Throughout April, a time also recognized as diversity month, the Office for Diversity & Inclusion will be facilitating unconscious bias training for leadership and supervisors.

Senior Associate Dean for Diversity & Inclusion, Dr. Mona Fouad, explains, “By starting our training sessions with UAB managers, we aim to set the School of Medicine on a path toward inclusion for all—starting at the top.”

Hosted by Dr. Brian Gittens, this 90-minute virtual program will introduce team members to concepts and approaches for navigating unconscious bias.

Dr. Gittens is a higher education administration graduate of George Washington University. Dr. Gittens has also graduated from Virginia Tech, where he completed his bachelor’s in communications and master’s in public administration.

For about 30 years, Dr. Gittens has dedicated his career to the field of diversity and inclusion, human resources, research, education, and consulting. As an experienced team developer, Dr. Gittens offers advice, clarity, and direction to groups looking to increase their cultural intelligence.

Currently, the Office for Diversity & Inclusion has sent invitations to 237 managers in the School of Medicine. The first session, which reached max capacity, was held this past Monday, April 5th.

To encourage group discussion and in-depth learning, training programs are held in small groups. In the future, as we look to advance the skillsets of our faculty and staff, these sessions could extend to include more employees. The Office for Diversity & Inclusion will communicate these opportunities as they arise.

As an office, ODI has a mission to pursue excellence in medicine at UAB by cultivating an accepting and affirming environment for all. The first step to achieving this mission is acknowledging that biases are a natural part of the human experience. Then, through reflection and careful examination, Dr. Gittens will give supervisors the tools to counteract those biases and interact authentically with coworkers from all walks of life.