Members of the UAB M.S. in Health Administration (Residential) program have updated the name of an executive board position from VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to the VP of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in an effort to better reflect their fundamental pillars. The decision was announced following a vote of the cohort in MSHA Class 58.

“Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is such an important framework for all organizations, but we wanted to recognize that when you successfully implement DEI, the outcome is a feeling of belonging,” said Lauren Turner, president, MSHA Class 58. “We realized that adding this B would announce to everyone from our alumni to our future classmates that our intention is to accomplish this feeling and allow the program to keep all classes accountable.”

The move came because student leaders wanted to be intentional and to prioritize belonging as an important part of the MSHA program’s culture.

“Belonging is important to me and to my classmates because we all believe that everyone deserves to be heard and everyone deserves to be themselves,” said Lee Wright, VP of DEIB, MSHA Class 58. “Belonging is supporting any individual no matter their background, culture, ethnicity, gender – belonging is the true outcome of our DEI initiatives.”

In 2020, members of Class 55 and Class 56 established the MSHA DEI Student Council as they navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and numerous social injustices occurring across the United States. In 2021, the program earned the President’s Diversity Champion Award for UAB student organizations.

The recent group of MSHA student leaders have continued the tradition of placing an emphasis on DEI in the program and have fostered a culture of belonging in all aspects of their work. Their hope is to have all students feel valued and supported, and that they can meaningfully contribute to everyone’s successes.

In their announcement of the name change, Class 58 President Lauren Turner concluded with this thought:

“I hope adding the B in DEI will go way past just a title. I hope that future cohorts will be able to make sure that everyone in their cohort is cared for. I hope it shows them that there is always something new to learn with DEIB. I also hope that it gets the future cohorts to research and understand the importance that DEIB has in any group setting.”

The UAB M.S. in Health Administration is the #1 program in the Best Grad Schools in Health Care Management according to the latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report.