School of Medicine Diversity and Equity

School of Medicine Diversity and Equity

Diversity and Equity Leadership

Dean's Message  |  Accreditation Standards  |  Diversity Leadership  |  Get Involved 

"The bottom line is that we are an institution that values change, we value difference and, in this work, we want to be leaders."
--Sharon Anderson, Dean

School of Medicine diversity statement

We believe that a diverse community of faculty, students, and staff immeasurably enriches our learning environment. It helps us move closer to a future in which our community of health care providers mirrors the diversity of our patients. 

We consider a wide range of life experiences as part of diversity, including rural heritage, economic background, sexual orientation, culture and belief systems, and hardships accessing educational opportunities.  

We also are committed to increasing diversity among our faculty ranks because creativity and innovation flourish when you bring people together with a wide variety of backgrounds and ideas. 

We strive to be an organization diverse in people and ideas. 

Accreditation Standards

We are committed to meeting all Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) diversity requirements and adhering to Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (AACGME) guidelines.

As a medical school, we have policies and practices in place that support diversity in all our mission areas of teaching, healing and discovery. We engage in systematic recruitment and retention activities and our departments utilize the Diversity Recruitment Manual. We aim to achieve diversity outcomes among our academic community through the use of supported programs and partnerships. We not only seek qualified and diverse applicants for medical school admission, but we also appoint diverse staff in the evaluation of program and partnership outcomes.

School of Medicine Diversity leaders

George Mejicano, M.D., M.S., Chair of SOM Diversity Action Plan Committee

Derick DuVivier, M.D., OHSU Interim Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion  

Leslie Garcia, M.P.A., Assistant Chief Diversity Officer

Amy Garcia, M.D. Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Director of Diversity Navigators/Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) Program

Erik Brodt, M.D., Director, OHSU Northwest Native American Center of Excellence

Anthony Cheng, M.D. Diversity Navigator

Donn Spight, M.D. Diversity Navigator

Christina Milano, M.D., Medical Director, Transgender Health Program

Amy Penkin, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., Program Supervisor, Transgender Health Program

Mohamud Daya, M.D. Chair of OHSU School of Medicine Diversity Affairs Committee 

Vanessa Valdez M.S., UME Admissions & Advising, Colleges and Outreach Coordinator, MD Program

Colleen Schierholtz, M.S., Director of Physician Assistant Admissions  and Recruitment

Maya Severson, Director, GME Operations

Jamil Kendall, M.D., House officer, Co-Chair, House Officers Association Diversity Committee (HOADC)

Matthew Pimentel, M.D., House officer, Co-Chair, House Officers Association Diversity Committee (HOADC)

Sydni Whitley, Administrative Coordinator for GME, HODC Dinner Coordinator

Get Involved

Leadership opportunities for School of Medicine faculty, staff and learners. If you are interested in getting involved reach out to any of the committee members. 

School of Medicine Diversity Action Planning Taskforce

A committee is a workgroup consisting of faculty, administrators, staff, post-docs, residents, and students who are now revising the Diversity Action Plan for the School of Medicine. The basis of this effort is a renewed focus on equity.

School of Medicine (SOM) Diversity Affairs Committee

The Diversity Affairs Committee serves to lead and support the SoM’s Diversity Action Plan and meets monthly.  The committee’s purpose is to oversee the continuous implementation and evaluation of our Diversity Action Plan. The committee, formed of faculty, administrators, staff, post-docs, residents and students, have a north star - a focus on equity and inclusion.  

The Diversity Affairs Committee reviews, evaluates and provides a diversity of best practices in the SOM’s departments, centers, and institutes in four main domains:  recruitment, retention, a climate of inclusion, and partnerships.