OED >> Culture >> Overview

Overview

In April 2007, the Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Affairs established the Associate Vice President for Health Affairs, Equity and Diversity. This institutional initiative is unique in that it links the six Health Science Center Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Public Health and Health Professions and Veterinary Medicine to facilitate interdisciplinary efforts to impact issues of faculty diversity and equity. Such efforts involve developing new programs in addition to enhancing and supporting existing programs through cooperative interactions among administration, faculty, staff, students and the community.

The Office of Equity and Diversity (OED) provides an integral function in the University’s institutional commitment to promote and nurture a supportive, intellectually prosperous, and productive environment for University faculty. A rich diversity of racial and ethnic heritage, gender, ability, sexual orientation, and other life experiences among the members of our community enhances the quality of our educational programs, patient care, research, community service, and work environment.

Purpose

The purpose of the Office of Equity and Diversity is to proactively work to achieve institutional diversity and equity by:

• Improving communication and networking related to diversity;
• Increasing recruitment and retention of quality minority and female faculty; and
• Enhancing and further developing the mentoring system.

Mission

The mission of the HSC Office of Equity and Diversity is to create and sustain a nurturing culture of acceptance where each faculty member is respected, challenged, engaged, and supported and to facilitate recruitment and retention of a faculty that is representative of the population served with the ultimate goal of improving health for underserved populations.

Where We Are Now

Nationally African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans make up approximately 25% of the population yet represent just 9% of nurses, 6% of physicians, and 5% of dentists. Florida mirrors the national numbers. In Florida, African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans make up 30% of the state population yet represent 11% of nurses, 7% of physicians and 5% of dentists.

Below is a graph illustrating the demographic breakdown of UF Health Science Center faculty by race/ethnicity in addition to gender differences in recent UF College of Medicine tenure track hires.