Just as physicians take your pulse to make assessments on your physical health, the leadership of the Arizona Health Sciences campus will gather to share and gain insights from its faculty and staff on the state of diversity at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson (COM).
What is diversity? Is it ethnicity? Is it fluency in a foreign language? Is it an awareness of cultural taboos? Does it involve socioeconomic status or literacy level? Why does it matter in health care? And why does it matter at the COM? The COM Office of Diversity and Inclusion, along with campus leadership, is asking you to explore the various dimensions of diversity and to provide input on why diversity is necessary for excellence.
RSVP and don’t miss this opportunity to provide interactive and anonymous input during a networking reception taking place from 5 - 7 p.m. at Kiewit Auditorium in the UA Cancer Center on Tuesday, December 10.
Enjoy wine, holiday foods, good company and a golden opportunity to provide your input during the reception. Your input during the reception will be used to develop and enhance future diversity initiatives and inclusivity on campus.
You are invited to participate both anonymously with your smart phone and/or to verbally share your ideas about the various dimensions of diversity, and why diversity matters in medicine.
Interactive poll technology will be used to encourage free-flowing and anonymous discourse about diversity. Dr. Joe "Skip" Garcia, senior vice president, Health Sciences; Dr. Steve Goldschmid, dean, College of Medicine; Dr. Lori Alvord, associate dean for Student Affairs and Admission; Dr. Anne Wright, senior associate dean, Faculty Affairs; Dr. Francisco Moreno, deputy dean of Diversity and Inclusion, will facilitate the discussion and share their thoughts on diversity.
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion at the UA COM is dedicated to promoting respect for elements of diversity, including race, ethnicity, culture, physical abilities, talents, language, spiritual practices, sexual orientation, gender identity and life experiences.
“This commitment to diversity is essential to the successful attainment of our mission at the UA COM to promote health and improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease for all the people of Arizona and beyond, through education, research and patient care,” said Dr. Moreno.
The December 10 reception is the first event of a planned Diversity Matters series to begin in the spring of 2014, said Sofia Ramos, Ph.D., M.B.A., administrator of leadership development at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
The series will promote college-wide conversations and promote an understanding of issues of diversity in medicine. Said Ramos, “As we prepare the next generation of medical practitioners who graduate from our institution, the series will aid our understanding of how diversity is currently perceived and operationalized on campus.”