Diversity Strategic Planning & Implementation Process

The newly formed Diversity Strategic Planning Implementation and Assessment Committee (SPIAC) will implement the strategic plan and support the forward movement at RBHS.

Strategic Planning Implementation and Assessment Committee (SPIAC) Members

Sangeeta Lamba, MD, MS-HPEd Vice President for Faculty Development and Diversity, Rutgers University Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences	Gwendolyn M. Mahon, MSc, PhD Dean Interim Chair, Clinical Laboratory and Medical Imaging Sciences Rutgers School of Health Professions
Kyle D. Warren, PhD, MAE Senior Vice Dean, Administration and Student Services Rutgers School of Nursing	Linda R. Flynn, PhD, RN, FAAN Dean and Professor Rutgers School of Nursing
Teri E. Lassiter, PhD, MPH Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion RBHS Diversity Leadership Council Assistant Professor, Department of Urban-Global Public Health Rutgers School of Public Health	Patricia N. Whitley-Williams, MD Professor of Pediatrics RBHS Diversity Leadership Council Associate Dean for Inclusion and Diversity Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Ravi Maharajh, EdS. LPC, ACS Director, Marketing and Communications RBHS Diversity Leadership Council Co-Chair, UBHC Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care	Herminio Perez, DMD, MBA Assistant Dean, Student Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion RBHS Diversity Leadership Council Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Humberto Jimenez, Pharm.D Director of Diverse Scholar Engagement and Advancement and Assistant Professor RBHS Anti-Racism Task Force Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy	Robin Eubanks, PhD Associate Professor RBHS Anti-Racism Task Force Rutgers School of Health Professions
Abigail Armstrong, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine	Adrienne Ettinger, ScD Chief of Staff for Research Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Pamela Valera, PhD Director, Doctoral Studies and Assistant Professor Rutgers School of Public Health	Maria Soto-Greene, MD, MS-HPEd, FACP Executive Vice Dean and Professor Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

University Diversity Strategic Planning Process (UDSP)

To support the implementation of the university-wide diversity strategic planning process at Rutgers Biomedical at Health Sciences (RBHS), a steering committee was formed with co-chairs tied to each priority supporting the creation of goals. The RBHS Strategic Planning Process concluded in 2021. Use the Diversity Strategic Planning Toolkit to guide your steps and track institutional progress. Don’t sit on the sidelines.

RBHS University-wide Diversity Strategic Planning Committee (RBHS-UDSP) Members

Chairs:

Sangeeta Lamba, MD, MS-HPEd, Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion, Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences
Linda R. Flynn, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean and Professor, Rutgers School of Nursing

Co-Chairs:

Priority 1: Recruit, Retain, and Develop a Diverse Community

Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH
Dean and Professor
Department of Urban-Global Public Health; Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology; Director, Center for Health, Identity, Behavior & Prevention Studies
Rutgers School of Public Health

Herminio Perez, DMD, MBA
Assistant Dean, Student Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion
RBHS Diversity Leadership Council
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine

Meredith E. Mullane, MA
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences

Priority 2: Promote Inclusive Scholarship and Teaching

Gwendolyn M. Mahon, MSc, PhD
Dean
Interim Chair, Clinical Laboratory and Medical Imaging Sciences
Rutgers School of Health Professions

Charlotte Thomas-Hawkins, PhD, RN, FAAN
Interim Associate Dean, Nursing Science
RBHS Diversity Leadership Council
Associate Professor and Director, Center for Healthcare Quality
Rutgers School of Nursing

Priority 3: Define Sustainable and Substantive Community Engagement

XinQi Dong, MD, MPH
Director, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research
Henry Rutgers Distinguished Professor of Population Health Sciences
Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Rutgers Global Health Institute

Teri E. Lassiter, PhD, MPH
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
RBHS Diversity Leadership Council
Assistant Professor, Department of Urban-Global Public Health
Rutgers School of Public Health

Frank A. Ghinassi, PhD, ABPP
President and CEO, Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care
Professor, Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
Core Faculty at Rutgers Global Health Institute

Priority 4: Build the Capacity of Leaders to Create Inclusive Climates

Cecile A. Feldman, DMD, MBA
Dean
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine

Patricia N. Whitley-Williams, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
RBHS Diversity Leadership Council
Associate Dean for Inclusion and Diversity
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Ravi Maharajh, EdS. LPC, ACS
Director, Marketing and Communications
RBHS Diversity Leadership Council
Co-Chair, UBHC Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care

Priority 5: Develop an Institutional Infrastructure to Drive Change

Joseph A. Barone, PharmD, FCCP
Dean and Professor II
Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy

Nataki C. Douglas, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
RBHS Diversity Leadership Council
Director, Translational Research, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Health
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Kyle D. Warren, PhD, MAE
Senior Vice Dean, Administration and Student Services
Rutgers School of Nursing

Equity Building Blocks

Read our tips on how to make sure the diversity committee in your organization (department, school, and/or administrative unit) gets off to a good start.

Incorporate self-learning into your organizational routine. Every department can benefit from purposeful skill-building to support the creation of an inclusive community. Administrative units and academic departments that utilize and complete the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging for All Learning Path will be better situated to begin strategic planning to meet long-term equity goals.