Skip to Main Content

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Department of Psychiatry

Diversity Task Force

John H. Krystal, MD, Chair of the Yale Department of Psychiatry, established the Psychiatry Diversity Task Force in 2014 to make recommendations about how the department could improve its culture of support and diversity. A survey undertaken by the Task Force identified areas for improvement which were detailed in a report to the Chair; the report and his response were presented in a Grand Rounds on January 29, 2016.

Diversity Committee

In response to the recommendations and in 2015, the Task Force's mandate was extended permanently to create a Diversity Committee and a position of Assistant to the Chair for Diversity and Inclusion was also created. In 2015, Cindy Crusto, PhD, was appointed to that position. The Committee coordinates its efforts with the Faculty Advisory Committee to the School of Medicine, the Committee on the Status of Women in Medicine, and the Deputy Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Yale School of Medicine.

The Diversity Committee continues to welcome input relevant to its charge. Please feel free to contact the co-chairs of the Committee or any of the members individually. Please know that if you have concerns that require immediate action or investigation for individual complaints, you should contact Merle Waxman, Associate Dean and Director of the Office for Women in Medicine, who is trained to help assist in resolving disputes and managing conflict. Her confidential line is 203-737-4100, or you can email her at merle.waxman@yale.edu.

Diversity Committee Members

GenSIS

The Connecticut Mental Health Center's LGBTQ+ committee, GenSIS, conducted a series of Zoom interviews in June 2020. Four Connecticut guests shared their stories in interviews by Walker Keenan, Jillian Celentano, and Melissa Dennis.

Credit for these videos go to CMHC's LGBTQ+ committee - Jillian Celentano, Bob Cole, Melissa Dennis, Swapnil Gupta, Nathan Ha, Glendaly Valle-Izquierdo, Jeanne LeBlanc, Andrea Mendiola, Defna Paltin, Jeff Pollito, Erica Reshard, and Tim Van Deusen.

June 4, 2020: Tyrell Cooper

June 11, 2020: Stefan Simanovich

June 18, 2020: Kristi Straub

June 25, 2020: KC Councilor