HSDIC Membership
Council Leadership
Co-Chairs:
John Cottrell, Director of Minority and Special Programs, School of Dentistry, UMKC
Raquel McCommon, MA.Ed., Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office, School of Medicine, UMKC
Secretary: Jennifer Santee, PharmD, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, UMKC
Treasurer:
Jeffrey L. Primos, MBA, Director of Business Administration, School of Dentistry, UMKC
Represented Membership Partnerships on the council:
UMKC Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing and Health Studies
University Health Truman Medical Center
Children’s Mercy Hospital & Clinics
St. Luke’s Health System
Institute for Human Development
UMKC's Division of Diversity and Inclusion
Vision, Mission, Goals and Strategies
Mission statement:
Lead inter-professional collaboration to provide advocacy and resources for the success of diverse students, faculty, staff, affiliates and partners.
Vision:
A community of health educators, providers, and learners creating an ecosystem that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion for aspiring healthcare professionals.
Purpose:
Lead and foster an academic health community that celebrates diversity; values and respects differences; actively engages issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion: and facilitates relevant education/training on cultural competence and cross-cultural issues needed to work with diverse populations.
Goals:
In an effort to decrease disparities in health care, the council will:
- Provide guidance and support related to meeting the diversity goals of each diversity council member’s organization
- Develop and strengthen partnerships with diversity-related programs, groups and populations on the Health Science Campus
- Recommend initiatives to recruit and retain a diverse student, faculty and staff population
- Assist the participant organizations in learning about issues relevant to under-represented populations, and encouraging networking and mentoring among these schools
- Provide guidance for student and staff opportunities that enhance learning related to issues in health disparities, cultural differences and cultural competencies
- Serve as an active agent of social and political change with all of the Health Science partners listed above
Strategies/Activities:
- Provide scholarships through creating an endowed annual fundraiser - Harmony Diversity Gala
- Recognize health care professionals & agencies serving traditionally underrepresented populations, representing Dentistry, Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing and Health Studies
- Promote student success through collaborative events that provide a sense of belonging and opportunities for networking with historically underrepresented students in schools of health professions ie: Welcome Event, Senior Send off
- Establish a premier health care related Speaker Series for students, staff, faculty, and health professionals with a focus toward historically underrepresented and underserved populations
- Become an exemplary health science partnership reaching historically underrepresented and underserved population in Missouri and global outreach efforts