Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Posted on October 12, 2020 (created and permitted for use by UMD MICA)

The University of Maryland School of Public Health (UMD SPH), is committed to honoring and celebrating the lives and legacy of Indigenous peoples and a more truthful history about the Americas and Native people. We encourage our SPH faculty, students, staff and community partners to reflect on the Piscataway land and resiliency of the Native people where our school and campus reside and incorporate this land acknowledgment agreement in their curriculum and events. 

Every community owes its existence and strength to the generations before them, around the world, who contributed their hopes, dreams and energy into making the history that led to this moment. Some were brought here against their will, some were drawn to migrate from their homes in hope of a better life and some have lived on this land for more generations than can be counted. Truth and acknowledgment are critical in building mutual respect and connections across all barriers of heritage and difference. 

At the UMD SPH  we believe it is important to create a dialogue to honor those that have been historically and systemically disenfranchised. So, we acknowledge the truth that is often buried: we are on the ancestral lands of the Piscataway People, who were among the first in the Western Hemisphere. We are on indigenous land that was stolen from the Piscataway People by European colonists. We pay respects to Piscataway elders and ancestors. Please take a moment to consider the many legacies of violence, displacement, migration and settlement that bring us together here today.

You may also view the land acknowledgment and linked resources/events posted by the Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, & Health (CEEJH) laboratory founded by Dr. Sacoby Wilson, associate professor, in the UMD SPH Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health. 

Dean Boris Lushniak leads a team dedicated to providing a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming school. This team includes a diversity officer, an associate dean for academic affairs, an assistant dean for undergraduate education and a health equity officer. The school’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, with broad representation from faculty, staff and students, oversees the implementation of our Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion and assesses our progress. Despite many achievements, we constantly strive to expand diversity and inclusiveness throughout the School and to ensure that all members of our community share the responsibility for diversity leadership.

SPH Student Body in Fall 2020

Undergraduates

55% Students of color (including Black, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander) 
41% White students 
4% Other (includes those indicating two or more races, foreign or undisclosed)

26% of SPH undergraduates are first generation students

Graduate students 

56% Students of color (including Black, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander) 
27% White students
17% Other (includes those indicating two or more races, foreign or undisclosed)

62 Countries represented 
37 States+DC and Puerto Rico represented 

Our faculty and staff bring a wealth of backgrounds, talents, and perspectives to our academic community. Their efforts contribute to a school that is widely recognized for its innovative teaching and learning, pioneering research, community engagement, and positive work climate.

• Among the 69 members of our tenured/tenure track faculty, 9% are African American, 7% are Hispanic, 13% are Asian, 3% are international, and 68% are White. 
• The faculty is currently 49% female and 51% male.
• The School’s diverse staff is 21% African American, 11% Hispanic, 11%Asian, and 57% White; 71% are women and 29% are men. 
• UMD’s ADVANCE program (initially funded by NSF) and other mentoring initiatives support the retention and promotion of women and minority faculty in the School and across the university.
• The Maryland Center for Health Equity offers the Public Health Critical Race Praxis Institute for faculty and researchers across the nation. 
• New initiatives are continually being planned to foster the professional development and career advancement of our School’s diverse staff.

The school strives to provide every student with an education that incorporates the values of diversity and inclusion. Our curricula increases students’ understanding of public health issues and interventions, develops their cultural competency, and provides exceptional academic and co-curricular experiences. Students collaborate with peers from different backgrounds to tackle challenging public health problems that prepare them to work and live in diverse communities.   

• School courses explore timely public health issues that address diversity issues, including methodologies for addressing social and environmental determinants of health, health disparities, and chronic health problems.  
• Internships and research projects provide real-world experience working in government agencies, think tanks, professional associations, and military facilities, such as the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the Children’s Defense Fund, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
• Students have life-changing international experiences through the Global Public Health Scholars program, Public Health Without Borders, and the School’s Study Abroad courses, which take them to China, Cuba, India, Peru, Mexico, and Germany.
• The UM STAR program offers minority undergraduates summer opportunities to engage in school research on biomedical and behavioral aspects of cardiovascular disease, preparing them for graduate or medical school.  

The school’s faculty and students conduct ground-breaking research and scholarship focusing on the health and well-being of women, racial/ethnic minorities, the elderly, the poor, and other diverse groups in America and worldwide. Each department has researchers who are engaged in identifying public health problems and disparities, examining their causes, and developing and implementing interventions.  School symposia, grand rounds, and seminars provide opportunities for research training aimed at improving individual, family, and community health.

• School centers such as the Maryland Center for Health Equity, the Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy, the University of Maryland Prevention Research Center, and the Center for Healthy Families foster interdisciplinary collaborations aimed at reducing health disparities and increasing health equity across diverse populations.
• The Center of Excellence in Race, Ethnicity, and Health Disparities Research, funded by NIMHD, sponsors studies on vaccine disparities, physical activity in African American women, and Black men’s health.
• Our CDC-funded Prevention Research Center Center (which grew out of funding from the CDC) unites faculty researchers from across the School who are working to reduce disparities in HIV, diabetes, obesity, and youth academic achievement  within the national capital border area of Prince George’s County (MD), Montgomery County (MD), and Washington, DC.
• A major grant from the American Cancer Society is evaluating spiritually-themed health interventions to increase prostate cancer screening among African American men.
• Two previous large school projects targeted improving veterans’ well-being: A school partnership with the state of Maryland conducted research and training to enhance post 9/11 veterans’ behavioral health, and a Legacy Corps project funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service provided in-home caregiver services to veteran and military families in 11 states.

As a school within a public university and land grant institution, our reach and engagement extend beyond the physical boundaries of the campus. We embrace the responsibility to improve the health and well-being of our diverse external communities, which include large numbers of African American, Hispanic, Asian American, and immigrant families. Such engagement builds trust among community members, enriches the educational experience of participants, and provides opportunities to evaluate the impact of our interventions. The school currently has numerous community-based research, continuing education, and extension outreach programs that benefit nearby communities and the state.

• The school has established formal partnerships with other research universities, non-profits, schools, and state and federal agencies that seek to reduce health disparities in diverse populations, such as the Al-Huda School, Mary’s Center, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Defense Centers of Excellence, and the Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health.
• The Department of Public and Community Health has maintained a 15-year partnership with the City of Seat Pleasant, with faculty, staff and students providing health education services to residents, and residents offering feedback on the department’s health education curriculum.
• The Center for Healthy Families is the largest provider of couple and family therapy to low income families in Prince George’s County, treating 400 client families annually.
• The SPH Extension faculty improve the quality of life of 10,000 low-income, rural, and urban families annually, addressing health literacy, family financial management, health insurance, nutrition education, parenting issues, and healthy homes. The SPH faculty are leading a statewide, model oral health literacy project aimed at eliminating dental health disparities among low-income young children and their caregivers.

The school works to ensure an inclusive and welcoming classroom climate, learning community, and workplace environment. When differences do arise, efforts are made to resolve them in a civil, respectful manner. We actively support the University’s policies on equity, non-discrimination, compliance, and equal opportunity/affirmative action. Faculty, staff, and students have access to mentoring and professional development programs, and their achievements are celebrated by the entire School community. 

• In the 2013 ADVANCE Survey of College Work Environments, 85% of School faculty members were satisfied with their colleagues’ support, and School faculty had more positive assessments of chair support and the work-life climate than their university peers.
• The School set up the University’s first dedicated lactation/feeding rooms to support breastfeeding mothers in the campus workforce and is working closely with the President’s Commission on Women’s Issues and other campus partners to assess need and use, build awareness, and create additional lactation/feeding rooms across campus. 
• School staff have been leaders in the University’s Intergroup Dialogue Program, where students from different social identity groups come together to discuss issues related to their diversity.
• Several of the School’s student organizations, such as the Student Association for Rising Health Professionals, are focusing on advising and mentoring students from underrepresented groups.
• We have conducted climate surveys with faculty, staff, and students to measure our effectiveness and progress.

The core values of the University are: “excellence institution-wide and in the work of all its members; diversity and inclusiveness of students, faculty and staff; a commitment to civility and collegiality in order to make this a broad, welcoming, and diverse community; the highest ethical standards in all university actions; and a commitment to openness and accountability through shared governance.”

Consistent with these core values, all faculty, staff and students are required to complete the UMD Office of Civil Rights & Sexual Misconduct’s online training on "Responding Effectively to Discrimination & Sexual Misconduct."

See the University Senate's University of Maryland Non-Discrimination Policy and Procedures.

This policy outlines what is considered discrimination, harassment and retaliation, and how to report such behavior. A brief summary of these three terms from the policy is now provided:

“Discrimination” is unequal treatment based on a legally protected status that is sufficiently serious to unreasonably interfere with or limit an individual’s opportunity to participate in or benefit from a University program or activity, or that otherwise adversely affects a term or condition of the individual’s employment or education.

“Harassment” is a form of discrimination (as defined above) that encompasses unwelcome conduct based on a person’s protected status.  It may include, but, is not limited to the following when based on a person’s protected status:

• Conduct, whether verbal, physical, written, graphic, or electronic that threatens, intimidates, offends, belittles, denigrates, or shows an aversion toward an individual or group;
• Epithets, slurs, or negative stereotyping, jokes, or nicknames;
• Written, printed or graphic material that contains offensive, denigrating, or demeaning comments or pictures; and
• The display of offensive, denigrating or demeaning objects, e-mails, text messages or cell phone pictures.

“Retaliation” refers to action that is taken against an individual because she/he reported discrimination, filed a complaint of discrimination, or participated in an investigation or proceeding concerning a discrimination complaint.

The School of Public Health is committed to creating an educational and work environment that is inclusive and supportive of all students, faculty, and staff. We aspire to develop and mentor the next generation of public health leaders and in doing so we strive for a learning environment that is fair, respectful, equitable, and free from all forms of harassment. Each member of the School of Public Health community is expected to contribute to this positive learning and work environment. The school is supported in this goal by several campus policies. When behavior or conduct occurs that is inconsistent with a respectful and safe learning environment, members of our community may report the incident and seek assistance through
the following Student Complaint and Grievance Procedures.

Our School views microagressions or communication of hostile, derogatory or negative slights or insults towards particular groups through verbal, behavioral or environmental indignities—whether unintentional or intentional--as inconsistent with the University’s commitment to maintain an educational, working and living environment that is free from discrimination and harassment.

• To help ensure that our School is welcoming for all, the following administrative staff have been tasked with following up on microagressions, retaliation, harassment and discrimination:

The University of Maryland is widely recognized for its commitment to diversity and inclusion.  School of Public Health faculty have assisted campus leaders in crafting policies and implementing programs that address faculty promotion and tenure, same-sex partner benefits, work-family balance, and student veterans. Such efforts have helped the university and the school to become model diverse communities whose impact is felt across the campus, state, and nation.

• School faculty and staff have received awards for diversity leadership from the University Presidents’ Commissions on Women Issues, Ethnic Minority Issues, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Issues; national professional associations; and community foundations.
• One of the School’s departments, Family Science, has been named the “Outstanding Academic Unit” by the University President’s Commission on Ethnic Minority Issues in 2012, 2004, 1997 and 1992.