News Achievements

DEI Faculty Diversity Scholars Program Awardees

Three Department of Medicine Faculty Receive the Diversity Scholars Program Awards

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has awarded Felicia I. Gomez, PhD, Felipe Almeida de Pinho Ribeiro, MD along with Jesus M. Jimenez, MD, PhD the Faculty Diversity Scholars Program Award. The mission of the DEI is to:

  • Provide leadership, expertise and advocacy on all diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within Washington University School of Medicine.
  • Direct, lead and advance institutional efforts that create a welcoming, diverse and inclusive environment where everyone is valued and respected.
  • Enhance and develop community partnerships designed to address health needs and promote health equity within the St. Louis community and beyond.

The purpose of the DEI Award is to provide incentives to departments and programs that hire and retain faculty from populations* that historically, have been excluded from medicine and
biomedical science, and as a result are underrepresented in medicine (URiM)
and/or underrepresented in research (URiR).

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Scholar Fellowship Program is designed to recruit emerging scholars from a range of disciplines who are well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

Felicia I. Gomez, PhD, from WashU Division of Oncology is one of this year’s recipients. Her work is centered on the Genomica of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas as well as Somatic variation in cancer across diverse human populations.

“I am honored to start the next phase of my career at Washington University School of Medicine. I am also thrilled to receive support from the Faculty Diversity Scholars Program. Diversity in thought, lived experience, and social identity make us stronger as a community and drives creativity in our science. Excellence in training and mentorship has gotten me to this place and I can’t wait pay it forward to the next generation of scientists!”

Felicia Gomez, MD
Gomez

Jesus Jimenez, MD, PhD, from WashU Cardiovascular Division is one of this year’s recipients. His work is centered on understanding mechanisms of cardiac injury following cancer immunotherapy.

“As an early stage investigator, the support provided by the Diversity Scholars award will provide a jumpstart to my research program, allowing me to generate requisite preliminary to competitively apply for NIH R01 grant funding.”

Jesus Jimenez, MD, PhD
Jimenez
Ribeiro

Felipe Almeida de Pinho Ribeiro, PhD, from WashU Division of Dermatology is also one of this year’s recipients.

Diversity statement

Washington University School of Medicine’s culture of collaboration and inclusion is the foundation for success in everything it does. The School of Medicine recognizes that by bringing together people from varying backgrounds, experiences and areas of expertise, it can develop richer solutions to complex scientific questions, train culturally sensitive clinicians and provide health care in a way that best serves our diverse patient population. To support these values, the School of Medicine is deeply committed to building a diverse and inclusive community in which everyone is welcomed and valued.

As the School of Medicine engages more fully with the community around it and appeals more broadly to student talent, it has adopted a clearer priority on diversifying its own ranks. Washington University encourages and gives full consideration to all applicants for admission, financial aid and employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ability, gender identity or expression, national origin, veteran status, socio-economic status, genetic information. We implement policies and practices that support the inclusion of all such potential students, trainees and employees and are committed to being an institution that is accessible to everyone who learns, conducts research, works and seeks care on our campus. We provide reasonable accommodations to those seeking that assistance.

 *Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander and Multi-Racial when at least one URiM category is included (WUSM Executive Faculty, 2017).