Greetings U of U Colleagues and Friends! In this New Year, we’d like to let you know the things we are doing and invite you to work with us as we try to make the University of Utah Health campus the best that it can be. For last 4 months, we have had monthly collaborative meetings with diversity leaders throughout the health sciences campus to talk about their plans for diversity and specific things they have done that have worked well and recognize additional opportunities for growth. We have learned how Bioscience has undergone a transformation in their graduate program, going from zero diverse doctoral students to 30%. We also heard from PA Program, NARI, and College of Pharmacy – all who modeled for us ways to create a workforce that is prepared to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse population. We applaud the efforts of these programs and individuals and look forward to showcasing more of the excellent work being done across campus! We are also delighted to let you know that we have been working closely with Health Sciences Advancement leaders to find a plan to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups in all of our schools/colleges. Part of this will be done through financial aid and scholarships and is being led by Senior Executive Director of Advancement, Matt Spencer. We’ve met with community leaders throughout the Salt Lake and Ogden Valleys learning what the community needs and how we can best serve them. Additionally, we are working on identifying point people to help each school/college to sustain and improve on our welcoming environment. Part of our 2019 New Year’s resolution is that our office is going to work hard to meet your needs as you have challenges and opportunities that come your way. We welcome your concerns and requests, and we will work hard to make our office serve each one of our seven constituencies. One particular challenge has been the difficulty in recruiting faculty from diverse backgrounds and asking them to choose Salt Lake as their home. We are now able to provide better assistance in that area with the help of a new team member, Teshia Griswold-Koffi. Another team change is that we said good-bye at the end of the year to Nick Girling, and welcomed back Kathryn Browning. As we remember the birth of one of our national heroes this month, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., may we remember and apply his words, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” José E. Rodríguez, MD, FAAFP
Interim Associate Vice President, Health Equity & Inclusion
Professor, Family & Preventive Medicine
Family Medicine, Redwood Health Center