Thank You, Dr. Anita Fernander, for Your Work at UK

Anita Fernander, PhD, associate professor of behavioral science, has been selected to join the Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine as its inaugural Chief Officer for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. This move is effective June 7, 2021.

For almost 19 years, Dr. Fernander ​has been committed to promoting excellence in education and inclusivity for faculty and students at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. She served as faculty in our Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) course and ​for almost a dozen years has annually ​taught two courses related to health equity (Race, Racism and Health Disparities, and The History of Medicine among Blacks in the U.S.) ​She has served as the director of diversity and inclusion for the department of behavioral science, ​founded and chaired the Lexington Fayette County Health Disparities Coalition,​ and founded Black Boys and Men in Medicine, a mentorship pipeline program to address the underrepresentation of Black men in medicine.

Most recently, she served as Health Equity and Advocacy Thread leader, leading work to weave health equity topics and advocacy opportunities throughout the medical student curriculum. While the thread is still in the formative phase, the initiative will continue to benefit from Dr. Fernander’s vision, passion, and expertise.

Thank you, Dr. Fernander, for all of your work at the College of Medicine to make it a stronger, more informed, and more equitable place for our learners, faculty, and staff. We wish you well on this new chapter!​