Newsletter

Message from Leadership:

Welcome to a new year for the UCLA Department of Medicine. A year that begins with mixed emotions. We just finished celebrating many of our winter season traditions that often renew our spirit in the new year. We also honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and continue to work to achieve his vision for more perfect union which recognizes the tapestry of diverse backgrounds and values that bind us. However, the recent Los Angeles fires have devastated our UCLA community. The fire displaced many of our faculty, staff, trainees, families, friends, and others who represent the soul of our city and UCLA community.

At the heart of the UCLA Department of Medicine's EDI Office, we are committed to guiding the DoM in our mission to advance health for all. We help ensure that we are providing equitable, high quality care to all regardless of their socioeconomic status, while also fostering an inclusive environment where our colleagues are inspired and supported to achieve their best. Unfortunately, we have seen many of our patients and colleagues lose so much to the fires. Nevertheless, amid this tragedy, we are moved by the coalescence of support within the DoM for those in need.   

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day we hosted the seventh annual "On Equity" story slam where seven faculty provided inspiring stories of patients struggling with some of the many barriers in healthcare and society that prevent them from achieving optimal health. Each story highlighted the creativity, humanity, compassion and extra steps so many take to ensure equity and justice for their patients, actions that demonstrate our department's values. 

As we all work to ensure each patient receives our very best, we are now called upon to continue that same energy in support of those in DoM who have been impacted by the LA fires.

As part of a speech delivered on January 7, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. offered these profound words on the disparity between those who have more and those who have less,  

“I don't want you feeling that you are better than they are. For you will never be what you ought to be until they are what they ought to be.”

May we call upon the spirit in this message as we extend support to our patients and colleagues in need - so they can once again become all they ought to be and in doing so we can each become all we ought to be.

Message from Leadership:

Message from Leadership:

Happy August.

As many of you know, the new UCLA Department of Medicine (DoM) Strategic Plan(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) is grounded in LEADERShip and as such, incorporates the values of leadership, equity, accountability, discovery, excellence, respect, and service. Moreover, in the UCLA DoM, we are all LEADERS, be it leading in innovation, transforming care, and/or advancing health for all.

As a reminder, our four core strategic plan pillars are research, patient care, education, and promoting community engagement & investment. The DoM Office of EDI supports all pillars but has a lead role in community engagement & investment. This includes working with faculty, staff, trainees, and community partners to:

• Increase access to care and health resources for historically and contemporarily under-resourced communities.
• Strengthen engagement and collaboration with organizations caring for historically and contemporarily under-resourced communities.
• Provide high-quality health equity training for all in the DoM.
• Advance health disparities research and policy to improve health equity, in collaboration with health systems and community partners.
• Promote healthier, thriving neighborhoods through health education and disease prevention.

Through periodic presentations and our EDI newsletter, our office will provide updates on our activities in implementing the DoM strategic plan. Persons interested in providing care at safety-net facilities can contact our office. We have many burgeoning partnerships with federally qualified health centers and similar safety-net facilities, such as Olive View-UCLA Medical Center and Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital. While much of our work has focused on local partnerships, we are now exploring similar relationships in Ventura County and surrounding areas.

We look forward to suggestions(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) on how we might better support you to have a portion of your practice dedicated to some of the more vulnerable communities in our catchment area, as well as other things you’d like to hear about from our office.

Best wishes for the remainder of the summer!

“It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.” - John Wooden

Message from Leadership:

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) statistics speak volumes within the UCLA Department of Medicine (DoM): 42% of the faculty and a striking 76% of the staff are women. These numbers are not just figures; they represent a tangible reflection of the invaluable contributions women make in our institution and beyond. In the grand tapestry of human history, women have stood as unsung heroes, catalysts of change, and beacons of progress. Whether on the battlefields of social justice or in the classrooms where glass ceilings are shattered, women have wielded their unwavering resolve and courage to shape the world. As we commemorate Women's History Month, let us not only honor the achievements of those who paved the way but also renew our commitment to the ongoing pursuit of equality and justice. Together, let us weave a future where every woman's narrative is heard, every woman's effort is esteemed, and every woman's potential is fully realized.