Celebration of Diversity Week

Diversity and inclusion are core values at the University of Florida College of Medicine. The Celebration of Diversity Week was designed to honor those values and explore opportunities to work within our community to promote cross-cultural understanding and address health care disparities. 2022 events will take place April 4-9.

Read about how the college commemorated Celebration of Diversity Week 2021

Monday, April 4

Faces of UF Med Diversity Week Photo Project
7 – 10:30 a.m. | UF Health Shands Hospital Atrium

To showcase the rich diversity that makes us UF Health, we’re asking our faculty, staff and students to pose for individual portraits April 4 beginning at 7 a.m. in the UF Health Shands Hospital Atrium. Photos will be taken by emergency medicine physician and former photojournalist Giuliano De Portu, M.D., assistant dean for diversity and health equity at the UF College of Medicine. Follow @UFMedicine on Instagram and the hashtag #FacesofUFMed or #UFMedDiversity to view portraits of the many people who make us an institution that values inclusion and diversity.

Student-Led Activity: Identity Board
Ongoing | Harrell Medical Education Building Scott Commons

A board will be set up in the Harrell Medical Education Building Scott Commons from April 4-7 of Celebration of Diversity Week, allowing students, faculty, residents and staff to stop by and connect a piece of string to the various aspects of their identity (ex: first-generation college student, female, etc.). This project is being led by M.D. students. A debriefing event will follow on April 7, where participants can share their unique background and experiences; reflect on events from Celebration of Diversity Week; and identify tangible actions that can be taken to further promote diversity, inclusion and health equity at UF College of Medicine and beyond.

Student-Led Activity: DiversiTree
Ongoing | Harrell Medical Education Building, Second Floor

This interactive art installation, led by PA students and located between 240/250 and the student lounge on the second floor of the Harrell Medical Education Building, invites participants to take a Polaroid picture or use a paper leaf to share “How other people see me” and “How I see myself” and attach their submission to the tree. A debriefing event will follow on April 7, where participants can share their unique background and experiences; reflect on events from Celebration of Diversity Week; and identify tangible actions that can be taken to further promote diversity, inclusion and health equity at UF College of Medicine and beyond.

The Dean’s Grand Rounds
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Harrell Medical Education Building Learning Studio Room 125; View a recording of the event

Join us for the Dean’s Grand Rounds, which will feature a presentation by Philip Alberti, Ph.D., founding director of the AAMC Center for Health Justice. In this role, he is developing efforts to build true community collaborations and an aligned agenda for better health throughout the country. He also serves as the AAMC’s senior director of health equity research and policy. His two decades of professional experience have nurtured a passion for researching, implementing and evaluating systems and policies that can help every community have an equitable chance to thrive. A hybrid event, Dr. Alberti’s remarks will be delivered via Zoom, but a viewing event will be held in the Harrell Medical Education Building. Join in person or via Zoom.

Lunch will be provided to the first 75 attendees.

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Tuesday, April 5

First-Generation Panel
Noon – 1:15 p.m. | Harrell Medical Education Building Learning Studio Room 125; View a recording of the event

First-generation students and professionals will share their journeys, insights and experiences in a panel discussion. Panelists will include anesthesiology resident Andrew (AJ) Tucker, D.O.; fourth-year medical student Gabrielle Aiello, who will pursue an OB-GYN residency at Savannah HCA Memorial Health University Medical Center/Mercer University School of Medicine; fourth-year medical student Jonathan Arias, who will pursue an orthopaedics residency at UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville; and first-year medical student Eddy Molina, who completed his undergraduate studies at UF and received a master’s degree from the University of South Florida; second-year PA student Jessica Murray, who also completed her undergraduate studies at UF; and graduate student Bryan Alava.

The event, which will be moderated by Brittany Hoover, M.Ed., assistant director for pre-health advising at UF, is co-hosted by the UF College of Medicine Office of Admissions and the UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Pre-Health Advising Office. Join in person or via Zoom.

Lunch will be provided to the first 100 attendees.

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Marina Sirota

Wednesday, April 6

AI for All – Leveraging Molecular and Clinical Data to Improve Women’s Health
Noon – 1 p.m. | Harrell Medical Education Building Learning Studio Room 125; View a recording of the event

Marina Sirota, Ph.D., an associate professor at Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute at the University of California, San Francisco, will present her work in the field of artificial intelligence and how it can be applied to improve human health. Join in person or via Zoom.

Lunch will be provided to the first 100 attendees.

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Thursday, April 7

LGBTQIA+ Panel and International Luncheon
12:30 – 2 p.m. | Harrell Medical Education Building Learning Studio Room 125; View a recording of the event

Embrace cultural diversity at the College of Medicine through a culinary experience. Sample food from various cultures beginning at 12:30 p.m., with a panel discussion beginning at 1 p.m. The panel, hosted by the Health Science Center Libraries, will focus on topics important to the LGBTQIA+ community. Join in person or via Zoom.

Lunch will be provided to the first 100 attendees.

Meet the panelists:

Dr. Oliver Grundmann (he/him/his) serves as the director and faculty adviser for the online Master of Science and graduate certificate programs in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Clinical Toxicology at the UF College of Pharmacy. He is co-chair of the College of Pharmacy’s LGBTQ+ & Allies Subcommittee, which will create and sustain a forum for college-level dialogue on issues directly related to the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary members of the community and their allies.
Dr. Corey Richardson (he/him/his), a UF graduate, is the CEO and clinical director of Integrated Care of Greater Hickory Inc. (ICGH), which offers medical, behavioral, pharmacy, transitional housing, transportation and comprehensive toxicology services to multiple counties in North Carolina. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, coming out in the late ’80s (at the height if the AIDS epidemic), Dr. Richardson has been in recovery from drugs and alcohol himself for over 22 years, and his personal recovery journey guides his clinical practice, company mission and educational efforts.
Joanna “Joey” Conner (she/her/hers), LCSW, works at the Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She is one of the LGBT veteran care coordinators for the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, and in this position, she promotes the health, welfare and dignity of LGBT veterans and their families while also focusing on ensuring a safe, welcoming and affirmative environment when providing sensitive and high-quality health care services. Her work also involves helping and providing psycho-educational support for veterans identifying as transgender and non-binary.
Dr. Kate Hitchcock (she/ella) is a retired aircraft carrier driver and assistant professor of radiation oncology at UF who loves teaching medicine, engineering and quality improvement/patient safety. When not in the clinic or working on clinical research, she explores the natural beauty of Florida with her family. She writes the oncology blog for Medscape.

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Student-Led Activity Debrief: “What Have We Learned and Where Do We Go from Here?”
5 – 6:30 p.m. | Harrell Medical Education Building Learning Studio Room 125

A debrief activity led by students will allow students, faculty, residents and staff to reflect on the Identity Board and DiversiTree projects running throughout the week in the Scott Commons and on the second floor of the Harrell Medical Education Building. Participants can share their unique background and experiences; reflect on events from Celebration of Diversity Week; and identify tangible actions that can be taken to further promote diversity, inclusion and health equity at UF College of Medicine and beyond.

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Friday, April 8

Community Panel
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Harrell Medical Education Building Learning Studio Room 125; View a recording of the event

Donna Parker, M.D, associate dean for diversity and health equity, will facilitate a panel discussion featuring community leaders. The event will serve as a platform to gain perspectives on the UF College of Medicine and UF Health and how we can better engage with and help the local community. Join in person or via Zoom.

Lunch will be provided to the first 100 attendees.

Meet the panelists:

: Rev. Karl Anderson is a founder and senior pastor at Upper Room Ministries and a local entrepreneur.

: Larry Green, Ph.D., is a licensed marriage and family therapist and an advocate and activist for the LGBTQ+ community.

: Regina Wims, M.S.W., is a clinical social worker.

: Mary Foster is a retired human services counselor with a specialty in children’s mental health.

: Eric Davis is a social worker specializing in providing affordable homes for families experiencing homelessness.

: E. Stanley Richardson is the inaugural poet laureate of Alachua County, the founder and director of ARTSPEAKS Gainesville and the founder and director of the Alachua County-North Central Florida Youth Poet Laureate Program.

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Saturday, April 9

Emerald Ball (INVITE ONLY)
6:30 – 10 p.m. | Harrell Medical Education Building

The Emerald Ball, an invite-only event, will feature a keynote address by Fritz-Gerald Charles, M.D., a 2018 UF College of Medicine graduate and resident in the department of anesthesiology. As a member of the department’s Gravenstein Scholar Program, which allows qualified and interested residents to participate in structured research to prepare them for a career in academic anesthesiology, Charles conducts research involving intra-operative and post-cardiopulmonary bypass use of vitamin B12 in vasoplegic syndrome, as well as research on oxygen carriers as alternatives to blood transfusion and artificial intelligence. Upon completing his residency training this year, he will begin a cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowship at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.