Demands and Action Plan | School of Dentistry

To view our site, you have to enable Javascript. Please enable javascript now.

Demands and Action Plan

Content Top (Above sidebar)

Title

Action Plan

Background Color

Teal

Main Content (next to sidebar)

Content

On June 12, 2020, a cohort of Black students at UCSF School of Dentistry met with Dean Michael Reddy and leaders from his executive team to discuss their shared experiences of the negative culture and climate at the school for Black students. Following that meeting, the students on June 15 delivered a list of demands with the goal of “empowering the administration to uphold our mission statement for the betterment of current and future Black students.” On June 18, a School of Dentistry leadership team convened to address the issues and proposed solutions as immediate, short-term or long-term items. On June 24, Dean Reddy and his executive leadership team met again with students to discuss the plan, and together they identified the actions that required immediate attention. List of demands (PDF) | Response/action plan (PDF)

In response, the School of Dentistry has crafted a strategy for putting those actions in motion. The strategy is divided into five segments, with designated leaders, priorities and supporting activities:

Hiring

Leadership: Mark Kirkland, chair, Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences; Sunita Mutha, chair (interim), Academic Affairs; Eunice Stephens, associate dean/chief of staff

Priorities: Commitment to recruitment of Black faculty, staff and students; increasing resources/staff to improve the experience of Black and all school students

Updates:

Hired an executive search firm specializing in increasing pool of diverse faculty applicants
In process: training for additional SOD Equity Advisors, both faculty and staff
Currently developing a plan for student participation in the hiring process

Events

Leadership: Pamela Alston, alumna/volunteer associate clinical professor, Orofacial Sciences; Brian Bast, chair, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; George Taylor, associate dean, diversity and inclusion

Priorities: Increase in sponsored/funded events to provide opportunities for Black students to network, build community and integrate into the school community; increase resources/staff to address the needs of Black and all school students

Updates:

Host Welcome Weekend for Incoming Black Students

The 2020 Welcome Weekend for Incoming Black Students was held the weekend of Sept. 19-20. Program included:

Welcome by Dean Michael Reddy
Alumni keynotes by Dr. Dawud Muhaimin and Dr. Shaun Abrams
Icebreaker with new and current Black students, staff and faculty
Mentorship presentation
A closed student session to talk about Black culture
A session regarding “A Sense of Belonging at UCSF School of Dentistry” by Allison Manwell
A presentation regarding the UCSF Black Caucus History by Dr. Phoenix Sinclair
D2 students Jonathan Chestnut and Erin Malone shared their experience as first-year students
Current students shared their advice on balancing stress and dental school and provided resources for academic help, mental health. They also shared leadership, extracurricular and leisure opportunities.

Host School of Dentistry Black and Brown Retreat

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the in-person retreat will be held at a later date.
The task force is currently working on possible workshops for students to maintain momentum.

Fund School of Dentistry Black Faculty/Student Mixers at National Conferences

Dr. Alston met with the school’s HSDA Board and SNDA Board to promote the June 2021 summit and planned Faculty/Student mixer.
Planning for the mixer is under way and more information will be available soon.

Updated Curriculum

Leadership: Sara Hughes, associate dean, Education & Student Affairs; Sampeter Odera, associate professor, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; George Taylor, associate dean, diversity and inclusion

Priorities: Hire external faculty to design and teach specific curriculum components (i.e., race, racism, cultural humility, social justice, among others); require current and incoming students to attend a course on race, racism and social justice including curricula on white supremacy, white privilege, and implicit bias; increase resources to improve the experience of Black and all SOD students

Updates:

Engage External Faculty to Teach Components of Patient-Centered Care 119

Currently working on a revised course objective for PCC119 and selecting the external faculty who will teach the course.

Require Anti-Racism Reading for All Students

The four-hour incoming student (D1) orientation was on Sept. 24, 2020: Feeling Seen, Heard and Respected in Dental Education.

Require Faculty, Staff and Students to Take Implicit Association Test (IAT)

Task force is working on a proposal regarding an Unconscious Bias Workshop that will include the IAT in the program for faculty, students and staff.

Engage School on Diversity

Leadership: Stuart Gansky, associate dean, Research; Caroline Shiboski, chair, Orofacial Sciences

Priorities: Increase in sponsored/funded events to provide opportunities for Black students to network, build community and integrate into the school community; commitment to recruitment of Black faculty through bringing potential candidates to campus via a speaker series; support compilation of anti-racist resources

Updates:

Grand Rounds Speaker Series on Diversity, Inclusion and Science Topics

The two-hour inaugural presentation was held on Oct. 8, 2020. Dr. Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill presented on “Finding my VOIICe: Viral Oral Infections in Immunosuppression and Cancer”
- One-hour presentation on her research and journey as a Black scientist and one-hour Q&A session facilitated by Dr. Shaun Abrams
Dr. Ronni Brown will be the next speaker for the Grand Rounds series, scheduled 5:30-6:30 p.m. Jan. 14, 2021.
- The save-the-date and flier were shared in Newsbrief and on CLE.

Launch the School of Dentistry Black Film Forum

The first Black Film Forum event will take place in February 2021. More information to follow.

Provide Funding for New Registered Campus Organization (RCO)

The 2020-21 budget for the Social Justice and Anti-Racism Coalition (SJ ARC) is confirmed.

Increase Communication

Leadership: Diane Barber, chair, Cell and Tissue Biology; Terri Hunter-Davis, manager, communications and content development; Maricella Miranda, manager, executive communications; Melissa Telli, director of marketing & strategic relations

Priorities: Increase transparency of communication regarding School of Dentistry efforts to create tangible and structural long-term changes, hiring practices, expression of PRIDE values via budget allocations and required trainings

Updates:

Improve Diversity Section of Website

Launched the SOD diversity sub-site and anti-racism pledge for school community to read and sign.

Increase Frequency of Diversity Communications Schoolwide

Brown Bag podcast pilot – to start in early 2021
"Ask Me Anything" – to launch early 2021

Show Side Navigation