Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

HMS DEI Committee was established in November 2020 with group of 8 volunteers. This is the inaugural HMS DEI Committee.

Professor Ali Mokdad serves as the Chair of the committee, in his role as Associate Chair for Equity for the department. Other members include faculty members and student at various ranks and backgrounds, and membership was established through an application process. Committee members are expected to serve for at least one year, and we are currently meeting at minimum twice monthly to discuss our objectives and progress. Our work focuses specifically on HMS community, such as : recruitment and support for our students, postdocs, and faculty members, ensuring DEI is supported in our education programs, and supporting DEI related research activities by our academics.

Committee Members

Katrin Burkart (she/her)
Assistant Professor

Lisa Force (she/her)
Assistant Professor

Simon Hay (he/him)
Professor

Bernardo Hernandez Prado (he/him)
Professor

Justin Lo (he/him)
Student, Master of Science program

Ali Mokdad (he/him) – Committee Chair
Professor, Associate Chair for Equity

Mina O’Brien (she/her)
Academic Programs Manager

Bobby Reiner (he/him)
Associate Professor

HMS DEI Committee sets annual goals with focus on areas of research, recruitment, retention, education & training, and communication and collaboration. Goals for the current academic year are :

• Increase & standardizing reach out to Underrepresented Minority (URM) community groups for student/postdoc/faculty recruitments
• Update HMS mentorship programs with intentional focus on supporting URM groups
• Anti-racist and anti-colonialism lens on training/teaching materials
• Build Departmental DEI Communication plan – consistent & cohesive with IHME DEI Council, UW
• Build holistic knowledge-base of what DEI research is being done by faculty at IHME/HMS and foster intra-/inter-departmental connections

Additional details forthcoming – please contact healthms@uw.edufor questions in the meantime.

• The Lancet: More than half of police killings in USA are unreported and Black Americans are most likely to experience fatal police violence
• US Health Care Spending by Race and Ethnicity, 2002-2016

• Disability Resources for Students
• Disability Services Office

• Affinity Groups at UW
  
  • Asian and Pacific Islander American Faculty & Staff Association
  • Black Faculty & Staff Association
  • Latinx Faculty & Staff Association
  • Native Faculty & Staff Association
  • Queer (Q) Faculty, Staff, and Allies Affinity Group

• The D Center – UW’s Disability and d/Deaf Cultural center, a space where students can study, organize, rest and attend events and programs focusing on supporting and celebrating disability and D/deaf communities at the UW and beyond

• Graduate Opportunities and Minority Achievement Program (GO-MAP) – provides leadership and advocacy to achieve equitable representation, access and success for graduate students of color at the University of Washington

• Leadership Without Borders (LWB) – serves and empowers undocumented students at the University of Washington

• Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center (students) – serves and empowers historically marginalized and underrepresented students by providing educational and cultural opportunities for holistic development

• Native Life & Tribal Relations – centralizes Native-focused resources available on the University of Washington’s campus in Seattle

• UW Network of Underrepresented Residents and Fellows (NURF) – promote cultural diversity in medicine through community involvement, education, advocacy, policy, mentorship, professional networking and recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in medicine

• Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity (OMA&D) – works to increase diversity on campus and enrich the collegiate experience of all UW students, faculty and staff

• Transgender resources for UW employees – resources for employees and departments

• Veterans Education Benefits Office – supports UW service members and their families as they further their education

• Women’s Center – promotes gender equity and social justice on campus and in the larger community
  

• UW Allies – Allies are faculty who provide trainees (including graduate students and postdocs) with support during conflict with mentors and lab mates, assistance in navigating institutional barriers to success, and connection with institutional and community services. Allies stand in solidarity with trainees, so they don’t have to face challenges alone.

• UW Medicine : Bias Reporting Tool

• UW Office of Ombud – Support on preventing, navigating and resolving conflict at the UW

• University Complaint Investigation and Resolution Office (UCIRO) – investigates complaints that a University employee has violated the University’s non-discrimination and/or non-retaliation policies

• WA Employee Assistance Program – The Washington State Employee Assistance Program (WA EAP) supports PEBB-eligible University of Washington employees and their household members to help identify and resolve personal concerns to promote individual and workplace wellbeing.

• Let’s Talk – Let’s Talk is a program that connects UW students with support from experienced counselors from the Counseling Center and Hall Health without an appointment.

• LiveWell – Student Coaching and Care Program

• MySSP – MySSP is a free, confidential, and 24/7 mental health and crisis intervention support program for students in multiple languages or your Bothell, Seattle, or Tacoma campus counseling center.

• Safe Campus – Support for UW students and staff impacted by gender- and sex-based harassment & violence

• UW Emergency Aid – Emergency Aid assists students who are experiencing unexpected financial hardships