Diversity Advisory Committee | Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | UC Davis Health

The Diversity Advisory Committee (DAC) was established in 1999 and has an extensive history of addressing the diversity needs of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UC Davis. DAC is comprised of faculty and trainees who work together on topics of cultural psychiatry, social justice, and health equity within and beyond the department of psychiatry. The group has multiple goals including:

• Ongoing enhancement and development of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) curriculum and research in cultural psychiatry
• Recruitment and retention of underrepresented in medicine (URM) medical students, residents, fellows, faculty and staff
• Increasing awareness about issues related to cultural psychiatry and mental health equity
• Working closely with the Office for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Student and Resident Diversity at UC Davis Health to achieve these goals

Our Activities

DAC organizes and hosts educational events and discussion topics with experts related to JEDI, including:

• Annual Luke and Grace Kim Visiting Professor
• Cultural psychiatry movie Series
• Departmental Equity Subcommittee
• Recruitment and retention activities

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is committed to providing a more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive culture for our faculty, staff, trainees, students, and, most importantly, the patients we serve. Our Diversity Advisory Committee (DAC) leads the charge by identifying and addressing areas of need, including enhanced education in cultural psychiatry, evaluation and improvement in our recruitment and retention strategies for those who are underrepresented in medicine (URM), and support and promotion of health equity research.—Ruth Shim, M.D., M.P.H., Chair, Diversity Advisory Committee