The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) has invited a team of Staff Diversity Liaisons (SDL) to help cultivate a diverse and equitable environment across the Heersink School of Medicine. The group is comprised of more than 30 staff members representing 26 departments and the Huntsville Regional Campus.
Facilitated by ODI Program Manager Dr. Leisha Hultgren, SDL was officially formed in the fall of 2021 to fulfill one of the key Racial Justice Priorities for the school, “increasing support and programming for professional advancement of underrepresented staff.”
“To practice inclusivity as a core value means that we must address cultural and social justice issues at every level of our organization,” explains Hultgren. “ODI recognizes that staff are an integral part of how we advance our mission every day. Staff voices must be heard and valued.”
In January 2022, the SDL members began meeting monthly and quickly established an organizational framework for working together. Tatiana Torres Herman, M.D., MSHS, a Clinical Research Administrator in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, serves in the role of SDL Chair.
“We have set up four subcommittees to develop and advance our initiatives,” Torres Herman shares. “And we will base our ideas on feedback we plan to solicit through an initial survey. This will help us represent our staff as broadly as we possibly can.”
Specifically, the Survey Team will take the lead on distributing a survey to assess staff needs and preferences for professional advancement. (Stay tuned for this to be emailed soon!) Then the Staff Development and DEI Education teams will design opportunities to learn new work skills and cultural knowledge among staff participants. The Communications Team will support the entire SDL by promoting these initiatives and identifying ways to celebrate our progress as we move forward.
"The importance of our SDL cannot be overstated,” Hultgren concludes. “This work is how we build an accepting and affirming environment that makes UAB Heersink School of Medicine a thriving professional community.”