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Office for Diversity and Inclusion Heersink School of Medicine

Office for Diversity and Inclusion

Black/African American Faculty Association

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The Heersink ODI Black/African American Faculty Association plays a critical role in the support of our diverse faculty. From inspiring and recruiting to mentoring and advocating, this group helps create, maintain, and foster the culture we strive for at UAB.

The association is co-led by Danielle Powell, M.D. (left), and Farah Lubin, Ph.D. (right).

Black African Am FA Powell 200 200Black African Am FA Lubin 200 200

Mission/Vision

  • The UAB School of Medicine Black/African American Faculty Association will foster, promote, and advocate for Black/African American faculty while inspiring diversity, equity, and inclusion within the campus and healthcare community.
  • We will do this by: Encouraging communication, networking, mentoring and professional development, as well as serving as a voice for cultural and educational concerns among our faculty
  • Serving to improve the recruitment and retention of Black/African American faculty, trainees, and medical students and promote engagement within the School of Medicine
  • Advocating for the Black/African American community to enhance multicultural awareness, diversity, and inclusion in healthcare

Recent News

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Heersink ODI and Black/African American Faculty Association Host Inaugural Juneteenth Celebration

Hosts welcomed students, faculty, and staff on Tuesday, June 13, 2022, in the West Pavilion Atrium. The popular event was the largest in recent ODI history with roughly 300 attendees over the course of the day.

Attendees were greeted with an address by Dr. Mona Fouad, Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion. As Dr. Fouad noted in her remarks about the importance of Juneteenth, both the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the broader Heersink community “believe that to pursue excellence in medicine, we must cultivate an equitable environment that accepts and affirms everyone.”

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Committees/Work Groups

 

  • Communications

    Committee Goals

    Engage the medical community and the public at large on issues related to those of Black and African American heritage. 

    Committee Leader

    Amber Kinsey
    Department: Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine
    Email: akinsey@uab.edu

    Committee Members

    Danielle Powell, M.D.
    Department: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

    Samantha Hill, M.D., MPH
    Department: Pediatrics

    Farah Lubin, Ph.D.
    Department: Neurobiology

  • Outreach

    Committee Leader

    Amber Kinsey
    Department: Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine
    Email: akinsey@uab.edu

    Committee Members

    Hope Wilson, M.D.
    Department: Pediatrics

    Colin Martin, M.D., FACS
    Department: Surgery

    Carlton Young, M.D.
    Department: Surgery

    Tiffany Mayo
    Department: Dermatology

    Farah Lubin
    Department: Neurobiology

  • Promotion and Tenure

    Committee Goals

    Assist and develop faculty members working toward associate professor and full professor status, both on non- and tenured tracks.

    Committee Leaders 

    Tanecia Mitchell, Ph.D.
    Department: Urology 
    Email: taneciam@uab.edu

  • Grant Review

    Committee Leader

    Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D.
    Department: Obstetrics and Gynecology
    Email: atita@uabmc.edu

    Glen Rowe, Ph.D.
    Department: Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Disease
    Email: gcrowe@uab.edu

    Committee Members

    Monica Baskin, Ph.D.
    Department: Medicine

    Samantha Hill, M.D., MPH
    Department: Pediatrics

  • Networking & Directory of Faculty

    Committee Leader

    Merida Grant, Ph.D.
    Department: Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology
    Email: esreasor@uabmc.edu

    Committee Members

    Danielle Powell, M.D.
    Department: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

    Tamera Coyne-Beasley, M.D., MPH
    Department: Pediatrics

    Farah Lubin, Ph.D.
    Department: Neurobiology

    Hope Wilson, M.D.
    Department: Pediatrics

  • Recruitment

    Committee Goals

    This cohort is committed to nominating candidates, negotiating packages, and group recruitment.

    Committee Leader

    Merida Grant, Ph.D.
    Department: Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology
    Email: esreasor@uabmc.edu

    Committee Members

    Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D.
    Department: Obstetrics and Gynecology

    Brian Sims, M.D., Ph.D.
    Department: Pediatrics

    Chrystal Rutledge, M.D.
    Department: Pediatrics

    Tamera Coyne-Beasley, M.D., MPH
    Department: Pediatrics

    Michelle Gray, Ph.D
    Department: Neurology

  • Workshops and Events

    Committee Goal

    The Workshops and Events Committee, is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing all learning and social networking activities. These will include gatherings, cultural celebrations, and other events for the benefit of the Black/African American Faculty Association and UAB community.

    Committee Members

    Danielle Powell, M.D.
    Department: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

    Farah Lubin, Ph.D.
    Department: Neurobiology

  • Mentoring

    Committee Goal

    The Menroting Committee seeks to facilitate peer-to-peer mentoring, as well as sponsorship, and career coaching. 

    Committee Leader

    Brian Sims, M.D., Ph.D.
    Department: Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology
    Email: bsimsmd@uab.edu

    Committee Members

    Danielle Powell, M.D.
    Department: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

    Farah Lubin, Ph.D.
    Department: Neurobiology

    Michelle Gray, Ph.D
    Department: Neurology

  • Spotlights

    Committee Goal

    The spotlight group aims to nominate candidates for awards and recognitions, as well as feature members of the association on social media.

    Committee Leader

    Michelle Gray, Ph.D
    Department: Neurology
    Email: mccgray@uab.edu 

    Committee Members

    Farah Lubin, Ph.D.
    Department: Neurobiology

  • On-Boarding of URiM Faculty

    Committee Goal

    The On-Boarding of URiM Committee supports new faculty and increases retention by linking new recruits with the mentoring committee.

    Committee Leader

    Merida Grant, Ph.D.
    Department: Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology
    Email: esreasor@uabmc.edu

    Committee Members

    Jessica Scoffield, Ph.D.
    Department: Microbiology

    Danielle Powell, M.D.
    Department: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

    Farah Lubin, Ph.D.
    Department: Neurobiology

Past Workshops

 

  • 2022

    Time management – February 2022
    Mental health with Merida Grant, Ph.D. –  April 2022 
    Conflict resolution –  June 2022
    Negotiations – Job, salaries, Fair market pricing, mentoring committee for new faculty

  • 2021

    Time management – January 2021 (invite residents and postdocs)
    Doctoring while black/brown – February 2021
    Mental health with Merida Grant, Ph.D. – March 2021 
    Conflict resolution – April 2021
    Diversity town hall with Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH – August 2021
    Clinicians- How do we get involved in research – October 2021
    How I got my first R01 with Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D. – December 2021

  • 2020

    Promotion and Tenure – October 2020
    Diversity town hall with Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH – November 2020
    How I got my first R01 with Alan Tita, M.D., Ph.D. – December 2020
    Implicit Bias with Michelle Allen