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