Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Mission: The University of California, Los Angeles Division of Rheumatology recognizes the value of cultivating a culture of equity and diversity, and promoting an environment of inclusion in the rheumatology workforce. The UCLA Division of Rheumatology Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee was formed with the goal of addressing the need to educate, recruit, retain, and promote a diverse rheumatology workforce. 

Vision: By fostering the education and growth of fellows of all races, religions, nationalities, gender identities and sexual orientations and creating an inclusive academic community, our goal is to train a diverse generation of rheumatologists. The EDI committee consists of faculty members whose passion is to actively  increase the diversity of the rheumatology division and reduce health disparities through education, clinical care and research. Through the unique experiences and perspectives of our committee members, we are dedicated to recruiting and training a fellowship class which reflects the diversity of the community we serve.    

We hope to create a workforce that is responsive to the needs of all patients, promotes research, and actively works towards addressing the many health inequities in rheumatology. We welcome applicants of diverse backgrounds, including racial, ethnic, religious affiliations, socioeconomic, and gender identities to our program.

Our goals:

• Examine our recruitment strategies, by analyzing the number of underrepresented minority applicants across the application process: applications, screening, interviewing, ranking, and matching.
• Establish a journal club series featuring academic articles that explore structural inequities in healthcare as they pertain to rheumatology.
• Participate in efforts to increase application to subspecialty training among underrepresented minorities including UCLA medical students and residents.
• Promote rheumatology research focusing on health disparities, socioeconomically vulnerable populations, and research which leads to targeted healthcare for underserved populations.
• Cultivate a culture of inclusion within the fellowship program and in the Division of Rheumatology in general.
• Enhance our LGBTQ training through lectures and other resources in order to be better prepared to provide healthcare to our LGBTQ community.