Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Department represents a community of people who share a sense of purpose and demonstrate deep regard for the dignity and rights of all people. We are a community defined by our commitment to respect and inclusiveness.

Our Department embraces diversity for its intrinsic value—not merely accepting differences among us, but cherishing them as the opportunity for greater mutualism, deepening of authentic regard, and growth of our community. Our Department values a diverse academic community—diverse with respect to gender, culture, race, sexual orientation and identity, and age; as well as diverse with respect to intellectual commitments, disciplines, developmental stages, and collaborations.

Our leadership has an absolute commitment to diversity for reasons of social justice, but also as an imperative in relation to creativity and intellectual excellence. Our work in the Department is evolving to emphasize inclusiveness and address disparities, in an effort to operationalize more fully the intent of diversity. Our faculty, trainees, learners, and staff show our commitment to valuing one another and valuing all people all of the time. We are saddened by the hardships we see throughout society that are associated with stigma, bias (conscious and unconscious), and inequities.

We care about the well-being of all with whom we come in contact, and especially our students, mentees, and trainees, who will forever carry the impact of this moment with them. We see how health and a sense of belonging interrelate. Conversely, we see how poor health, health disparities, exclusion, and marginalization tragically interrelate. We acknowledge the struggles for racial equity, social justice, and human rights occurring around us. These effects overlap with—and cannot be unwoven from—our professional roles as clinicians, researchers, educators, learners, managers, and staff. We endeavor to engage with our professional positions to further racial equity and social justice.