The UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Diversity Committee assists and informs department leadership in the recruitment and retention of students and faculty from underrepresented populations to better serve our diverse patient populations, with a member of the diversity committee serving on each search committee. The committee sponsors and selects the recipient of the annual Evelyn Lee Visiting Scholar Lectureship in Cultural Competence and Diversity, and also holds a department-wide Diversity Celebration each summer. (View more of our recent accomplishments.)
The committee began its work in 1991, when the department formed the Committee on Ethnic, Cultural and Gender Diversity (renaming it as the Diversity Committee in 1994) with the goal of furthering the culture of diversity, equity and inclusion within the psychiatry. Specifically, the committee was charged with the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff, and trainees, as well as furthering education to understand the impact culture has on psychiatric presentation. In 2015, it was merged with the then-San Francisco General Hospital Cultural Humility Task Force to form a single department-wide body focused on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Vice Chair for Diversity and Health Equity Will Martinez, PhD, has chaired the committee since July 2024. Former chairs of the committee include Michelle Porche, EdD; Christina Mangurian, MD, MAS; Westley Clark, MD, JD, MPH; Patrick Reilly, PhD; and Patricia Areán, PhD.
Committee membership and task forces
The committee has diverse representation in terms of gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, campus location, and area of expertise (education, research, and clinical care). Its members work with the vice chair to implement the department's diversity action plan through task forces in the following areas:
- Recruitment and Retention - facilitates and supports the successful hiring of individuals from diverse backgrounds into positions at all levels of the department
- Education - facilitates, sponsors, and promotes diversity related programming to increase awareness of diversity among faculty, residents, interns, and staff in the department
- Research - encourages diversity among department researchers, as well as research to address important topics relating to the diversity of individuals in human populations
- Communication - disseminates information about department and university diversity efforts, news, and resources to department members
- Health Equity - identifies areas of health inequity and develops goals to break down the barriers that keep us from providing equitable care
The Diversity Committee also receives valuable feedback and guidance from its Advisory Council.
Interested in joining the Diversity Committee? Please contact Edwin Flores.
Fireside chat with Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez
In October 2021, La Borinqueña creator Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez took part in a special panel discussion for UCSF faculty, staff, and trainees about his creation of the character as a champion of social justice, why representation matters, and how young people can advocate for a more equitable future.
Community talk with Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez
Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez also spoke with Bay Area educators and students on thinking about ways to promote well-being and academic success that is inclusive for all young people.
