Dear Health Equity Collaborative, By now I am sure you know that one of our residents in family medicine, Dr. Sarah Hawley, was murdered on Sunday, January 27th in a case of intimate partner violence. She was an amazing person, and everyone in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine personally feels her loss. Our sympathies continue to go out to her family, the members of her residency class, and all others who are mourning her loss. While we do not know all of the details, it is clear that now we mourn and deal with our grief. Many of us are still mourning the loss of Lauren McCluskey, who was also taken from us due to intimate partner violence. Grieving is not enough and now is the time for action. We need to address the societal factors that continue to allow for intimate partner violence, and we need to continue to implement interventions to protect our children from violence within their relationships. For now, show your love for the people you care about and give yourself time to mourn. When you are ready, we want to hear from you. Our office is collaborating and putting together tools and forums to promote healing on our campus. We will be here to learn and implement culture change together to prevent heinous crimes like these. With a heavy heart José José E. Rodríguez, MD, FAAFP
Interim Associate Vice President, Health Equity & Inclusion
Professor, Family & Preventive Medicine
Family Medicine, Redwood Health Center