We are commited to building a broadly diverse community, nurturing a culture that is welcoming and supportive, and engaging diverse ideas in our fellowship training.
Our Commitment to Diversity Equity and Inclusion
Our fellowship program leaders, Pam Ling, Dorie Apollonio, and Maya Vijayaraghavan, are all trained Diversity Equity and Inclusion Champions.
We participate in multiple programs to increase researcher diversity, including the University of California Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, SF BUILD (Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity) an NIH funded project for Enhancing the Diversity of the NIH-funded Workforce that is led by San Francisco State University in partnership with UCSF. We also partner with the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations and the Multiethnic Health Equity Research Center.
We have active relationships with professional societies for underrepresented and minority researchers, including the National Psychological Association, the National Medical Association, the National Black Nurses Association, the National Hispanic Psychological Association, and the minority-focused Caucuses of the American Public Health Association.
We have integrated training in Diversity Equity and Inclusion with all of our program didactics, including lectures and interactive workshops to help trainees build their skills as future mentors and leaders working with diverse students.
We monitor the success of our recruitment efforts, including the diversity of candidates, diversity of those to whom we extend offers, and the diversity of graduates.
Recent Work
More than half of our faculty have active research programs focused on underrepresented minorities, sexual minorities, or other health equity issues. Some recent examples include:
- Maya Vijayaraghavan’s work on tobacco cessation and smoke-free housing policies for people experiencing homelessness
- Valerie Yerger’s work illuminating tobacco industry influence in the African American community and her leadership ending sales of menthol and other flavored tobacco
- Gideon St.Helen’s work on biomarkers of tobacco use and exposure, including a focus on understanding racial disparities in tobacco use outcomes
- Stella Bialous’s work on ending the global tobacco epidemic, particularly fighting tobacco industry interference with global tobacco policy and supporting cessation
Diversity Initiatives at UCSF
The CTCRE is aligned with UCSF’s values of diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the PRIDE Values, which are a common set of values to set a clear direction for all members of the UCSF community as we work together to fulfill our mission.