As the new director for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI), Pilar Prather, PhD, strives to build bridges and strengthen a “culture of support” at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.
“We all want to feel supported and heard,” she said. “It is about listening to people’s concerns and finding common goals. And then, are they being heard? Do they know where to find resources? Can they grow?”
Dr. Prather is from Paducah, Ky. She joined the UK College of Medicine in November 2023 with a well-rounded career background encompassing student affairs, medical education programming, research, program management, and teaching.
She discovered her passion for inclusion and belonging when she was a residence director at the University of Nebraska. She helped launch a diversity and inclusion taskforce and significantly increased student engagement.
Her most recent role was a research fellow at the University of Louisville College of Education and Human Development. During this time, her study of systemic barriers to financial inclusion was recognized with a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Foundation Dissertation Completion Fellowship.
Before this, Dr. Prather spent five years in Nashville, Tenn., first coordinating the Master of Public Health program at Meharry Medical College, a historically Black medical school, and then managing interprofessional education programs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Notably, she developed and coordinated a pathway summit at Vanderbilt for Black males interested in health care careers. She also implemented a tool to measure student engagement across the Meharry School of Graduate Studies.
Through all of this work, Dr. Prather learned that lasting change requires listening, patience, and building strong relationships – not just within the college, but across the greater community. “It’s all about longevity. That’s how you build and grow and can provide a better environment, a better city, better patient care,” she said. “It all blossoms from relationships and collaboration.”
She is excited to serve the University of Kentucky, fostering open communication to help make the college a place where all faculty, staff, learners, and trainees know they belong.
Fun fact about Dr. Prather
In her spare time, Dr. Prather loves to travel and immerse herself in different places. Her favorite travel destinations include Costa Rica and Cuba. During trips, she is up for a good challenge. She has gone bungee-jumping, parasailing, and skydiving! But her favorite getaways are the ones where she can settle down by the beach with a good book.