Marking Two Years of Centering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Yale Child Study Center

In October 2020, Tara Davila, LCSW became the inaugural chief diversity officer (CDO) for the Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) and has since shifted into the dual role of vice chair for diversity, equity, and inclusion for the center, which serves as the department of child psychiatry at Yale.

Well known to YCSC outpatient clinical services in her role as associate director, Davila entered the new CDO role two years ago with an exciting vision and enthusiasm that have provided a strong foundation to the work she has undertaken to foster a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive culture at the center.

A licensed clinical social worker, Davila has spent nearly two decades serving marginalized people through direct clinical practice, supervision, and clinic administration. In both her clinical and CDO roles, Davila works to establish and nurture relationships that are conducive to collaboration and will support our collective development as a more just organization. As she began in this role, Davila shared in a departmental communication that her “vision of diversity, equity and inclusion at the department is a heavy lift made lighter by many hands. This is work that we all must do together, and I see the role of the chief diversity officer as a catalyst who can galvanize and support a collective effort.”

In line with this, she began that lift by engaging community members in internal meetings and workshops. “To effect sustainable and meaningful change to our policies and systems, we must first start with ourselves and where we are,” she commented.

During her first year as CDO, Davila began offering scheduled, protected time and space for trainings and convenings with skilled and expert facilitators open to all YCSC community members. This included consultation in restorative justice practices to promote healing and community building, a workshop on leveraging conflict for constructive change, the creation of a volunteer diversity action group (DAG), and several individual and group conversations.

Davila also began developing and disseminating regular communications for the YCSC community, including DEI-related resources, holidays and dates of note, personal anecdotes and reflections, and upcoming workshops and events.

During her second year as CDO, a series of racial equity workshops was held, a new search committee process was launched along with a required implicit bias training for search committee members, and a new semi-monthly DEI newsletter was created in collaboration with Crista Marchesseault, the center’s new communications officer.

Davila also facilitated an opportunity for the departmental leadership to work with the State Education Resource Center to anchor in their individual commitment to DEIB, as well as a Restorative Practices Leadership training series over the summer.

Grounded in her belief that real change requires constant reflection, Davila offers “Friday Focus” sessions approximately monthly during the academic year. The purpose of these sessions is to provide an on-going virtual space for connection and conversation in community, centering on topics related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Davila also helps to coordinate special Grand Rounds sessions and other events, including an annual lecture series addressing social justice and health care equity topics named in honor of Viola Bernard, MD, as well as celebrations of Black History Month and Juneteenth. Davila points out that the celebratory events “are yet another example of ‘many hands’ with Dr. Krystal P. Finch, Belinda E. Oliver, Dr. Camille Cooper, and Stacey Cannon lending their time and talents to the planning of these events.”

In her work with the YCSC diversity action group, Davila continues to focus on inclusion, retention, and hiring with an emphasis on supporting and expanding diversity in the department’s associate and assistant professor ranks. She is working with action group members to review current university policies on inclusive practices to translate them into a process that will be adopted departmentally.

As part of this work, DAG member Stephanie Guerrier, LPC led a committee in organizing and expanding a list of places to post jobs to ensure that efforts are made to reach diverse candidates. The action group is also partnering with YCSC leadership to develop a standardized approach to on-boarding, clarifying pathways for reporting discrimination, planning for additional web content, making recommendations to include DEI benchmarks in annual reviews and promotion criteria, and coordinating mentorship opportunities.

Relatedly, Davila coordinated with YSM Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training and Development Paris Lawrence to offer an inclusive searches training for the center at large. The first session in September was extremely well-received with 50 YCSC participants, and two additional offerings have been scheduled this academic year, one in October and another in February.

While Davila has been focused on efforts that impact YCSC faculty, staff, and trainees, she is also dedicated to efforts that will benefit the families served by the center. She and Amy Myers, LCSW developed a curriculum for clinical faculty and fellows to enhance understanding of the impact on structural racism on mental health, as well as to develop skills in delivering culturally responsive care.

In collaboration with Erin Warnick, PhD, YCSC vice chair clinical operations, Davila is engaged with a cohort led by another YCSC faculty member, Cecilia Frometa, PhD, to create a health equity plan for YCSC clinical services embedding the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS). Among many other collaborations within the center and beyond, she is also working with several YCSC research labs to support inclusive and equitable practices in research.

Reflecting upon these two years of work and collaboration, YCSC Chair Linda Mayes, MD commented, “Tara has brought such care and sensitivity to bringing our community together around a commitment to a more equitable, inclusive, and diverse workplace. She has made remarkable progress in a short time, and I am very grateful for her partnership and the opportunity to learn from her.”