UCSF Dermatology Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

UCSF Department of Dermatology has been leading the way in recognizing the priority of diversity in academic dermatology.  Following the student-initiated White Coats for Black Lives demonstration, the 2015 UCSF School of Medicine Leadership Retreat was a forum for conversations about race and racism in health and health care. Our prior department chair, Dr. Bruce Wintroub, was interim dean of the medical school at the time and recognized the importance of prioritizing diversity for our field. Dr. Wintroub gave a plenary talk at the American Academy of Dermatology, focused on Diversity within Dermatology that shifted national perspectives on this topic. The UCSF Department of Dermatology Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee was established in November 2015.   

The DEI Committee is committed to building a broadly diverse dermatology community within and beyond our institution that nurtures a supportive culture and engages diverse ideas for culturally competent education, research, and patient care. To accomplish this goal, the DEI committee, with the full support of the department leadership and residency program directors, has been active in several initiatives that include: 

• Establishing the UCSF Dermatology summer research fellowship program to improve diversity in the pipeline of medical students interested in dermatology  

• Improving our residency recruitment process to recruit applicants committed to serving culturally diverse and medically underserved populations, and working on issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion and those from disadvantaged backgrounds

• Participating in the UCSF GME Diversity Visiting Elective and Second Look programs 

• Requiring teaching faculty to complete DEI Champion training  

• Developing programmatic training for faculty, trainees, and staff 

• Conducting climate surveys and developing a strategic plan to assess and address the DEI needs of our department