Increased diversity in faculty recruitment is a cornerstone goal for the Department of Medicine.  As a result, the DOM's Faculty Diversity LENS was launched on January 1, 2019 (Looking to Effectively Navigate Searches using a diversity LENS).  The Committee’s goal is simple: to partner, assist, and collaborate with the Divisions and Search Committees to improve the Department’s faculty searches, candidate evaluations, and outreach efforts. This all leads to the ultimate objective: recruiting great talent and furthering the department’s efforts to create and nurture a more diverse and inclusive environment.”

“If there is one thing I truly admire about the Department of Medicine, it’s our strong commitment towards a more diverse and inclusive faculty,” Gretchen Picache, MBA, Director of Academic Affairs and Senior Administrator of the LENS Committee explains.  “This group is a result of that, and we fully intend to make a difference by creating and developing focused efforts towards the recruitment of a more diverse faculty.”

The Diversity LENS Advocates have been trained in professoriate search and evaluation procedures so they can serve as resources and advocates for further improvements to recruitment processes. “We are assigning Diversity LENS Advocates to faculty searches where they will partner with the search committee to develop outreach and candidate evaluation strategies and improve the diversity of the candidate pool. This will ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to join Stanford faculty,” Picache explains.

She adds, “We’re starting to gain traction, and we’re incredibly excited about this endeavor. There’s a lot of work involved to ensure we have an equitable recruitment process.” And Mindie Nguyen, MD, MAS, FAASLD, one of the faculty LENS Advisors, explains “we aim to emphasize that Stanford is a community that enjoys, embraces and values diversity and is enriched by the breadth, depth and liveliness that a diverse faculty and student body brings.”

Inaugural members of the group include five faculty LENS Diversity Advocates, three Diversity Administrative Advocates, and three Special Advisors.

 LENS Diversity Advocates:

Janice ‘Wes’ Brown, MD – Professor of Blood and Marrow Transplantation

Aruna Subramanian, MD – Clinical Professor of Infectious Diseases

Mindie Nguyen, MD, MAS, FAASLD – Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Malathi Srinivasan, MD  – Clinical Professor of Primary Care and Population Health  

Chitra Dinakar, MD – Clinical Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

LENS Administrative Advocates:  

Gretchen Picache, MBA (Senior Administrator) – DoM Director of Academic Affairs

Kristen Romero - DoM Faculty Affairs Administrator

Dalia Vanderzee – DoM Project Manager  

LENS Special Advisors:  

Andrew Hoffman, MD  – Professor of Endocrinology

Cathy Garzio – DoM Vice Chair & DFA

Glenn Chertow, MD – Professor of Nephrology