UC honored for diversity, inclusion

CAHS works in partnership with university admissions to reach out to students in both urban public and suburban schools with diverse student populations. Programs and events are offered to welcome and engage students at UC. One example of this: The college has offered a medical terminology course to senior students in a health pathways program at a nearby STEM high school. These students are able to obtain college credit for successful completion of the course while achieving a jump-start in college-level coursework in their areas of interest.

In an effort to improve retention and graduation rates for historically underrepresented and first-generation students, the college established the Connections mentorship program which is now in its 10th year.

“I am very proud that CAHS has received this recognition for its work in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion,” says Monica Wilkins, director of diversity initiatives and recruitment for the college. “Our everyday efforts are part of an extended journey to creating a college culture that is safe, welcoming and inclusive to all.”

The CAHS Diversity Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council has been particularly focused in 2020 in carrying out the college’s “Call to Action,” which sets CAHS priorities and initiatives following the racial and social unrest of this past summer. The areas of focus are:

        1.      Embedding more equity and inclusion topics into the curriculum

        2.      Increased faculty and staff training and development

        3.      Student-centered engagement

        4.      Increased communications.

In addition, the council recommended and established the development of a diversity program inventory which lists all of the diversity-related programs, research, publications and efforts taking place throughout the college. This inventory will be published and shared in various formats with faculty, staff and students and updated annually.

To complement the Council on Diversity, the college developed an ad-hoc committee called Diversity Advocates to develop a culture of belonging, increase learning opportunities for faculty and staff and increase diversity and inclusion activities and topics within the college’s curriculum. The committee developed a climate survey for faculty and staff and created subcommittees focusing on strategy, framework, curriculum mapping and continuing education. The committee consists of faculty and staff as well as students.  

Shortly after his arrival, Neil MacKinnon, College of Pharmacy dean, created a new shared position with Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. — director of equity and inclusion, currently held by Pat Achoe, a Kroger associate for 29 years in clinical pharmacy and pharmacy management. The position is co-funded by Kroger, where Achoe spends part of her time working on diversity training and recruitment. She chairs the college’s Council on Diversity, serves as adviser to the Student National Pharmaceutical Association and assists the college in meeting targets related to equity, inclusion and diversity as outlined in the college’s strategic plan, “We Are Pharmacy: Rx for the Future.”

“At the College of Pharmacy, we want to build a culture of belonging where our faculty and staff love to work and our students love to learn,” says Achoe. “We are constantly striving to build honest and trustworthy relationships, embrace the differences in our backgrounds and to be more conscious about our unconscious biases.”

Diversity and inclusion are embedded into the college’s strategic plan, with goals of improving recruitment and retention, assisting in admitting diverse students and providing support to the current students. According to Achoe, initiatives are designed to “embed diversity in the classroom, case studies and research so that students are well-equipped to practice diversity and inclusion as health care practitioners.”

In the past year, the college created a brochure entitled "Health Disparities in the LGBTQ+ Population" and consults the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the United States, on providing inclusive care and services. There is also a new LGBTQ Studies undergraduate certificate available through the UC College of Arts and Sciences that explores the experiences, identities and cultural and political contributions of LGBTQ people in the United States and around the world.

Featured image: Pat Achoe, middle, with students. Photo/Colleen Kelley, UC Creative Services