Diversity

As a public institution, our charge is to develop a workforce that reflects the diversity of the state of California.

The Department of Medicine has a longstanding commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and considers it to be integral to fulfilling our mission to develop and support innovators in patient care, scientific discovery, medical education, and public policy. Our best practices in staff and academic diversity have been recognized by UCSF every year since it began honoring such efforts in 1999.

Faculty, Leadership, and Patient Care

The DOM continues to make progress in increasing the numbers of female and UIM faculty and leaders. Fully half of major leadership positions are held by women and the percentage of UIM faculty has steadily increased year over year.

The support doesn’t end with the hiring; as a member of our department, we are committed to the implementation of antiracist policies and bolstering of DEI platforms to provide a supportive environment for all to thrive. In addition to programs to promote the recruitment of faculty from UIM and marginalized backgrounds, we continue to expand efforts to retain our faculty, by focusing on transparency, creating opportunity, building community, and fostering belonging.

In addition to our efforts at the departmental level, there is a major increase in DEI work within our divisions, led by designated DEI champions. These division DEI leaders create local programs to ensure equity and inclusion, amplify the work across all platforms, and to share strategies on how to advance this work. Find out more about Diversity in the Divisions.

Each division has a representative on the Council for Faculty Experience, which ensures that all faculty have equal access to development and advancement. That means making sure everyone understands how to access key resources, earn promotions, become a leader, and achieve work-life balance. For early career faculty, this might translate into finding appropriate mentors or learning how to manage money in a region with a high cost of living. For mid-career faculty, it might mean refining and pursuing their career path. Faculty researchers have access to several programs specifically designed to support women and URM researchers as well as those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

DOM patient care programs are a testament to our deep commitment to promoting health equity. From addressing food insecurity, providing rural care to veterans, to improving access for those with limited English proficiency, our faculty and researchers are committed to addressing health disparities across all sites – UCSF Health, San Francisco VA, and ZSFG.

Trainees

To better serve the multi-ethnic population of California, the Residency Diversity Committee was established in 1993 to increase the number of trainees whose backgrounds are underrepresented in medicine and to promote an inclusive and supportive environment for all. We are particularly proud of our Internal Medicine Residency program, which continues to grow in the number of residents from groups underrepresented in medicine. Our fellowships have also seen a significant increase in diversity, and our Fellowship Diversity Committee, continues to provide opportunities for all fellows across the DOM to build networks, strategize about career choices, and find community.

This more diverse pipeline of trainees will become our future faculty and leaders.

Learn more about DEI in our Internal Medicine Residency program, including how we are advancing diversity through our recruitment efforts, incorporating it into our curriculum, and providing mentorship and community building opportunities.

Details about DEI efforts in our fellowship programs can be found on each division’s website.

Staff

Progress in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is built upon institutional as well as individual commitments to learning, reflection, and dialogue. To encourage our staff to strengthen their knowledge and behaviors to advance DEIB and allyship, a specific staff-focused DEIB committee was created. Staff members at any level are invited to apply to serve a two-year term.

The Staff DEIB Committee developed the DEIB-365 Lifelong Learning Program for staff, training which includes DEI Champion Training along with sessions about allyship, communication, and management skills. Staff who complete the program receive a certificate and special recognition from the department chair.

Diversity by the Numbers

Read the most recent report by Meshell Johnson (Chief, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, SFVAHCS and Associate Chair, DEI) and Bob Wachter (Chair, Department of Medicine.)

Contact Us

Name	Email address
Meshell Johnson Associate Chair for DEI	[email protected]
Sarah Alba-Nguyen Director of GME Diversity	[email protected]
Urmimala Sarkar Associate Chair for Faculty Experience	[email protected]
Aaron Tabacco Director of Staff Experience	[email protected]

The Department of Medicine is committed to creating a diverse environment where our extraordinary faculty, staff, and trainees can do their best work. Read our most recent updates about how we're building a workplace where all our people are treated with dignity and respect.

DEI in the DOM