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28 Worcester Business Journal 2 020 has been a year of profound change, providing each of us with an urgent opportunity to heal our nation - from the COVID-19 pandemic and racism. We at UMass Medical School acknowledge the sobering reali- ty that racism is a public health crisis. Racial inequity and disparity mar access to education, health care, housing and healthy food. We see their effects in our workforce and criminal justice system and know that even well-intentioned allies can perpetuate unconscious and implicit biases and perpetuate structural racism. Regretfully, we are not immune. There is much to be done and at UMass Medical School, we are getting to work. We hold diversity as a core institutional value. We aspire to create an academic community where all are – and feel – welcome and able to thrive; where the full richness of diverse people, perspectives and experiences is embraced; where the faces of the future caregivers we educate look like those for whom it will be their privilege to care. Our learners, who represent the next generation of physicians, nurses and scien- tists, have challenged us to be more transparent, accountable and urgent in creat- ing a learning environment that fully embodies the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion. Though challenging, these actions will prove meaningful. Building upon ongo- ing investments in diversity and inclusion through our strategic plan, we are actively working to increase recruitment and retention of faculty and students tra- ditionally underrepresented in medicine and the biomedical sciences; champion diversity training for all; ensure our curriculums are inclusive and bias-free; and support the academic goals of learners from different backgrounds. Take, for instance, our School of Medicine, in which the Class of 2024 is more diverse than ever before, with 91 women, 69 men and two students who did not declare their gender. Eighteen are first-generation college stu- dents; 18 are from economically and educationally disad- vantaged backgrounds; and 26 are from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine. Strictly applying holistic review to our admissions pro- cesses and eliminating admission tools that may dispro- portionately disadvantage applicants from full and fair consideration will help us achieve even greater represen- tation. We hope to expand – in numbers and geography - our 25-year commitment to developing a pipeline of underrepresented students through partnerships with the Worcester Public Schools, the University of Massachusetts system and area colleges. Institutions of higher education across America face a reckoning. At UMass Medical School, we vow to collaborate with our students, faculty and community to realize the fullest potential of our institutional values; to eliminate racism; to steward health care and science education in a principled and progressive direc- tion – just as our students expect and the fields they enter will require. Michael F. Collins, MD, is Senior Vice President for the Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts and Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. UMASS MEDICAL SCHOOL: Diversity drives our medical school's future W Michael F. Collins, MD F O C U S D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N Special Sponsored Section