As a health research institution, a public university, and health system, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). The PRIDE (Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and Excellence) values are embedded in all of UCSF’s work. Since 2010, this team has implemented interventions driven by strategic planning and stakeholders, including trainees, staff, faculty, and communities, to improve DEIA at UCSF. The interventions have been flexible and adaptable and aimed not only to improve outcomes among individuals but also significant institutional changes.
This team implemented interventions in three phases. Phase 1 began with the recognition that an organized, executive-led, institution-wide approach to DEIA was needed. In 2010, the Office of Diversity and Outreach (ODO) was created to oversee DEIA across campus including four professional schools (Dental, Pharmacy, Medicine, and Nursing), the graduate division, and the health and hospital system. This phase was characterized by institutional prioritization of DEIA as a core value, increasing accountability among institutional leadership, creation and maintenance of reporting and regulatory compliance systems, implementation of structural process changes, and initiation of training programs to improve diversity and awareness of barriers to full inclusion. Major institutional and programmatic activities included a publicly available dashboard on diversity of learners, staff, and faculty, an Unconscious Bias training program, establishment of a Multicultural Resource Center, implementation of a “contribution to DEIA” statement required for faculty promotion, establishment of the Faculty Equity Advisor program for all faculty searches, and the establishment of Departmental Diversity Leaders (DDLs).
Phase 2 was an acceleration of the interventions toward institutional efforts to increase DEIA. In 2015, the medical school implemented Differences Matter, a five-year initiative which reexamined the institution’s infrastructures and processes across six domains—leadership, climate and recruitment, education, clinical care, research, and pipeline and pathways. Significant institutional and programmatic activities included a DEIA Champion Training program, the creation of a Health Equity Council for the health system, a holistic review process for admission to the medical school and graduate medical education programs, a transdisciplinary approach to hiring under-represented minority (URM) faculty in basic sciences, a recruitment and retention program for early career URM faculty, expansion of pipeline and pathway programs, increased vendor diversification, as well as enhanced support for institutional employee resource groups.
Since 2020, this team has embarked on Phase 3, which is focused on addressing the institutional consequences of structural racism through the Anti-Racism Initiative. Institutional and programmatic activities to date include mandatory foundational DEI training for all members of the institution, anti-racism curriculum for all schools including an Anti-Oppression Curriculum Initiative for the medical school, creation of an Office of Research Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism (IDEA), an integrated, institution-wide program to promote NIH diversity supplements, and an Anchor Institution initiative to leverage employment and economic power to increase diversity and equity.
These interventions have led to significant changes. All nine members of the Chancellor’s Executive Team and 80% of the deans are a woman and/or minority. From 2010 to 2022, women faculty grew from 44% to 50%. URM faculty doubled from 6% to 12.6%, and URM students from all schools from 13.2% to 24.2%. URM medical students increased from 19.9% to 35.7%; 52% and 54% of the last two entering classes are URM. URM residents grew from 14% in 2016 to 36% in 2023. Four-fifths of UC Davis faculty have completed the DEI Champion Training. These outcomes are achieved despite the prohibition on affirmative action in the state of California because of the institution’s commitment to DEIA, institutional change, and innovative approach.
As a health research institution, a public university, and health system, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). The PRIDE (Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and Excellence) values are embedded in all of UCSF’s work. Since 2010, this team has implemented interventions driven by strategic planning and stakeholders, including trainees, staff, faculty, and communities, to improve DEIA at UCSF. The interventions have been flexible and adaptable and aimed not only to improve outcomes among individuals but also significant institutional changes.
This team implemented interventions in three phases. Phase 1 began with the recognition that an organized, executive-led, institution-wide approach to DEIA was needed. In 2010, the Office of Diversity and Outreach (ODO) was created to oversee DEIA across campus including four professional schools (Dental, Pharmacy, Medicine, and Nursing), the graduate division, and the health and hospital system. This phase was characterized by institutional prioritization of DEIA as a core value, increasing accountability among institutional leadership, creation and maintenance of reporting and regulatory compliance systems, implementation of structural process changes, and initiation of training programs to improve diversity and awareness of barriers to full inclusion. Major institutional and programmatic activities included a publicly available dashboard on diversity of learners, staff, and faculty, an Unconscious Bias training program, establishment of a Multicultural Resource Center, implementation of a “contribution to DEIA” statement required for faculty promotion, establishment of the Faculty Equity Advisor program for all faculty searches, and the establishment of Departmental Diversity Leaders (DDLs).
Phase 2 was an acceleration of the interventions toward institutional efforts to increase DEIA. In 2015, the medical school implemented Differences Matter, a five-year initiative which reexamined the institution’s infrastructures and processes across six domains—leadership, climate and recruitment, education, clinical care, research, and pipeline and pathways. Significant institutional and programmatic activities included a DEIA Champion Training program, the creation of a Health Equity Council for the health system, a holistic review process for admission to the medical school and graduate medical education programs, a transdisciplinary approach to hiring under-represented minority (URM) faculty in basic sciences, a recruitment and retention program for early career URM faculty, expansion of pipeline and pathway programs, increased vendor diversification, as well as enhanced support for institutional employee resource groups.
Since 2020, this team has embarked on Phase 3, which is focused on addressing the institutional consequences of structural racism through the Anti-Racism Initiative. Institutional and programmatic activities to date include mandatory foundational DEI training for all members of the institution, anti-racism curriculum for all schools including an Anti-Oppression Curriculum Initiative for the medical school, creation of an Office of Research Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism (IDEA), an integrated, institution-wide program to promote NIH diversity supplements, and an Anchor Institution initiative to leverage employment and economic power to increase diversity and equity.
These interventions have led to significant changes. All nine members of the Chancellor’s Executive Team and 80% of the deans are a woman and/or minority. From 2010 to 2022, women faculty grew from 44% to 50%. URM faculty doubled from 6% to 12.6%, and URM students from all schools from 13.2% to 24.2%. URM medical students increased from 19.9% to 35.7%; 52% and 54% of the last two entering classes are URM. URM residents grew from 14% in 2016 to 36% in 2023. Four-fifths of UC Davis faculty have completed the DEI Champion Training. These outcomes are achieved despite the prohibition on affirmative action in the state of California because of the institution’s commitment to DEIA, institutional change, and innovative approach.
