We’re working to serve cultures and communities that have been underrepresented and marginalized by the health care system, and to ensure all feel welcome by reflecting our community's diversity in our hiring and clinical practices. Some examples of work in this area:
Culturally Competent, Socially Inclusive Care
Circumstances we’re helping to improve:
Addressing representation
Some cultures and communities have been underrepresented, and often marginalized, by the health care system and medical community
Creating structural change
Innovative, culturally congruent training prepares future care providers for practice in diverse, often medically underserved communities
Reflecting diversity
Ensuring all feel welcome by reflecting our community’s diversity in our hiring and clinical practices
Some examples of our efforts:
TRAINING FOR ALL CIRCUMSTANCES
Spotlight: Community Health Scholars
A long-established goal of the UC Davis School of Medicine is to train physicians for practice in diverse communities where they are most needed to bridge California’s health equity gap.
The school’s innovative Community Health Scholars programs, and other unique programs for med students and residents, train future doctors to practice in California’s rural, urban, valley and tribal communities. Most of these areas are challenged by health disparities.
INVESTED AND RECOGNIZED
Spotlight: Leader in Healthcare Equality (LGBTQ+)
Named a LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader for 13 consecutive years by the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign, a national-scale nonprofit that strives to end discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and realize a world that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
TRAINING FOR ALL CIRCUMSTANCES
Spotlight: National honors for educational diversity
Despite California’s long-standing ban on affirmative action, the UC Davis School of Medicine has become one of the nation’s most diverse medical schools as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
The medical school and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, which employs similar holistic admissions practices, each have received excellence awards from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, and have been in the policy and media spotlight as national models.
TRAINING FOR ALL CIRCUMSTANCES
Creating pathways to health careers
Our initiatives to boost the number of health care providers in underserved parts of Northern California also include a variety of unique “pathway” programs.
These initiatives target students in pre-medical school environments like high school or community college, exposing and preparing them for potential health careers that can help the state’s health care workforce better reflect and serve its diverse population. Some examples:
More Believe in Better Highlights
Some recent examples of our ongoing efforts to advance health for all.
Autistic children more likely to experience persistent gastrointestinal problems
Stomach issues in autistic children are linked to greater challenges with sleep, communication, sensory processing and behavior, finds a study by the UC Davis MIND Institute.
National Recovery Month: Taking a whole health approach for treating substance use disorders
UC Davis Health psychologist Nicole Schultz talks about the recovery process, relapses, stigma, support and the growing number of treatment options for substance use disorders.
Honoring service through action: VEA volunteers on 9/11 Remembrance Day
On September 11, UC Davis Health employees from several different teams gathered at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery to participate in the National Day of Service.
Improving health outcomes by connecting with patients on a cultural level
The 2025 Dr. Ifeanyi Onyeji Resident/Fellow Inclusive Excellence and Equity Award was presented to Debby Lee, a trainee in internal medicine.