UCSF has made a commitment to Advancing Health Worldwide. Fulfilling this commitment requires that we tackle and solve today’s most challenging problems in biomedical science and healthcare, for everyone. Teams that include people from different backgrounds and with different life experiences are better at solving complex problems. UCSF’s success in improving the health of our patients and our communities depends requires building an environment that enables faculty, staff, and trainees to bring their best, most authentic selves to our campuses every single day. This foundational approach reflects our Principles of Community and our commitment to our PRIDE vales.

Differences Matter is the School of Medicine’s initiative designed to make UCSF a place where people from different identities and backgrounds can work work together to advance opportunity and belonging in medicine for all.

Launching the Next Five Years of Differences Matter

In the next phase of the Differences Matter initiative, the School of Medicine will transform existing structures to sustain the successes of the first five years of the initiative and will target high impact focus that foster opportunity and belonging across the medical professions. These include:

  1. Enhance Pathways in Medicine by eliminating barriers and optimizing pathways from student to faculty and increasing leadership opportunities to transform UCSF and to better solve the complex problems that continue to face our increasingly diverse communities.
    Co-Directors:

    Rana Barar

    Rana Barar, MPH

    Cherrie Boyer

    Cherrie Boyer, PhD

    Biftu Mengesha

    Biftu Mengesha, MD, MAS

    Jae Iniguez

    Jae Rouse Iniguez, MSHA, MA

     

    Manuel Tapia

    Manuel Tapia, MD, MPH

     

  2. Innovate Collection and Use of Data by building innovations in the collection and use of sociodemographic data to reduce bias in health, healthcare, research, medical education, and workplace culture at UCSF. 
    Co-Directors:
     

    Alejandra de Alba Campomanes


    Alejandra de Alba
    Campomanes, MD, MPH

    Maddie Deutsch


    Maddie Deutsch, MD, MPH

    Marliese Warren


    Marliese Warren, MS 

     


     

     

  3. Building Expertise in Belonging by establishing competencies by role and devising educational strategies for individuals to develop these competencies, using both internal and curated external resources.
    Co-Directors:

    Monica Hahn

    Monica Hahn, MD, MPH

    Gina Moreno-John

    Gina Moreno-John, MD, MPH

    Katie Brooks

    Katie Brooks, MD

    Leah Pimentel

    Leah Pimentel, MBA

    Fonda Smith

    Fonda Smith

     

      

The work of Differences Matter is led by the Differences Matter Co-Directors, overseen by our Executive Sponsor, and supported by an Advisory Council.

Executive Sponsor:

Matthew Bucknor

Matthew Bucknor, MD

 

 


Advisory Council Members:

Maye Chrisman, MBA
John Davis, MD
Nancy Duranteau
Michelle Guy, MD
LaMisha Hill, PhD

Maga Jackson-Triche, MD, MSHS
Malcolm John, MD
Kathy Julian, MD
Starr Knight, MD
Christina Mangurian, MD

Tung Nguyen, MD
Ben Rubin, PhD
Diane Sliwka, MD

Subject Matter Experts:

Ron Balassanian, MD
Janet Coffman, PhD
Alison DeDent, MD
Hannah Glass, MD, MAS
Brian Graham, MD

Jazmine Kenny
Nerissa Ko, MD, MAS
Gabriel Ibarra, BS
Yukino Nakamura
Zakir Safdar, MD

 

In accordance with Federal and State law and University policy, the University of California does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, health, or disability. For detailed information, please visit the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination. 

Please contact Stephanie Belger with any questions about Differences Matter.