Darin A. Latimore, M.D., who has overseen diversity initiatives at University of California, Davis School of Medicine, has been appointed Deputy Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, effective January, 2017, Dean Robert J. Alpern, M.D., announced on Friday. Latimore will function as the School of Medicine’s inaugural Chief Diversity Officer.
The School of Medicine is strongly committed to promoting racial, gender, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity among our students, faculty, and staff, and to promulgating a culture in which all members of our community feel respected and included. There are already a number of initiatives under way to improve diversity and promote inclusion at our institution. The appointment of a chief diversity officer underscores our dedication to ensuring that our environment supports diversity in meaningful ways.
Working closely with the School of Medicine's senior leadership, Latimore will be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive plan for furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion at the school, including a robust recruitment, development, and retention program for faculty, students, and staff. He will coordinate with such groups as the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Minority Organization for Retention and Expansion (MORE), the Committee on the Status of Women in Medicine, the Committee on Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice, and the Dean’s Advisory Council on LGBTQ Affairs.
Latimore joins Yale from the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, where he is associate dean for student and resident diversity. He has developed initiatives to increase the pipeline of socio-economically disadvantaged students, residents, and faculty, and has spearheaded programs to support and empower underrepresented students who are interested in attending medical school.
Latimore will be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive plan for furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion at the school, including a robust recruitment, development, and retention program.
Dean Robert J. Alpern
His passion for promoting diversity and inclusion stems from his own background. As an undergraduate at University of California, Berkeley, he felt isolated on a campus where there were few African Americans and even fewer students from his socioeconomic background. After obtaining his medical degree at University of California, Davis School of Medicine and completing his residency in internal medicine at University of California, Davis Medical Center, he worked as a physician specializing in HIV care with The Permanente Medical Group in South Sacramento, Calif., where he also trained medical students and residents. His transition to academic medicine began with his appointment as associate program director for the UC Davis internal medicine residency program. Many of the students and residents with whom he worked shared his experiences of isolation and discrimination, prompting him to write a job description that led to his inaugural position as director of medical student diversity at UC Davis in 2008.
At UC Davis, Latimore helped expand the definition of diversity beyond African American, Hispanic, and Native American individuals to include underrepresented Asian American groups and individuals who are economically disadvantaged. Today, approximately 43 percent of UC Davis medical students fall into one of these categories. In addition to his role as chair or an active member on numerous committees, task forces, and local, state, and national working groups dedicated to diversity, equal opportunity and medical education, he maintains a clinical practice caring for patients with HIV/AIDS at the Center of AIDS Research, Education, and Services.