In February 2016, HMS students formed the Racial Justice Coalition (RJC). In part, the RJC grew out of White Coats for Black Lives, a group who, taking cues from the Black Lives Matter movement, staged die-ins at over seventy medical schools across the country. Students urged medical schools to commit to admitting and supporting minority students as well as supporting communities of color. In the context of the search for a new Dean at HMS, RJC members presented a petition in February 2016 to Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust, calling on Faust to choose a dean who would address the lack of diversity at Harvard Medical School.
George Q. Daley was appointed Dean of Harvard Medical School in 2017, and created the Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion to advance Harvard Medical School’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and to bring together individuals to discuss, evaluate, and advance the mission of diversity at Harvard Medical School.
With input from faculty, students, trainees, fellows, staff and administrators from across the Harvard Medical School community, The HMS Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion focuses on four areas:
- Developing a Harvard Medical School diversity and inclusion vision and policy that are consistent with our mission and values; foster excellence in teaching, research and service; support the multiple dimensions of diversity reflected in our community; and are responsive to regulatory requirements;
- Identifying measures of accountability to assess the achievement of diversity and inclusion goals and expectations, including mechanisms for promoting evidence-based decision making;
- Understanding the landscape of current HMS, HMS-affiliates and Harvard University diversity and inclusion resources and offerings; and
- Prioritizing and exploring areas of diversity and inclusion for deeper investigation, goal-setting and recommendations for action.
The final report for The HMS Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion was released in June 2020.
For more information on The HMS Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, visit: https://hms.harvard.edu/about-hms/campus-culture/diversity-inclusion
For more information on the Racial Justice Coalition, visit: https://www.statnews.com/2016/02/08/harvard-medical-school-diversity/ and https://snma.hms.harvard.edu/.
