UofL medical faculty leaders have pledged $50,000 toward a $1 million goal to address long-standing racial inequities in medical education.
The University of Louisville School of Medicine’s Endowed Excellence Fund for Diversity has been established by several department chairs to address systemic racism. This is in response to UofL President Neeli Bendapudi’s challenge asking for ideas and support in making UofL the nation’s premier anti-racist metropolitan research university.
“I am proud and deeply grateful for the leadership of these faculty who are using their philanthropic and other financial resources to create a fund that will promote diversity at the School of Medicine both now and for the future,” said Toni Ganzel, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the School of Medicine.
The endowment has been established by:
- Sean Francis, M.D., M.B.A., chair of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health
- Ronald Gregg, Ph.D., chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
- William Guido, Ph.D., chair of Anatomical Sciences & Neurobiology
- Irving Joshua, Ph.D., chair of Physiology
- Maureen McCall, Ph.D., professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Craig S. Roberts, M.D., M.B.A., chair of Orthopaedic Surgery
“This might have more impact at UofL than anything else I have done,” Gregg said.
The endowment is expected to be used for scholarships, resident stipends, faculty recruitment and retention packages and other unforeseen opportunities. A dean-appointed selection committee composed of diverse members of the School of Medicine faculty, staff and students will help guide spending decisions.
To learn more about UofL’s anti-racism agenda and diversity efforts, please visit the following websites: