Messages from Leadership

Message from the Dean

Bruce T. Liang, M.D., FACC

Welcome to the Office of Multicultural and Community Affairs.

As the Dean of UConn School of Medicine it brings me no greater joy to help create a family-like, inclusive atmosphere at our academic institution of higher learning.

Developing a true sense of community and culture that fully embodies diversity, equity and inclusion at all turns is personally important to me, and I know as well to our University of Connecticut leaders. This is an integral part of our mission as an academic entity training the next generation of health care leaders, medical students, residents, fellows, and researchers.

Each day the diversity of backgrounds, talents and strengths of our community adds great value to the institution. Diversity is incredibly important to us not only today, but also for the future as we advance medicine academically, clinically and scientifically.

Just to share a few examples of our strong diversity, our medical school was named by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 10 most diverse medical schools in the nation. Also, nearly 23% of our student body and a higher than national average percentage of our resident and specialty fellow physicians hail from underrepresented groups in medicine. We also couldn’t be prouder to be leading the way forward nationally in greater diversity in medicine.

We’re all here to help each other succeed. By working together we can amplify our school’s diversity and inclusion efforts to even greater heights through engagement with OMCA and its programming.

Sincerely,

Bruce T. Liang, M.D.
Dean, UConn School of Medicine

Welcome from the Interim Associate Dean

Linda K. Barry, M.D., MPH, FACS

As the Interim Associate Dean of the Office of Multicultural and Community Affairs (OMCA), I want to welcome you to UConn School of Medicine.

Our office is focused on promoting and facilitating diversity, inclusion and equity among students, faculty, staff and for our patients.

As noted in our mission statement, we celebrate diversity in all its varied expressions, including but not limited to, gender, race, ethnicity, physical ability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. To do so we sponsor and facilitate a wide range of initiatives and programming focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Our OMCA website serves to highlight these efforts and provides insight to our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

We aim to celebrate and uplift the voices of the UConn School of Medicine community. Every member of UConn School of Medicine is valued, adding to the rich mosaic that has created this innovative environment of learning, research and health care delivery.

For more information about the Office of Multicultural and Community Affairs, our programming, or UConn School of Medicine, feel free to contact us at omca@uchc.edu.

Sincerely,

Linda Barry, M.D., MPH, FACS
Interim Director, UConn Health Disparities Institute
Interim Associate Dean, Office of Multicultural and Community Affairs
Associate Professor, Departments of Surgery and Public Health Sciences
UConn School of Medicine

Message from the Associate Dean

David D. Henderson, M.D.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are foundational heuristics within the Office of Multicultural and Community Affairs at UConn School of Medicine.

These principles inform the goals and objectives as well as all the activities in which the Office engages.

Our overarching goal is to create a learning and working environment that is conducive to the success of everyone in our institution.

Mutual respect, advocacy, and social justice inform our core values. The Office works to provide support and education to promote these values to make UConn School of Medicine is a welcoming and enriching space for all who cross our threshold, and by their diverse presence enrich us in turn.

Sincerely,

David H. Henderson, M.D.
Associate Dean, Office of Multicultural and Community Affairs
Professor of Family Medicine
Chair, Department of Family Medicine
UConn School of Medicine