Quarterly news & updates
February 2022 Issue
What's New and Upcoming?
We are gearing up for 2022 with a slew of programs, initiatives, partnerships and trainings. Our mantra is going to be “In Purpose On Purpose.” This reminds us to be intentional, thoughtful, and persistent in our endeavor of inclusive excellence at UT Southwestern. In December 2021 we moved from our office from Paul M. Bass Administrative and Clinical Center to our new office location in Pegasus Park. We are located on the 5th floor with many of our UT Southwestern colleagues and offices. 
February is Black History Month, and we are proud to be co-hosting the Signature Keynote Event with the African American Employees BRG on Feb 24th featuring the extraordinarily wise Dr. Altha Stewart who will be speaking on the importance of centering our wellness in her talk, "Burnout in African Americans: From Measurement and Mitigation to Prevention and Thriving." 
March will be Women's History Month and we are excited to partner with the Women and Allies BRG to bring Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew as the keynote for the Signature Event on March 31st. We are also deep in preparation for summer when we will host over 30 college student interns as part of the Dr. Emmett J. Conrad Leadership Program in partnership with the University of North Texas in Dallas. 

This past quarter we debuted three new training sessions. The first on navigating multigenerational and multicultural workplaces, the second on making our workplaces inclusive and welcoming for all gender identities and expressions, and finally, a new segment on building inclusive teams in the New Leader Onboarding curriculum with our partners in Learning and Development. As always, we are available to bring our facilitation skills and training resources to your department or unit. Our training request forms are available on our website. We will soon have a brand-new website with a fresh and updated look. Keep an eye out for that! 
This year we also continue to build on our BRG Mentoring Program that is offered exclusively for our members. We are proud to have a record number of pairings this year as we continue to develop strong leadership pathways and offer structured programs that nurture our employee strengths and career goals. We completed our mentor onboarding in January and could not be prouder of this program. 

As we take on 2022, we hope you will find ways to connect with us. Attend an event, participate in a service opportunity, join a BRG, take a training, or share our newsletter or events. We leave you with the words of the great poet Rumi, “Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone's soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.” 
In community,
Sharbari, Mary, and Keneshia
Awards & Recognitions
UTSW Honored for its Commitment to Diversity
The North Texas chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHENTX) presented its inaugural D&I Award to UT Southwestern in recognition of the Medical Center’s commitment to and extensive work in diversity and inclusion.  

ACHENTX serves the professional development needs of Dallas-Fort Worth and 19 surrounding counties. The D&I Award was created to honor individuals and organizations that embody and promote values focusing on diversity and inclusion. It was presented during the ACHENTX annual General Membership Convocation in December 2021. 

UT Southwestern was nominated collectively by several ACHENTX Diversity & Inclusion Committee members. The nomination described UTSW as a leader in diversity and inclusion that “promotes an equitable environment of care for the communities they serve, fosters and embodies an inclusive environment and the spirit of inclusion and belonging, and serves as a role model for others through the empowerment of those around them through DEI activities and professional advancement.” 

Nominators said, “Clearly UT Southwestern Medical Center is reaching far into the community to provide resources and education elevating diversity and inclusion to provide excellence in care to their patients and families,” the nomination continued. “The influence UT Southwestern has on the community also expands into the health care community locally and nationally.” 
D&I Events Recap
Nov 2021 - Jan 2022
UT Southwestern Celebrates 7th Annual Tribute to Veterans 

On Nov. 11th, UT Southwestern held a virtual celebration of Veterans Day to honor our active and retired military, employees, and students. The event featured a welcome by UT Southwestern President Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., and a keynote speech by retired Col. Matt R. Weinshel entitled, “Resilience: One Step Back to Move Forward.” The event also featured a rendition of the national anthem by Veterans Business Resource Group member Donald Jones, a moderated Q&A and closing remarks by Chris Rubio, Associate VP and Chief Operating Officer for University Hospital and Executive Sponsor of the Veterans BRG, as well as a presentation of colors and the United States Armed Forces Medley. 

As Dr. Podolsky observed in his remarks, “This event gives us the opportunity to recognize the sacrifice of all of those who have served our country…and in particular to acknowledge the community of veterans and active-duty military here at UT Southwestern, who are as veterans, 800 persons strong, joined by 100 who remain on active duty.” He also noted that UT Southwestern’s Veterans BRG is “intended to be a vehicle of convening and community for those who have served and those who support those who have served.” 

Mr. Rubio expressed his thanks to “all of our veterans and their families for the tremendous sacrifice that they’ve made to ensure our safety both here and abroad.” He went on to applaud “the many veteran colleagues who over the past nineteen months have again answered the call of our community and have worked on the front lines taking care of our patients and their families during this pandemic.” 
A recently retired Army Aviation Colonel with over 26 years of active service, Col. Weinshel served 15 combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and other Army Aviation units. He deployed worldwide, including South Korea, Bosnia, Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Central America. Since transitioning out of the military in the fall of 2021, Col. Weinshel now serves as a Senior Manager, Business Development at Raytheon Technologies, Missile and Defense. 

In his keynote address, Col. Weinshel focused on the theme of resilience, sharing personal anecdotes about the hardships of losing two of his closest colleagues, and cumulatively spending eight years isolated from his wife and children as a “geographical bachelor.” He talked about the importance of leaders building their own resilience and modeling the same for those they lead. His four-prong approach to resilience entailed 1) Teamwork: Mutual Support of one another; 2) Mindset: control the “controllables,” 3) Outlets: Develop diversions from your stressors, and 4) Leadership by example. Col. Weinshel also observed that veterans share many qualities, including discipline, creativity, self-motivation, problem-solving ability, service orientation, agility, resilience, and many more commendable attributes. 
UT Southwestern's Tribute to Veterans Celebration was hosted in partnership with the Office of the President and sponsored by the Veterans Business Resource Group and the Office of Institutional Equity and Access’ Division of Diversity and Inclusion
It Takes a Village to Build a Beloved Community 
This January the Division of Diversity and Inclusion held its first Acts of Kindness event. “It came about from a conversation with our colleagues at Parkland and Children’s Hospitals” said Dr. Sharbari Dey, Director of D&I at UT Southwestern. The idea was to offer an opportunity for BRG members to engage in giving back to the community to answer what Dr. King called "life's most persistent and urgent question": “What are you doing for others?" The event brought together employees at UT Southwestern, Parkland, Children's and, teachers and children of Mockingbird Elementary in Dallas ISD.   

In partnership with the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, 400 Brown Bear kits were procured, and volunteer sites were set up across four institutions. UT Southwestern reached out to Mockingbird Elementary School to partner on making paper puppets to go into kits. Under the direction of school librarian, Ms. Sarah Rust, children from grades 1-3 made over 200 puppets as their service project.  
“For those colleagues who are working remotely we asked if they could send us a kind word or positive thoughts that we could include in the kits,” said Keneshia Colwell, Senior D&I Specialist. Over a hundred employees answered our call and wrote notes that we could add to the kits. During the week of January 24th- 28th, UTSW BRG members stopped by our new office at Pegasus Park to help put together our 200 kits. “I am glad I could come and spend part of my day in service,” said Dennis Smith, who is a member of the Veterans BRG at UT Southwestern.

The completed kits from the four institutions, made with love and filled with kindness, were dropped off as gifts for patients at Children’s Hospital. We hope to bring Acts of Kindness back each year as a service project.  

Keeping an Eye on Outreach 
On January 27, 2022, D&I Manager Mary Durbin presented at “Voices & Views,” Parish Episcopal School’s 6th Annual Upper School Conference on Diversity & Inclusion. Voices & Views is an initiative that seeks to create interactive spaces for dialogue, critical thinking, cultural appreciation, and mindfulness relating to various cultural identifiers, equity, belonging, and inclusion. Mary spoke with two groups of high school students (grades 9-12) on the topic of “Affirming Gender Identity and Expression at School.” In this interactive training, students learned about identities related to sex, gender, gender identity, and expression. The training also examined the impact of stigma; discussed how school communities can be supportive and welcoming of gender diversity; and highlighted resources and recommendations for best practices for being inclusive of gender identity and expression. 
Our Impact: D&I Trainings

An Overview of D&I Training this Quarter

In our last quarter, our division conducted 19 trainings across campus reaching 700 employees, covering topics ranging from Building Inclusive Teams to sharing strategies on how employees can Affirm Gender Identity and Gender Expression in the workplace. Here is a look at our impact from October 2021 to January 2022
Trainings offered:
  • Affirming Gender Identity and Gender Expression in the Workplace (Taleo) 
  • Building High Trust Teams 
  • Cultural Competency and Inclusive Excellence 
  • Diversity for All Staff (Taleo) 
  • Leader as Includer – part of OD&T’s Leadership Foundations Cohorts for managers and supervisors 
  • Leading Inclusive Teams – part of OD&T’s New Leader Onboarding Program Launch in January 2022 for New Leaders and recently promoted Managers 
  • Inclusive Hiring Practices 
  • Inclusive Team Building – Part I & II (Taleo) 
  • Navigating the Multigenerational and Multicultural Workplace  
TESTIMONIALS
Upcoming Trainings
The Division of Diversity & Inclusion invites you to enroll in one of our upcoming training offerings in Taleo Learn.

If you are interested in learning more about any of these courses, please log in to Taleo Learn using your UTSW credentials and search for the trainings below.
Inclusive Team-building Part 1 & 2 (90 minutes each session)
Diversity for All Staff (3 hours)
Affirming Gender Identity and Expression in the Workplace (90 minutes)
Enroll while seats are available!
Upcoming Events
Black History Month Celebration - Feb. 24
Join us for our annual Black History Month Celebration featuring keynote speaker Altha Stewart, M.D., Senior Associate Dean for Community Health Engagement at University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC); Associate Professor and Chief of Social/Community Psychiatry; and Director, Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth at UTHSC. Dr. Stewart will be speaking on "Burnout in African Americans: From Measurement and Mitigation to Prevention and Thriving." The event will also showcase resources from our local community experts on health and wellness.
 
The event will also feature cultural performances and remarks by Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Dr. Marc Nivet. This virtual event is being hosted by the Office of Institutional Equity & Access and the African-American Employee Business Resource Group (AAE-BRG). All faculty, employees, staff, students, and residents are welcome to attend.

To learn more about the many events the African-American Employee Business Resource Group has planned for Black History Month, click here.
Business Resource Group Program Updates
About the BRG Mentorship Program 

This 12-month program offers a partnership between colleagues to promote personal and professional development. Mentees are UTSW employees who are members of a Business Resource Group. Mentors generally have at least two years of experience in a managerial role (whether at UTSW or externally) and at least two years’ tenure at UTSW. The program begins in January and ends in December of each year.  

Mentees look to their mentor as confidant, advisor, advocate, and role model. Mentors help mentees develop confidence, competence, and guide them to opportunities. Mentors assist mentees as they establish themselves at UTSW and may enhance a mentee‘s career through sharing organizational knowledge and communicating the organization’s focus, initiatives, and changes. 
About Leadership Circles 

Leadership Circles is a program offered to our BRG Mentorship Program participants (both mentors and mentees) as an opportunity to hear from UT Southwestern’s senior leaders on topics involving leadership, mentorship, and professional development. This opportunity is intended to advance a broader goal of the mentorship program, which is to promote the inclusion and professional advancement of our diverse employee population.  
In 2022, participants will be treated to monthly discussions with one of the following senior leaders: 
  • Erin Sine, J.D., Vice President for Legal Affairs 
  • Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee, M.D., EVP for Academic Affairs and Provost, Dean UTSW Medical School 
  • Sherri Toney, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources 
  • Juan M. Guerra, Jr., MBA, Vice President for Facilities Management 

To learn more about our Business Resource Groups or to join, please click here.
Your Partners in Practice
Join our Microsoft Teams Group!
We recognize that there has been an uptick in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts across campus, with a variety of committees and task forces within our employee population.

Our Division is encouraging all who have a role in staff Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committees as well as task forces to contact us and other members of task forces and committees via Microsoft Teams.

We'd love to have you connect with us and with other employees on campus doing this work.