Encompass Newsletter 12.23.20

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Message from Mercedes

As the end of December nears, I find myself reflecting on what was a challenging, and perhaps pivotal year for all of us. When I think back to this time last year, most of us could not have imagined a global pandemic that would disrupt nearly every aspect of our lives, or how such a powerful racial reckoning would reshape our country’s long journey to equity and justice.

For many of us, it was a difficult year. But through all the adversity, there were also bright and brilliant glimmers of hope.

As images of violence horrified us and shook our faith, new generations of activists and allies stood up and took a knee to tell the world that enough is enough.

While the COVID-19 virus spread, our Medical Center and frontline workers rose to the challenge to care for the sick and help lead the way to a lifesaving vaccine.

When learning, work, and instruction all became remote, our students, faculty, and staff worked together to quickly find new methods and practices to go about the essential functions of higher education. My conversations with so many of our students revealed how dedicated they are to their education and to creating a more just world.

We should also be encouraged by the ways our University strengthened its commitment to the wider Rochester community. From health and wellness initiatives to the work done by the newly formed Committee on Community Engagement for Racial Justice, we collaborated and engaged with each other to take important steps that address education disparities, childcare, and food insecurity in our area.

But even our collaboration and engagement looked different this year. Like no other time in our history, we utilized online technology to connect with each other and to continue our work. That work includes efforts from all the deans and unit leaders across the institution to craft their Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plans, as well as the Equity and Anti-Racism Action Plan developed by the URMC. With the importance of those digital platforms in mind, I am delighted to announce that the Office of Equity and Inclusion has a fully updated and revised website. Without question, our new site will help us continue our collaborations and offer important resources and information to our students, prospective students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, and community partners. We are grateful to University Communications and other key stakeholders across institution for their support.

I am thrilled that important conversations around equity, diversity, and inclusion are continuing, even when social distancing and other health protocols are keeping us physically apart. The Rochester Equity and Access Leadership (REAL) Conversations hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations and Constituent Engagement brought together thought leaders to share their insights and expertise with the University and greater Rochester communities. Those conversations helped set the stage for the most recent Insights podcast, a true testament to that commitment. The episode features a roundtable discussion about the skepticism many communities of color have with the COVID-19 vaccine. The panelists are Dr. Angela Branche, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases and co-director of the URMC Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit; Dr. Linda Clark, president of the Rochester Black Physicians Network; and longtime community educator and activist Jackie Dozier from Common Ground Health. I encourage everyone to listen to the episode and to offer help any way you can.

Finally, I want to convey my gratitude and sincere thanks to everyone who joined us this year, and to those who stayed with us as we continued our work through challenging times. Your passion and commitment give us hope and we look forward to a productive and healthy year.

Wishing everyone health, joy, and peace,

Mercedes Ramírez Fernández
Richard Feldman Vice President for Equity and Inclusion
Chief Diversity Officer

Podcast: Understanding Vaccine Skepticism

As coronavirus vaccinations of frontline healthcare workers are rolled out across the country and at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where so much of the study of COVID and vaccine trials are taking place, many in the Black and Hispanic communities are aren’t sure they want it. In this episode of Insights, Dr. Angela Branche, assistant professor of medicine and co-director of the URMC Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit; Jackie Dozier, community educator and vaccine trial participant; and Dr. Linda Clark, president of the Rochester Black Physicians Network discuss building trust and taking care of some of the communities hardest hit by the pandemic.

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