Diversity Hub

The Black Student Health Alliance (BSHA) is a student organization devoted to fostering community among students in the Schools of Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Physical Therapy and the Graduate Division at UCSF. In collaboration with other campus organizations, we aim to increase diversity within the student body, as well as among faculty and staff. As an extension of this mission, we offer support and guidance to students as they navigate academic institutions and prepare for careers in the health professions. BSHA provides an extended community of peers and mentors by building alliances among professionals and alumni in all health fields, and encourages the collaboration of resources and expertise. Through community events and outreach activities, BSHA contributes to the enrichment of the Black student community in particular, and to the broader UCSF community at large.

The Gay/Straight Dental Alliance (GSDA) enhances and enriches the climate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) individuals and increases the visibility of these individuals in the School of Dentistry. The organizational mission is to work towards creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for LGBT students, staff and faculty, to educate and communicate issues specific to this group, and to prevent homophobia and discrimination of LGBT individuals in the school and in our student clinics.

The LGBTSA's goal is to promote advocacy for LGBT-related issues at UCSF, to foster community and provide networking for LGBT students, and to educate UCSF about the healthcare needs of LGBT patients.

The Muslim Community at UCSF is a student-run organization that aims to educate, empower and unite Muslims from a variety of backgrounds and professional schools. This is done through activities and educational programs, which emphasize the teachings and principles of the Islamic faith.

Established in 1986, the Native American Health Alliance (NAHA) is comprised of UCSF students, staff and faculty of native descent (and their supporters) who are working together to advance representation of Native Americans on campus. NAHA also promotes cultural understanding and an awareness of the health disparities affecting Native American/Alaskan Native peoples through educational programs and campus events.

VSA at UCSF engages our inter-professional community with a rich and multi-faceted view of Vietnamese Culture through cultural events, community involvement, and medical Vietnamese elective. We have always been one of the most active cultural organizations on campus and continue to host annual events to promote cultural awareness including the Fall Banquet to welcome new students, Winter Holiday Potluck, Vietnamese New Years (Tet) Festival, Black April Commemoration for the Fall of Saigon, and our Spring Vietnamese Culture Show. All events feature talented student volunteers as singers, actors, and dancers. We also invite students to participate in our medical Vietnamese elective each quarter, which provide interactive learning of a very useful and elegant language. In the past, VSA has also collaborated with other cultural RCO at UCSF to promote diversity and tolerance.

Women in Life Sciences (WILS) is an organization run by UCSF trainees, that is dedicated to supporting women graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty and staff at UCSF by organizing networking, mentoring, and career-building activities. Men and women are both welcome to attend all meetings and events.

SACNAS (the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science) at UCSF is a chapter of the National SACNAS Organization, whose mission is to promote the recruitment, retention and career development of underrepresented minorities in the sciences. SACNAS at UCSF is committed to preparing and empowering underrepresented minorities to become leaders that will have a positive impact in our society. To accomplish this, SACNAS at UCSF organizes academic, professional, community service and social activities, creating an enriched environment and support network that serves all of its members and the UCSF community.

Free faculty development workshops fall into several series to serve UCSF faculty and learners at all levels of educational development and interest that includes: 1) Key Educational Skills Series: Foundational educational knowledge; 2) Clinical Education Skills Series: Topics with a clinical teaching focus; 3) Simulation Education Skills Series: Skills for teaching with simulation; 4) Interprofessional Teaching Skills Series: Skills for creating and maximizing interprofessional learning opportunities; 5) Teaching for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety: Skills for teaching QI/PS in didactic and clinical settings; 6) Education Leadership Skills Series: Skills for current and aspiring education leaders; 7) Assessment and Education Research Skills Series: Skills used in learner assessment, program evaluation, and education research; 8) Medical Education Grand Rounds: Short, up-to-the minute lectures, often with visiting scholars; 9) Special Topics in Education Series: Timely and cutting edge topics by invited and local faculty developers. The workshops address one or more of six educational themes: (1) Assessment; (2) Curriculum Development; (3) Leadership and Career ; (4) Learning; (5) Teaching; and (6) Research.

In the Fall of 1981, some concerned staff members and students met to discuss the possibility of forming an Asian Pacific American network on the UC systemwide level. They saw the need for such an organization to directly address issues impacting Asian Pacific Americans on the UC campuses. APASA was thus developed with representative on the UC campuses and was introduced to the San Francisco campus in 1988.