I am very pleased to announce that Polly Gipson, Ph.D., will be appointed Associate Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, effective December 1, 2020.
In this role, Dr. Gipson will provide leadership, input, and perspective to help the Department of Psychiatry effectively take anti-racist actions by implementing principles of diversity, equity and inclusion in our hiring, clinical work, research and education. Dr. Gipson will coordinate and partner with the department's DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) Committee and DEI Leads in this work.
In addition, Dr. Gipson will represent the department on the Office for Health Equity & Inclusion DEI Vice Chair/Associate Chairs’ Group, led by David Brown, M.D., Associate Vice President and Associate Dean for Health Equity and Inclusion, with representatives from other departments to advise Michigan Medicine leadership in this work with particular attention to the following action items:
• Supporting each other in the DEI work
• Increase awareness of best practices, risks, and opportunities for alignment
• Critically review our DEI efforts, metrics, and outcomes
• Be more synergistic in our DEI work
• Decrease the silos
• Be advisors to the Chairs and Deans Advisory Council for DEI activities and strategies
• Help transform Michigan Medicine’s culture to one that is anti-racist
Dr. Gipson comes to this role with a wealth of experience in her clinical, research and education & training activities. These include her efforts to develop and facilitate community-based participatory research partnerships across Southeast Michigan in funded research work through the Youth and Young Adult Depression and Suicide Prevention Research Program led by her mentor, Cheryl King, Ph.D., and also through her own funded projects, presently as principal investigator of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars grant to develop programs to increase trauma-informed and responsive practices for youth and families in Ypsilanti, MI. As Director of the Trauma and Grief Clinic, she works with trainees across multiple disciplines to provide a highly valued (and scarce) set of services to youth and their families facing great adversity.
I am very grateful that Dr. Gipson has agreed to take on this important role. Please join me in congratulating her and supporting her efforts to help us achieve and ensure Diversity, Equity and Inclusion throughout our department and Michigan Medicine.
Gregory W. Dalack, MD
Daniel E. Offutt, III Professor & Chair
Department of Psychiatry
University of Michigan
