UCSF Reorganizes Diversity-Related Efforts Under One Office
Renee Navarro, MD, PharmD
As part of UCSF’s ongoing commitment to strengthening diversity and outreach, the University is coordinating and consolidating programs under the recently formed Office of Diversity and Outreach.
The restructuring also reflects the University's work to achieve operational excellence and efficiencies.
“Establishing a centralized office will facilitate greater collaboration, improve our effectiveness and serve as the lynch pin for cultural transformation on our campus,” said Renee Navarro, MD, PharmD, who was named vice chancellor for diversity and outreach in December 2010. “We will coordinate and assess diversity activities on campus and identify areas of need so as to implement more diversity training and accountability measures.”
Several departments and units including Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity and Diversity, Sexual Harassment Prevention and Resolution and the LGBT Resource Center will now fall under the umbrella of the diversity office overseen by Navarro.
"There is a tremendous amount of expertise in the area of diversity on this campus. Offices such as Affirmative Action office, LGBT Resource Center and gender equity have each made outstanding contributions relative to diversity issues and we look forward to building on the successes they have established.”
The creation of the vice chancellor position and the Office of Diversity and Outreach are among the major recommendations contained in a report from a campuswide diversity subcommittee that Navarro herself co-chaired last year. These recommendations included the establishment of a central diversity office to oversee, incorporate and consolidate some existing UCSF programs and offices to further enhance UCSF’s diversity efforts and strengthen their alignment with UCSF’s mission and priorities.
New Developments in Diversity
Navarro detailed new developments about the reorganization of diversity-related efforts in a recent letter to UCSF leaders. Here is that letter in its entirety:
At UCSF we are committed to developing an inclusive environment where diversity is valued and celebrated. In December 2010 [PDF], I was honored to be appointed as the first Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Outreach, reporting directly to the Chancellor and serving as a member of the Chancellor’s Executive Cabinet.
UCSF has a long commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is integral to fulfilling our mission to deliver the highest standard of excellence in health care delivery, scholarly research, community service and training the next generation of health care professionals. The new Office of Diversity and Outreach is charged with leading this campus-wide effort.
As part of this role, one of my key responsibilities is to strengthen and integrate diversity efforts across campus. We have completed an initial phase of due diligence and after careful review of current diversity programs at UCSF, the recommendations of recent UCSF reports, and diversity infrastructures at peer institutions, we are evolving the structure of the Office of Diversity and Outreach to better capture UCSF’s collective enthusiasm and energy for these important efforts.
As such, the Office of Diversity and Outreach will serve as the centralized entity for campus diversity and will oversee current units and programs related to diversity and outreach. This will include the work of Affirmative Action, Sexual Harassment Prevention and Resolution, the LGBT resource center, issues of gender equity and related education and training.
I am very pleased that with this new structure we will achieve greater efficiencies while improving our excellence in diversity, consistent with the Operational Excellence initiative and the Chancellor’s promise.
Moving forward, the crucial work of fostering equal opportunity, equity, inclusion and promoting affirmative action, sexual harassment prevention, campus education and training will form the foundation of our new comprehensive campus-wide strategic plan for diversity that will set the direction for UCSFs future diversity initiatives.
As part of this evolution, there will be resulting staffing and organizational changes to ensure strategic alignment of current diversity and outreach initiatives. New positions have been created to ensure the objectives of the Office of Diversity and Outreach are met.
In addition, a new investigations unit in the Human Resources organization will be established to consolidate and coordinate existing investigatory areas leading to a more uniform and efficient approach to resolving complaints. These alignments will allow UCSF to build upon its commitment to diversity and excellence with the highest level of efficiency and integration. Details will be made available in the coming weeks. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply to open positions, as internal candidates will be considered first.
At UCSF, our priority is people. We are a diverse environment where people of all backgrounds, ethnicities and orientations are valued and respected. The Office of Diversity and Outreach fosters the diversity of people and ideas — our unique experiences and perspectives — as essential to the mission of advancing health worldwide.
The new organization is off to a great start and we look forward to working with campus units and many of you to continuously foster an inclusive and welcoming campus community.
Thank you,
J. Renee Navarro, MD, PharmD
Vice Chancellor Diversity and Outreach
Photo by Elisabeth Fall/fallfoto.com