From the Desk of Acting Dean Charles H. Griffith, MD, MSPH
It is a great pleasure to announce that effective today, July 18, Stephanie L. White, MD, MS, associate professor of pediatrics, will lead the UK College of Medicine Office of Medical Education as the new senior associate dean for medical student education.
In this position, Dr. White will oversee the Office of Medical Education as it works to support medical students, administrative staff, and faculty across all regional campuses. This oversight will include admissions, curriculum, medical student assessment, student affairs, scholarly concentrations, and faculty development related to medical student education.
Dr. White’s strengths of mentorship and advocacy will be vital for the success of our medical education program, particularly as the regional campuses mature and the Lexington campus designs and builds the new Health Education Building.
During her time as the associate dean for diversity and inclusion at the UK College of Medicine, Dr. White proved she could effectively manage a dynamic team to achieve significant milestones and results. Thanks to her leadership, we now have 29 diversity and inclusion ambassadors across College of Medicine departments and centers who are well equipped and will continue to be supported in advancing inclusive excellence throughout the college. Her team also coordinated the college’s first annual Pride Week and launched the College of Medicine’s SAFE Pledge with the support of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee.
Under Dr. White’s leadership, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) updated the College of Medicine strategic plan, College of Medicine Map to Impact through a Transdisciplinary Strategy (COMMITS), to better represent our work to foster an environment that maintains inclusive excellence and promotes diversity in all forms through recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion of diverse faculty, staff, and learners. She has worked to ensure progress was made with our strategic plan and that the multiple domains in the college were supported. For example, through his role within ODEI, Kevin Pearson, PhD, created the Stairway to a Diverse Biomedical Workforce along with several programs and initiatives to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in research. This work will continue through collaborations with the Office of Research and the new assistant dean for inclusive research initiatives. In fact, the college will soon launch a $3 million COMMITS hiring initiative, a multi-year hiring plan to build a more inclusive college, diversify our faculty, and expand our research enterprise.
Through her career Dr. White has maintained involvement in groups that promote diversity and leadership cultivation. She was an institutional representative for the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Diversity and Inclusion, a member of the Academic Pediatric Association Diversity and Inclusion Committee, a member of UK DEI leadership team, and most recently was selected among the 2022-2023 class of fellows for the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program for Women at Drexel University College of Medicine.
Dr. White has been and will continue to be a crucial member of our team. We will continue to support the strong foundation she has provided and will launch a national search for a vice dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion. To maintain our momentum, Dr. White will continue to support the ODEI and the Diversity and Inclusion Ambassadors program during the transition.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. White in this new role as she continues to lead the college by bringing together faculty, staff, and learners to excel in our efforts to impact medical education and health care for the state of Kentucky and beyond.
