Ann Gakumo named UC College of Nursing's Associate Dean for Inclusion and Community Impact

Ann Gakumo, PhD, UC College of Nursing associate professor and Greer Glazer Endowed Chair in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), will extend her responsibilities as the UC College of Nursing's Associate Dean for Inclusion and Community Impact, effective July 1.

Since early 2022, Gakumo has led the creation and implementation of a DEI strategic plan for the college. The plan’s vision, “To inspire, influence, engage, and guide the College of Nursing, the University of Cincinnati and the larger community to build a sustainable model of inclusive excellence that embraces and reflects the diverse population we serve,” is guided by four strategic goals and corresponding measurements to ensure accountability.

"When I came to UC a year and a half ago, I had a general idea of the direction for our DEI efforts. Since then, I’ve been both supported and challenged in several ways. From talking with and working alongside many of our students, faculty and staff, I quickly learned that our college is in a unique position to enact positive and sustainable change,” Gakumo says. “We have change-agents in every corner of this college, whether as student-led groups who challenge the status quo; as faculty- and staff-led accountability groups who take incremental steps to diversify our curricula, identify resources, promote a culture and climate of belonging, and address health inequities; or as individuals who take a stand when it’s not comfortable or popular to do so. I embrace the transition into my new role with hope and humility and see it as a logical, natural extension of the collective work that has begun.”

Recently, Gakumo was a recipient of the competitive “Genentech Foundation’s 2022 Health Equity and Diversity in STEM Innovation Fund,” focused on funding organizations and initiatives led by people of color. Her “Systems in Holistic Innovation and Inclusion for Transformation (SHIIFT)” program aims at establishing a successful model for the recruitment, retention and academic success of racially and ethnically diverse undergraduate nursing students by examining current admissions processes in the undergraduate nursing program; creating collaborative academic-community partnerships to build capacity for community engagement; providing scholarships and other student support; and developing inclusive and equitable learning and testing environments. Since arriving at UC, Gakumo has brought in nearly $1 million in external funding for diversity efforts.