What We Do

JEDI team members (from left) Dr. Dorothy Wiley, Nishtha Agarwal, Dr. Vivian Chang, Juliana Ryan, Marsha Flamer, Mary Moua, Dr. Beth Glenn and Dr. Amy Cummings.

Our Mission

Greater equity, diversity and inclusion saves lives, improves science and strengthens organizations. At the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, we share the commitment of the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute to ensure that all Americans share equally in the medical advances that result from cancer research. As an NCI-designated cancer center, we are actively working to reduce or eliminate current disparities in the burden of cancer.

Our mission is to promote inclusive excellence and equity for our people at every level of our workforce, to improve the experience of our patients through accessible and affirming research and care, and invest in our community through education, service, and advocacy.

Our Objectives

To accomplish our mission to enhance the diversity of Cancer Center staff, membership, and leadership, our mission is organized into four key objectives:

• Expand cancer center membership, participation, and leadership in underrepresented and historically marginalized groups
• Establish criteria for monitoring and evaluating progress in diversity, equity and inclusion
• Build infrastructure and utilize institutional resources to support career-enhancing research opportunities
• Leverage institutional commitments using training or mentoring opportunities to expand the leadership pipeline

Five-Year Plan

We recognize that Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives will take time to overcome structural barriers. Therefore, we have implemented the below five-year plan to strategically and holistically approach problems, lay a foundation for JEDI work and thought, connect with key stakeholders, and listen to feedback from our community.

• 2022–2023: Strategy
  • Form steering committee and advisory board
  • Identify current state, resources, gaps, benchmarks
  • Select priority projects and recommendations
• 2023–2024: Build
  • Expand membership to include trainees and non-faculty members
  • Launch Pathways to Leadership Program
  • Develop initiatives/pilots with all Center shared resources and research programs (e.g., investigator-initiated trial translation funding)
• 2024–2025: Refine
  • Launch JEDI Researcher Toolkit
  • Support and refine JEDI pilots into Center initiatives
  • Establish data to assist with national reform
• 2025–2026: Benchmark
  • Collate information on Center activities and JEDI pilots
  • Perform comprehensive JEDI review of Center activities and pilots
• 2026–2027: Review
  • Determine ongoing initiatives for future funding
  • Identify current state, resources, gaps
  • Select priority projects and recommendations for next five years