Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, & Inclusion

Cultural Climate Support

In our UT College of Pharmacy, our goal is to cultivate a culture of care for every individual within our college and the communities we serve. In doing so, we welcome inquiries for support regarding Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, & Inclusion (DEAI) in the UT College of Pharmacy or any UT Pharmacy affiliated experiential sites. In addition, please feel free to share any positive feedback about experiences you’ve had in the UTCOP or at your experiential site, as those will also help us to advance a culture of inclusive excellence.

Factors that do not support a culture of care in our college can include (but are not limited to) a behavior or organizational culture that is derogatory or hostile in nature, and targets an individual based on their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital/familial status, possession of a General Education Development Certificate (GED) as compared to a high school diploma, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex, age, or genetic information.

At the UT College of Pharmacy, we strive to educate our community members in an effort to eliminate disparities, grow awareness, and build empathic connections for better understanding and an intentionally inclusive community.  Please consider one of the following outlets if you would like support:

1. Present at a monthly standing DEAI Committee meeting (Spring dates are 2/11, 3/11, and 4/29).  Contact salinasj4@uthscsa.edu to request to add an agenda item.

2. Schedule a meeting with the Assistant Dean of DEAI via email at skyller.walkes@austin.utexas.edu.

3. Celebrate an exemplar of DEAI or share actions that advance this value for our college through a UTCOP Carolyn Brown DEAI Champion Award nomination when applications open.

Statements

Diversity Statement

The College of Pharmacy at UT Austin, ranked among the top pharmacy programs in the country, aims to be an exemplar of intersectionally inclusive excellence through a rigorous approach to the understanding of intercultural engagement in our ever-expanding global world and knowledge economy.

The College of Pharmacy further labors to uphold a vision that inspires and challenges, yet explicitly affirms the students, staff, and faculty of our diverse community with authentic appreciation for the differences that engineer our pluralistic ingenuity. Our commitment to be intentionally inclusive in the culture, curriculum, and practices of the College of Pharmacy is resolute.

Statement on Gender Equity and Underrepresented Minorities

The University of Texas at Austin and the College of Pharmacy place a high priority on ensuring that the campus is a place where diverse people, ideas, and perspectives can flourish.  To learn more, visit our UT Office for Inclusion and Equity.

Dr. Carolyn Brown represents the College of Pharmacy on the University Faculty Gender Equity Council.

Dr. Skyller Walkes represents the College of Pharmacy on the Council for Racial and Ethnic Equity and Diversity (CREED).

Additional Statements

Please visit our statements page to read additional statements surrounding recent events.

Learning Opportunities and Resources

Curated Learning Opportunities and Resources

Please visit our Learning Opportunities and Resources page for a collection of resources curated by Dr. Skyller Walkes, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion.

News and Events

Equity & Diversity in the news

UT Pharmacy Launches Building Our Own Talent (BOOT) Graduate Recruitment Program

Two women smiling.
Sept. 2, 2021
The college's new Building Our Own Talent (BOOT) program is designed to provide mentoring and support for trainees and embrace the notion that innovation and discovery thrive in an inclusive culture that values diverse ideas. This year’s recipients enter the pharmaceutical sciences graduate program: Charlene Mandimutsira joins the chemical biology and medicinal chemistry (CBMC) track and Kelsey Strey joins the pharmacotherapy (PT) track.

UT Austin Students Earn Diversity Leadership Awards

TADOHE: Texas Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education
June 14, 2021
The University of Texas at Austin community members won several Emerging Leaders Spotlight Awards during the recent chapter meeting of the Texas Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (TADOHE). The inaugural awards seek to highlight and acknowledge individuals in higher education who actively support TADOHE’s mission and diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion (DEAI) as a whole.

ConversAsian: An Asian American Townhall

Three women.
March 23, 2021
Register in advance for a virtual townhall dedicated to process, healing and care on Thursday, March 25 from 10-11 a.m. CT. The purpose of this event is to join in community to collectively grieve and remember all those lost and hurt by anti-Asian violence, xenophobia and racism. Asian American voices will be centered and friends and allies are welcome.

"I'm Sorry" Isn't Enough, Action Must Also Fortify the Spirit of Apology

March 17, 2021
A message from Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion responding to the tragic recent events in Atlanta and its impact on the Asian-American and Pacific-Islander (AAPI) community.

State of Black UT 2021

State of Black UT 2021
Feb. 8, 2021
State of Black UT is a three-day event February 10-12, 2021 that will facilitate discussions and exploration of the work UT has done, is doing, and needs to do to create an inclusive campus. State of Black UT will centralize discussion and unify efforts being made to foster a supportive learning, teaching and working environment for the Black UT community.

Upcoming Events

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Global Social Club - Book Club
Global Social Club Book Club Flyer for September 2021 - Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
Event Status
Scheduled
Thursday September 30, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Join the DEAI Committee’s first book club! Our focus is to read to become more knowledgeable, empathetic, and open-minded leaders and health care providers! Anyone can join the meeting regardless of whether they’ve read none, half, or all of the book. We are excited to hear your thoughts and look forward to seeing you at our next meeting! In September, we will be reading "Beautiful Boy" by David Sheff. The meeting link will be sent by email.
Global Social Club - Book Club
Global Social Club Book Club flyer for October 2021 - Becomin Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt
Event Status
Scheduled
Thursday October 28, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Join the DEAI Committee’s first book club! Our focus is to read to become more knowledgeable, empathetic, and open-minded leaders and health care providers! Anyone can join the meeting regardless of whether they’ve read none, half, or all of the book. We are excited to hear your thoughts and look forward to seeing you at our next meeting! In October, we will be reading "Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family" by Amy Ellis Nutt. The meeting link will be sent by email.

DiversiTEA Readers’ Roundtable

March 24, 2021 - Guidance for Male Mentors to Support the Safety and Success of Female Mentees

Image of flyer for session on guidance for male mentors to support female mentees

Event Details

The UTCOP community, with an emphasis on the participation of interested BOOT mentors, gathered virtually for a facilitated discussion by Drs. Lucas Hill and S. Andrea Lagaudo on March 24th from 12-1pm.  They discussed their paper and strategies surrounding, “Guidance for male mentors to support the safety and success of female mentees.”

Additional Information

Please view the full paper written by Drs. Lucas Hill and S. Andrea Lagaudo titled, “Guidance for male mentors to support the safety and success of female mentees.”

Also, please visit this resource for additional anti-bias information.

A recent article in Chemical & Engineering News also offers relevant information regarding harassment in a laboratory setting, including the experiences of those harassed, administration response, and lasting impacts.

January 27, 2021 - Moving Beyond Cultural Competency to Achieve Cultural Safety with Andrew Wash, PharmD, RPh

A jar with books tumbling out.

View Cloud Recording

If you would like to view the recording of the DiversiTEA Readers' Roundtable from January 27, 2021, please click the button below:

View Recording

Related Readings

Please use the links below to explore readings related to the presentation and discussion.

Why Cultural Safety Rather Than Cultural Competency Is Required to Achieve Health Equity: A Literature Review and Recommended Definition

The United States Does CAIR About Cultural Safety: Examining Cultural Safety Within Indigenous Health Contexts in Canada and the United States

Cultural Safety: Exploring the Applicability of the Concept of Cultural Safety to Aboriginal Health and Community Wellness

Names Are a Gateway to Our Identity: Let’s honor both by pronouncing names correctly

The University of Texas at Austin has a Canvas integration for the NameCoach application.  NameCoach allows students, faculty, and others associated with a Canvas course to record audio pronunciations of their names. 

Please visit this link to learn more about NameCoach and how to record your own name pronunciation, as well as listen to the name recordings of others in your classes.

Course Spotlight

Students in the PharmD program at the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy have the opportunity to take courses designed to enhance their understanding and awareness of global cultures and cultural diversity.  The courses highlighted below have been designated with special flags related to the enriching experiences that these courses provide.

Global Cultures Flag

PHM 380T Global Health (Dr. Joseph Brewster)

Cultural Diversity Flag

PHM 283L Health Behavior and Health Outcomes (Dr. Carolyn Brown)

Newsletter

Read the Fall 2020 edition of DiversiTEA Corner, the newsletter about topics and events regarding inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility at the UT College of Pharmacy.

Past Issues:
DiversiTEA Corner - Spring 2020

DiversiTEA Corner – Fall 2019

College Strategic Plan

For additional information about diversity efforts, see Goal 4 (Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition of an Outstanding and Diverse Faculty and Staff).

Posters and Stickers

The College of Pharmacy has created posters and stickers in multiple languages in an effort to get its message out on creating a climate conducive to learning and creating knowledge for every person in the community. Feel free to download and print these items for your own use, display, and distribution.