At the Forefront of Medicine Since 1927

The University of Chicago Medicine, with a history dating to 1927, is a not-for-profit academic medical health system based on the campus of the University of Chicago in Hyde Park, and with hospitals, outpatient clinics and physician practices throughout Chicago and its suburbs. UChicago Medicine unites five organizations to fulfill its tripartite mission of medical education, research and patient care: Pritzker School of Medicine, Biological Sciences Division, Medical Center, Community Health and Hospital Division, and UChicago Medicine Physicians.

Mission

As part of the University of Chicago, we pursue globally impactful solutions to seemingly unsolvable challenges.

Through our rigorous research, innovative education, and comprehensive care and healing, we collaborate on life-changing advancements that create meaningful results for our community and the world, including a greater, more equitable future for all.

Vision

Together, we elevate the human experience with knowledge and health care.

Values

Initiatives

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion in the Biological Sciences Division is committed to providing a forum for discussing and celebrating diversity and inclusion in its many forms. Apart from housing a number of Committees and Resource Groups in the Biological Sciences Division, the Office also offers opportunities related to faculty development, research and diversity grants, and efforts at community outreach.

Office of Diversity & Inclusion

Biological Sciences Division

Welcome from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I). We are located in Billings Hall at 5812 S. Ellis Avenue. Here in the D&I office, we work to create an atmosphere that feels like home for faculty, researchers, post-docs, residents, and students in the Biological Sciences Division. Our office is led by Dr. Iris Romero, Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and leading scientist and thought leader in the fields of both ovarian cancer research and LGBTQ health more broadly. In our office we work through an intersectional framework to ensure our constituents feel completely supported. We employ a multidimensional programming and outreach strategy that pays attention not only to traditional understandings of identity but also to how our constituents’ identities meet and converge to create particular kinds of life experiences. This is why our new Inclusion Menu, a series that brings programming to our constituents in their already existing meetings, incorporates programs related to race and privilege, gender and sexuality, and their relationship to the phenomenon known as implicit bias. We understand that diversity programming cannot be either/or, rather it has to be both/and.

Because we work with a vast amount of people, we spend lots of time meeting face to face and working across the division on committees. This ensures that our work is intentional and that we reach people in all parts of the division. More recently, we began to partner with colleagues on resource groups, which provide spaces for our constituents to meet and professionally develop with others who are similar to them. An example of this is our NOTICE group, which utilizes professional development and mentorship to help women of color advance their careers. We also recently started a faculty diversity committee that is tasked with advising the office on initiatives related to faculty diversity, particularly around hiring, advancement, and retention.

We look forward to continued service to members of the Biological Sciences Division and welcome both collaboration and feedback. Please take a look at our website to learn more about who we are and the work that we do.

Our History

The Biological Sciences Division’s (BSD) Office of Diversity and Inclusion was established in 2011 with the appointment of Melissa Gilliam, MD, as the first Dean for Diversity and Inclusion. This new role was established to advise the Dean on institutional policies and practices the BSD could put into place to enhance diversity and promote a more inclusive environment. Dr. Gilliam engaged with senior leaders including Brenda Battle, RN, BSN, MBA, UChicago Medicine’s Vice President for Care Delivery Innovation and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, and Monica Vela, MD, Associate Dean for Multicultural Affairs in the Pritzker School of Medicine to develop an enterprise-wide strategy to promote diversity, inclusion and equity across the BSD, UChicago Medicine and the Pritzker School of Medicine. The Diversity & Inclusion steering committee was established to provide ongoing direction and oversight of the implementation of this strategy.

In 2016, Melissa Gilliam was appointed as Vice Provost for Academic Leadership, Advancement and Diversity for the University of Chicago, and Iris Romero, MD, Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, was appointed as Dean for Diversity & Inclusion in the BSD. Dr. Romero leads our efforts in creating opportunities and mechanisms to support the diversity of identities, beliefs and ethnicities, of the faculty, students and staff affiliated with the Biological Sciences Division, Pritzker School of Medicine and UChicago Medicine. Recent efforts have included the establishment of a new Faculty Diversity Committee and the launch of Resource Groups.