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Oregon Health and Science University

Undergraduate School

Mailing Address
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd
Portland, Oregon 97239
Phone
(503) 494-8311
Email address
mdadmin@ohsu.edu
School Information
"OHSU's singular focus on improving health starts with Oregonians and has global impact. We are the only academic health center in Oregon, but we're also nationally distinct as a university dedicated solely to advancing health sciences. This allows us to concentrate resources on research to prevent and cure disease, on education that prepares physicians, dentists, nurses and other health professionals to succeed in an evolving health care environment, and on patient care that incorporates the latest knowledge and discoveries." Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a public university in Oregon with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The university enrolls over 5,500 students, has over 3,900 faculty, and has 65 degree/certificate programs. (Source: https://www.ohsu.edu/about) (Source: https://www.ohsu.edu/about/ohsu-facts)
General Information
OHSU leadership has announced that the university will take steps to ban "hateful imagery". However, the university has not precisely defined what "hateful imagery" would be or how the policy will be enforced. Faculty, staff, and students are urged to take unconscious bias training, while training is required for all managers who make hires and admissions staff. See developments below.

Actions Taken

Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
  • "All OHSU staff and students are highly encouraged to take part in unconscious bias training from the Center for Diversity and Inclusion. Training is required for all managers who make hires."
  • The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences has a Team for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (TIDE) that "is a collective effort towards consistently and explicitly accounting for the historical and cumulative burden of systemic racism and discrimination that continue to disproportionally affect Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and LGBTQIA2S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit, etc.) individuals today." The team aims to "Assist with reviewing or developing new institute policies to improve our research environments from a DEI perspective" and "Provide ad-hoc consultations or DEI-related workshops with specific labs or Institute members if or when needed."
  • The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences' "TIDE convenes monthly meetings and events such as 'How to have difficult conversation’ when addressing peers, partners or supervisors when dealing with microaggressions.'" The institute also "organized a whole day symposium on social determinants of health attended by 75 people from OHSU and across Oregon."
Disciplinary Measures
  • Administration will be taking steps to ban “hateful imagery”.
Faculty/Staff Requirements
  • A new university policy "requires that all admissions staff and committee members undergo unconscious bias and anti-racism training. Admissions committees also must include trained faculty observers and members with diverse and/or underrepresented backgrounds or experiences."
Program and Research Funding
  • The university is looking for a "diversity trainer" for "organizational training on unconscious bias".
  • "The Center for Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of the Provost are offering Racial Equity and Inclusion Anti-Racist Funding Opportunities. Twenty awards of $10,000 each will be given to projects that promote diversity goals and anti-racist behavior."
  • The university offers diversity and inclusion-focused internships, such as the Equity Research Program.
  • The university announced, "The Center for Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of the Provost are offering Racial Equity and Inclusion Anti-Racist Funding Opportunities. Twenty awards of $10,000 each will be given to projects that promote diversity goals and anti-racist behavior." The funding aims to "Promote anti-racist practices in recruitment and retention in education programs" and "Support development of education initiatives and policies that value equity and inclusion."
Re-Imagining Policing
  • The university "created a task force to review the operations, use of force and structure of the OHSU Department of Public Safety. The task force includes community members; members of OHSU Employee Resource Groups and the Anti-Racism Committee; and members of the administration, faculty and staff."
Resources
  • The university created an "Anti-Racism and Social Justice Taskforce" to "Identify, document and report on barriers to staff and students of color. Gather feedback from the OHSU community. Recommend changes. Monitor and report progress to the OHSU community."
  • OHSU appointed a senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.
  • The Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences has a DEI in Research Task Force that "takes into account the issues of systemic racism, discrimination, unconscious bias, and other adverse historically-based issues affecting Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and LGBTQIA2S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit, etc.) individuals."
  • The university hired a senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.
  • The university also has a Anti-Racism and Social Justice Taskforce and a Diversity Advisory Council. The Diversity Advisory Council will be, "Reviewing and commenting on policies while centering anti-racism and rewriting bylaws to incorporate anti-racism."
  • The university has a Foster Respectful and Equitable Education project, which aims to "Create a respectful learning community" and "Provide an equitable and culturally inclusive education."
  • The university also said, "The Center for Diversity and Inclusion is working with Dr. Karen Eden to add anti-racism resources to OHSU’s 'Respect for All' smartphone app... The center worked with OHSU Library Services to create an anti-racism and health-disparity resources web page." The university also introduced an "introduced an Inclusive Language Guide."
Last updated October 31st, 2022
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