohibited conduct at UTHSC according to the SMRVS-R Policy. Additionally, the campus community had multiple opportunities to win a free NSAM themed t-shirt after answering some stalking focused questions. After multiple successful tabling efforts, several winners were able to retrieve their t-shirt.

REMEMBRANCE, RESILIENCE AND RESEARCH:

A CONVERSATION ON BIOETHICS FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH To commemorate Black History Month, The Office of Equity and Diversity and Office of Special Events hosted a panel to discuss bioethical considerations pertaining to research studies within African American communities. Our talented and well-informed panelists included: Dr. Nikia Grayson, CNM, FNP-C, Director of Perinatal Services at Choices; Jessica McMorris, regulatory specialist at the Institutional Review Board for UTHSC; Anjelica Saulsberry, fourth year medical student at UTHSC and Dr. Stephen Sodeke, professor of bioethics at Tuskegee University. Members of the UTHSC community – and beyond thanks to the live feature offered—were able to hear the panelists respond to several questions centering the current mistrust of African Americans within the medical field and more specifically, the research community.

When members of the audience asked about steps moving forward with establishing trust and increasing enrollment in clinical trials, panelists agreed that by acknowledging the history of abuse that occurred with African Americans in past trials, we can begin to move forward with creating relationships that allow for trust to be established and maintained by positioning their knowledge of their bodies as equally important as the physician or respective principal investigator’s set of knowledge. Dr. Sodeke introduced the audience to this idea of epistemic humility.

Epistemic humility concludes that “true wisdom is only possible when we reckon the gaps and limitations of our own knowledge.”

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THE DIVERSITY PASSPORT PROGRAM HAS BEEN “SEEING THE WORLD IN MEMPHIS!”

The Diversity Passport Program (DPP) has been on the move! The program’s first cohort has been on tours of Rhodes College, LeMoyneOwen College and most recently the Stax Museum of American Soul Music! This experiential journey has allowed students, staff, faculty and trainees of the UTHSC community to see the diversity throughout the city of Memphis. The DPP, an academic year commitment, wraps up in May, with those participants who have achieved all the necessary requirements to receive their certificates and prizes!

BLACK STUDENT ASSOCIATION

CELEBRATES STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT AWARDS CEREMONY Written by Jackie Denton The Black Student Association (BSA) held their annual Awards Ceremony and Presentation Friday, February 28th at the Student-Alumni Center.

The event celebrates and honors the accomplishments of African American students at UTHSC. The awards ceremony which debuted in 1992, is an important tradition for the campus and reflects on the diversity and inclusion mission of the university and its students.

This year’s keynote speaker was Reginald W. Coopwood, MD, president and CEO of Regional One Health. Arianna Poindexter, reporter and news anchor for WMC Action News 5, served as master of ceremonies.

Six students representing each college were recognized at this year’s awards ceremony.

Read more here.

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DIVERSITY MATTERS

MARCH – APRIL 2020

DIVERSITY CERTIFICATE PROGRAM SPRING 2020 CONFERENCE The Office of Equity and Diversity hosted the second annual Diversity Certificate Conference on March 9th and 10th.

The cohort was made up of almost 75 members, coming from UTHSC and other UT System campuses, such as UT Martin, UT Knoxville, and the UT Institute for Public Service, as well as from institutes external of the UT system. The format of the conference was a condensed version of OED’s four-month Diversity Certificate Program, which runs on a semesterly-styled format in the fall.

Resolution, Practicing Cultural Humility, Accommodation Process: ADA & Religion, and Unconscious Bias: Understand it to Challenge it. In addition to the core courses, they also attended three electives of their choice and a special panel discussion about Women in IT, featuring Lisa Hall, the Executive Director and Lean Initiative Leader for Business Productivity in the Department of Information Technology Services; Vikki Massey, the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Information Technology Services and the Deputy Chief Information Officer; and Dr. C. Judith Nyabando, the Director of Institutional Research in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

Cohort members of the conference participated in the six core courses: Diversity and Inclusion Literacy, Management Supervision: What’s Law Got to Do with It?, Conflict

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR DIVERSITY CERTIFICATE CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS! Leigh Ann S. Barns Residency Coordinator General Medical Education - Psychiatry Desiree Blaine Administrative Coordinator Campus Police Debra Bolton Admissions Counselor Enrollment Management Natalie Brewer Digital Content Specialist Communications and Marketing Teresa Britt Director Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation

Chanda Dunn Social Worker Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities Sheryta Edwards Admissions Counselor Student Affairs

Dr. Joani Jack Assistant Professor UT College of Medicine, Pediatrics—Chattanooga

Joyce Freeman Administrative Aide College of Pharmacy

Debbie Jackson Director Human Resources

Sherelle Funderburg Accounting Assistant Office of Finance – Contracts

Reneta Jackson Banner Specialist Bursar’s Office

Adam Gaines Creative Services Manager Communications and Marketing

Florine Jones Senior Administrative Services Assistant College of Nursing

Dr. Brandy Brown Assistant Director Student Life

Tarlesha Gales Compensation Analyst Human Resources

Clarence Carver Jr. Design Coordinator Communications and Marketing

Allen Gillespie Digital Content Manager Communications and Marketing

Brenda Chaves-Torres Administrative Specialist II University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine Dean’s Office - Knoxville

Kelley Gober Recruitment Business Partner UTK Human Resources

Jacquelyne Cotton Executive Administrative Aide Office of Finance Lyncie Crawford Administrative Coordinator I College of Graduate Health Science Dominique Crutchfield Recruiting Coordinator College of Nursing - Student Affairs Dr. Martin Donaldson Associate Professor College of Dentistry Pediatric Dentistry Timothy Dotson Standardized Patient Trainer Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation

Diane Holmes Purchasing Agent Procurement Services

Dr. Carolyn Graff Professor College of Nursing Lemmie Griggs Assistant Director Student Affairs Marion Grinston Administrative Coordinator Office of Finance Amaya Hamilton Student Academic Coordinator College of Pharmacy Cicely Hicks Operations Manager College of Medicine - Physiology Elisha Hodge Legal Consultant University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service-MTAS – Knoxville 5

Lori Beth Jones Training Specialist, Human Resources University of Tennessee – Martin Erin Keafer Assistant Director of English Programs University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service-TLC – Nashville Brandi Lewis Administrative Coordinator I Office of Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs Patrick Loggins Ref & Air Supervisor Facilities Gabrielle Marshall HR Recruiting Assistant Human Resources Victoria McCoy Lab Animal Tech II Lab Animal Care Unit Adrian McLain Recruiting Coordinator College of Nursing - Student Affairs Dr. Syreeta McTavous Assistant Professor College of Dentistry - General Dentistry

CONGRATULATIONS (CONTINUED) Susan Miller Administrative Coordinator Registrar's Office

Dr. David Rasner Assistant Professor Diagnostic Sciences

April Thompson Accounting Assistant General Medical Education

Dr. Akram Mohammed Data Manager Center for Biomedical Informatics Pediatrics

Dr. Marianna Rivas Coppola Assistant Professor College of Medicine, Pediatrics – Neurology

Denise Norman Program Coordinator Le Bonheur – Pediatrics

Audrey Robinson Learning & Organizational Development Coordinator University of Tennessee Knoxville, Human Resources

Dr. Orpheus Triplett Assistant Dean, Community Oral Health and Outreach and Associate Professor College of Dentistry Pediatric Dentistry

Paula Odom Residency Coordinator II General Medical Education—OBGYN Dr. Mukta Panda Professor UT College of Medicine, Internal Medicine—Chattanooga Katrina Parnell Senior Fee Control Clerk College of Dentistry Eliane Pater Education Specialist Student Life Chris Payne Training Consultant University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service-CTAS – Nashville Lyndsay Pittman Registrar Student Affairs Dr. Marion Platt Area Commander Salvation Army Melissa Rabalais HR Assistant Human Resources

Ann Salina-Tucker Director Student Affairs Devin Scott Instructional Consultant Teaching and Learning Center Kelly Shempert Contracts Coordinator College of Medicine - Admin Core Anatomy MIB Path

Felicia Washington Assistant Dean College of Graduate Health Sciences Michael Washington Director, Human Resources University of Tennessee - Martin Paula Webber Admissions Counselor Enrollment Management Deborah Williams Accounting Assistant Bursar’s Office

Alexandria Slayden Senior Research Assistant Pharmacology

Larry Williams HR Coordinator College of Medicine - Pediatrics

Haley Smith Residency Coordinator I General Medical Education

Verlesha Wilson Associate Registrar Enrollment Management

April Suttles Adm. Compliance Coordinator Office of Compliance Review Kara Tapp Director University of Tennessee Martin, Educational Outreach

Dr. Marinthus Zeeman Assistant Professor West TN Family Practice Lisa Zeigler Coordinator II Office of Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs

“DOCUMENTING YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION” AVAILABLE FOR THE ENTIRE CAMPUS on our website uthsc.edu/oed under ‘News and Events’, you will find a form for you to fill out to document any initiative that has contributed to campus diversity and fostered a culture of inclusion in all its forms at UTHSC. This form is available for use by students, trainees, staff and faculty.

Have you or your department recently hosted an event that contributes to diversity and inclusion on campus? Have you always wanted to document that you ARE helping the campus foster a more inclusive and diverse environment? The Office of Equity and Diversity has just what you need! Located 6

DIVERSITY MATTERS

MARCH – APRIL 2020

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION My name is Arif Rahman and I am from Bangladesh. I came to Memphis in August 2014 to join the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center (UTHSC) to pursue my PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences. After accepting the offer, I started immediately looking for someone from Bangladesh in the hope that their experience as a Arif Rahman newcomer will help me transitioning smoothly to a foreign life. Bangladesh and USA are significantly different in their cultural and socioeconomical structure. Luckily, there was one graduate student in the Biomedical Sciences department named Shariful Shipon who helped me greatly in my first few months in America which I believe is the most challenging time for an international student.

multifarious backgrounds is only possible in America. On top of that, beginning 2015, each year one Bangladeshi student joined UT, most of whom I already knew from my Undergraduate University, University of Dhaka. In fact, one of them, Sanjana Haque became my life partner in 2018.

Sanjana was the recent ISA president. With the help of her friends, she has played a tremendous role in making ISA a more active and resourceful organization with tenacious effort in the last couple of years.

As a graduate student under the mentorship of Dr. Santosh Kumar, I enjoyed every bit of my experience at the UTHSC. Like many students, it was never a smooth journey. But I believe the roller-coaster ride of a graduate student’s road to PhD is worthwhile and it makes you tougher in every aspects of the life. In the department, I tried my best to connect with all my fellow students by being involved with organizations like the AAPS student chapter. I served as Chair-elect and Chair for the chapter in 2016 and 2017 respectively. This experience helped me enormously to hone my leadership skills. Even though I made a few mistakes during this period but it ultimately helped me to learn how to effectively deal with diverse group of people.

In my graduate training, I investigated the role of drug metabolizing enzyme in mediating alcohol- and acetaminophen-induced toxicity in HIV infected and non-infected population. I defended my dissertation on valentines’ day in 2019. For my next journey, I started a prestigious fellowship with the National Institute of Environmental Health (NIH/NIEHS) in North Carolina.

Under the National Toxicology Program, I am enhancing my molecular biology and toxicology skills by incorporating the aspects of computational and systems biology skills.

I love my current position just as much I loved my time at the UTHSC. For new students, especially those who come from a foreign country, I would like to say one thing- enjoy the time as a graduate student as much as you can. Make new friends every day, enjoy foods from all over the world, and explore the boundless resources that America and its education system offers. The life outside of lab is as important as the life inside the lab!

At the beginning, I felt there was less diversity in terms of students and postdocs in my department as well as in the UTHSC as a whole. However, slowly but steadily, the enrollment of international students from various countries increased and the scenario started to change. The role of International Students Association (ISA) started to expand due to growing interests among students to learn more about other student’s culture, food, and life in general. I served as the Secretary and the President of ISA in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Over the years, I became friends with students from India, Spain, China, Venezuela, Nepal, Ghana, etc. This global level interaction with people from

LOOKING FOR PUBLIC SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES? JOIN THE UTHSC SPEAKERS BUREAU! By connecting local groups and civic organizations with institutional experts, the Speakers Bureau helps put the Public Service prong of the UTHSC Mission Statement into action.

Now is the perfect time to register as a speaker! We just completed our first external mailing campaign in January, and so far we have reached out to over 100 groups in Memphis and the surrounding areas. Eventually, we will extend our outreach efforts to include community organizations located throughout the state of Tennessee.

Speaking engagement inquiries are starting to come in, and we are receiving requests for speakers who can present on a wide range of topics. Register now so we can connect you with a local group whose interests align with your experience and expertise!

To register as a speaker or for more information, please visit the Speakers Bureau page at uthsc.edu/oed/speakers-bureau.

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DIVERSITY MATTERS

MARCH – APRIL 2020

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION BOOK CLUB

SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH APRIL 2020

"Becoming" book discussion on February 27th in the Madison Plaza Lobby.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is an annual campaign to raise public awareness about sexual assault and educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence.

MANDATORY REPORTER TRAINING: SPRING 2020

Each year, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center recognizes Sexual Assault Awareness Month during the month of April by hosting a number of awareness and education events for the UTHSC community. This year, the Office of Equity has coordinated a campus-wide “Wear teal” campaign in commemoration of Sexual Assault Awareness month on April 7th, in alignment with the National Day of Action. Additional activities include a SAAM BBQ Kickoff event with on-campus and community partners on April 8th, a screening of “The Hunting Ground” with a debriefing session with Campus Police and the Crime Victims Rape Crisis Center on April 15th, and Bystander Intervention class on April 22nd.

Each year, all UTHSC employees are required to complete Mandatory Reporter training. The role of a Mandatory Reporter is to report allegations of sexual misconduct that takes place on or off campus to the Title IX Coordinator, and the training demonstrates the importance of taking all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously as a Mandatory Reporter. The training becomes available in April and must be completed by May 31, 2019. For the convenience of employees, the Office of Equity and Diversity provides two options for completing this training: online or face-toface. Stay tuned for more information about this required annual training.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH | MARCH 2020 The 2020 theme celebrates the women who have fought for woman’s right to vote in the United States. In recognition of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, we will honor women from the original suffrage movement as well as 20th and 21st century women who have continued the struggle (fighting against poll taxes, literacy tests, voter roll purges, and other more contemporary forms of voter suppression) to ensure voting rights for all. nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/2020-theme 8

DIVERSITY MATTERS

MARCH – APRIL 2020

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS March 1:

St. David of Wales - Christian

Intercalary Days end - Baha'i

March 2–20: Nineteen Day Fast * - Baha'i March 6:

Ash Wednesday - Lent begins- Christian

March 17:

St. Patrick's Day - Christian

March 20: Equinox Ostara - Mabon * - Wicca/Pagan Northern and Southern hemispheres

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MINI-GRANTS The Office of Equity and Diversity is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture for all members of the UTHSC community. Diversity and Inclusion Mini-Grants are targeted toward creative projects that impact UTHSC’s strategic diversity goals of the university’s strategic plan.

DEADLINE: MAY 1, 2020 (11:59 PM) The goals of the D&I Mini-Grant Program are: • to encourage faculty, staff, and students to be actively involved in supporting the university’s cross-cutting strategic goal to foster and sustain a diverse and inclusive campus culture.

March 21:

Norooz (New Year) - Persian/Zoroastrian

Naw-Rúz (New Year) * - Baha'i

Hola Mohalla - Sikh

Magha Puja Day ** - Buddhist

Lord's Evening Meal Jehovah's Witness Christian

Purim * - Jewish

March 28: Khordad Sal (Birth of Prophet Zarathushtra) ** - Zoroastrian April 3:

Laylat al Miraj * - Islam

April 9:

Mahavir Jayanti ** - Jain

April 14:

Baisakhi (Vaisakhi) - Sikh

Palm Sunday - Christian

April 18:

Maundy Thursday - Christian

April 19-21: Theravadin New Year ** - Buddhist

• to promote diversity and inclusion in recruitment efforts.

April 19:

• to support in the development of initiatives and programs designed to aid in retention of diverse faculty, staff, students, and trainees.

April 20-27: Pesach * - Jewish April 20:

Lazarus Saturday - Orthodox Christian

• to fund initiatives and programs with innovative approaches to diversity and inclusion.

April 21:

Easter - Christian

Through this program, individuals and groups will have the opportunity to provide innovative programming to assist in recruitment and retention of diverse individuals and to seek engagement from all members of the UTHSC community in our diverse and inclusive culture.

Interested members of the community can find more information online.

First Day of Ridvan * - Baha'i

Lailat al Bara'ah * - Islam

Palm Sunday - Orthodox Christian

April 29:

Ninth Day of Ridvan - Baha'i

For more information, please contact: Office of Equity and Diversity | 920 Madison Ave. | Suite 825 t 901.448.2112 | f 901.448.1120

uthsc.edu/oed

Good Friday - Christian

* Holy days usually begin at sundown the day before this date. ** Local or regional customs may use a variation of this date.