Welcome to the UCLA Department of Medicine! Thank you for your interest in learning more about our equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) efforts in our training programs and across our department. We aim to become the exemplar program in the nation for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion for students, residents, fellows and faculty in the context of scientific excellence, outstanding scholarship and the highest level of compassionate, high-quality care for our patients. Our Office of EDI works closely to support the amazing efforts of our EDI Chief Resident and our Internal Medicine Residency EDI Committee (IM REDI). We understand that learning is an intensely social process and that a true sense of belonging and inclusion is paramount. Through opportunities for critical engagement of differences and thoughtful intentionality focused on inclusion, we strive to foster experiences and opportunities for our community to learn and grow together.  We focus our efforts on open conversation, sharing ideas, data, and knowledge to build a thriving and inclusive community that fosters the success of us all. We also believe that our profession has a responsibility to ensure that all people receive equitable and just care. As part of this responsibility, we must ensure that our faculty and trainees understand the historical roots of inequities as well as the structural supports which continue to propagate them. By working closely with training program leadership, core faculty and engaged trainees, we strive to build our department’s equity consciousness by way of brave conversations, challenging cultural standards and building a better tomorrow for ourselves, our patients, and our community. Thank you for your interest in UCLA: we invite you to explore the multitude of efforts to advance equity within our residency program, our department and the broader UCLA campus.

Keith Norris

Keith C. Norris, MD, PhD

Executive Vice Chair, Department of Medicine for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Professor of Medicine, UCLA Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research

headshot of Teresa Seeman in a pink shirt

Teresa Seeman, PhD

Associate Vice Chair, Department of Medicine for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Professor of Medicine & Epidemiology, UCLA Geffen School of Medicine

Marco A. Hidalgo, PhD, MA

Marco A. Hidalgo, PhD, MA

Associate Vice Chair, Department of Medicine for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 

Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Medicine-Pediatrics Section 

Utibe Essien

Utibe Essien, MD, MPH

Associate Vice Chair, Department of Medicine for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Professor of Medicine, UCLA Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research

Alejandra Casillas, MD, MSHS

Alejandra Casillas, MD, MSHS

Founder of the First-Generation Program at DGSOM

Assistant Professor of Medicine in Residence at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

shataratownes

Shatara (Tara) Townes, MD

Ronald Reagan Medical Center/Santa Monica Hospital Chief Resident

Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Chief Resident