With the goal of recruiting top researchers while also promoting faculty diversity, the Traveling Ambassador Program of UCSF’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is an integral part of UCSF’s vision of being the world’s pre-eminent health sciences innovator.
“This effort is a great example of a ‘win/win’ for our faculty and the University,” said Dr. Renee Navarro, vice chancellor of Diversity and Outreach at UCSF and director of CTSI’s Career Development program, which oversees the Ambassador program.
...you help UCSF reinforce its commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for faculty from all backgrounds.Dr. Renee Navarro, vice chancellor, Diversity and Outreach
As part of the program, faculty receive up to $1,500 in travel expenses to attend national meetings in return for making connections with potential candidates, providing information about specific UCSF faculty openings, and obtaining contact information from those individuals they interact with.
Beyond the financial support, there are other benefits for faculty who serve as Traveling Ambassadors, Navarro says. “When you’re in this role, you always meet interesting people and you help UCSF reinforce its commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for faculty from all backgrounds.
The program is also a vehicle for fostering relationships with diverse faculty and those committed to serving diverse populations, says Misty Loetterle, chief of staff in the office of the Vice Chancellor, Diversity and Outreach.
“Increasing faculty diversity not only enhances our ability to provide the highest quality of care to our patients, but better ensures a research and scholarship agenda that incorporates the diversity of our population, and acknowledges the disparities in health and health care nationally and internationally,” she said.
For more information about the Traveling Ambassador program, contact 514-1784 or [email protected]. Learn more about UCSF’s Office of Diversity and Outreach and follow updates on Twitter.
See below for a list of other Diversity resources and services offered by CTSI
UCSF's CTSI is a member of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards network funded through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (grant Number UL1 TR000004) at the National Institutes of Health. Under the banner of "Accelerating Research to Improve Health," CTSI provides a wide range of resources and services for researchers, and promotes online collaboration and networking tools such as UCSF Profiles.
CTSI Diversity Resources
In addition to the Traveling Ambassador program, CTSI’s Career Development program provides a variety of resources in support of UCSF’s efforts to nurture diversity, including:
Leave Awards (awarded via UCSF RAP; deadline 2/28/13)
- Under-Represented Faculty and Senior Fellows in Clinical and Translational Research Awards: Aims to encourage fellows and junior faculty from economically or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds to remain in academia.
- Post Childbearing Professional Development Leave Award: Supports female clinical and translational research faculty who are returning to work after childbearing leave; relieves them of non-research responsibilities for up to 3 months after maternity leave.
Recruitment
- Biomedical and Health Sciences Internship (BHSI): A research-intensive summer internship program for entering senior high school students designed to promote interest in science, medicine, and health among young people; created by the Department of Pediatrics at UCSF, with modest funding support from CTSI. Now recruiting mentors for summer 2013
- Pre-health Undergraduate Program (PUP): To attract promising underrepresented minority undergraduates to careers in clinical and translational research, this program provides training to undergraduate students to design clinical and translational research in collaboration with a UCSF pre-doctoral PACCTR trainee.
- UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute Visiting Elective Scholarship Program: Designed to improve the recruitment of underrepresented minorities (URM) interested in clinical and translational research at the residency level, this scholarship program supports URM advanced professional students for who wish to take a 1-month elective at UCSF and complete the Designing Clinical and Translational Research for Students and Residents course.
- UC Diversity Pipeline Initiative: Annual conference for nominated professional students from all UC campuses that is designed to increase diversity among women faculty at UC health professional schools. CTSI provides modest funding to support this conference (see related news story).
Retention
- Professional Development Awards: Up to six nominated candidates per year are funded to attend annual American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Leadership Training Programs:
- Minority Faculty Professional Development Seminar
- Mid-Career Women Faculty Professional Development Seminar
- Early-Career Women Faculty Professional Development Seminar
- Professional Success Skills, Office of Career and Professional Development: Series of workshops designed to enhance the professional development of UCSF students and scholars engaged in research.
Supplemental Funding Resources
- NIH Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research: Information for Principal Investigators
NIH Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research: Information for UCSF Students, Trainees, and Junior Faculty
Mentor Development Program