2021-2022 news archive

May 2022

"City of Festivals" grants now available to support special events across city of Sacramento
The City of Sacramento is now accepting applications for grants from its two-year $700,000 City of Festivals program to support special events taking place across the city of Sacramento.
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Dr. Hendry Ton featured in The Steve Fund May Spotlight for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Full newsletter

Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture pilot “Community Murals Sacramento” program invites any/all Sacramentans to participate in creation of new murals
The events will feature live music, food, vendors and an opportunity to help paint a mural. No art experience is necessary, and all supplies will be provided.
Learn more

April 2022

Sacramento community members can now apply for up to $15,000 in matching funds for arts and culture projects
The City of Sacramento’s Office of Arts and Culture, in partnership with community crowdfunding nonprofit ioby, is asking City of Sacramento community members to apply for up to $15,000 in matching funds for arts and culture projects.
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UC Davis Medical Center earns national LGBTQ+ health care honors
For the 11th consecutive year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation has designated UC Davis Medical Center an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader as part of the foundation’s 2022 Healthcare Equality Index report.
Full announcement

Statement by UC Davis Chancellor May on Sacramento Shootings
The horrific shootings in downtown Sacramento are shocking and deeply distressing. Our hearts break for those who lost a loved one and for all our colleagues, friends and neighbors who are suffering. UC Davis manages the University of California Center Sacramento (UCCS) at 830 K St. We have reached out to the 28 students participating in the program from all UC campuses this quarter, and they are all accounted for and safe. Our UCCS faculty and staff are also safe. To those students and their families, we realize how frightened and overwhelmed you might feel, and we encourage you to reach out to UC Davis or your home campus should you need mental health services or other support.
Full statement

March 2022

Vulnerable groups receive COVID-19 shots from UC Davis Health, thanks to federal grant
The temporary vaccination clinic at Pamukey Yolo Vineyard near Esparto is the latest effort by UC Davis Health to bring COVID-19 shots to hard-to-reach, vulnerable populations. The strategic project is funded by a federal grant and overseen by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Office of Health Equity. The goal is to immunize people who are willing to be vaccinated, or who are still uncertain about the vaccine or have difficulty accessing it. The emphasis is on Latino farmworkers and African Americans in Sacramento and Yolo counties.
Full article

February 2022

City of Sacramento and UC Davis Celebrate Groundbreading on Aggie Square Innovation Campus
The Aggie Square innovation campus on Stockton Boulevard and Second Avenue in Sacramento will start construction in the coming weeks after a celebratory groundbreaking Wednesday kicked off by UC Davis Chancellor Gary May and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg.
Full article

January 2022

New paper proposes diversity, equity and inclusion measures to combat structural health inequities
Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola of UC Davis is one of seven national leaders who wrote an article in the New England Journal of Medicine urging the clinical and translational research community to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in their work as a way to address structural health inequities.
Full article

DiversABILITY employee resource group increased engagement, participation in 2021
The UC Davis Health DiversABILITY employee resource group (ERG) doubled its membership within the last year. Notably, several faculty and staff without disabilities joined the ERG as supportive allies. Carolyn Ramirez and Sarah Janus share their thoughts on the increased engagement.
Full article

UC Davis Health Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Hendry Ton, M.D., M.S., recognized by LA Times for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts
This recognition is the latest in an already impressive list of Ton’s achievements including the UC Davis Chancellor’s Achievement Award for Diversity and Community, the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Community Engagement, and the Dean’s Inspirational Faculty Educator Award for his work with students, communities, underrepresented groups, and health equity. He’s also the recipient the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ Exemplary Psychiatrist Award for his clinical work and advocacy.
Full announcement

December 2021

UC Davis students help Afghan refugees adjust to life in Sacramento
UC Davis students play an important role in how refugees from Afghanistan adjust to life in Sacramento: A local initiative brings them into newcomers’ homes once a month to share valuable tips on how to navigate their new community.
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Partners with eScholarship to Publish Mission-Relevant Content
The Vice Chancellor’s Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has partnered with the U.C. Davis Library to create our own venue on the University of California’s open access platform eScholarship. This online, accessible space will allow us and our partners an opportunity to publish our own institutional DEI-focused research and material. In this first year we will focus on getting our work in VC-DEI published in eScholarship to serve as a repository for our DEI publications. We will also be working with a few strategic partners who have expressed early interest. In subsequent years we will explore expanding the submission process more broadly across the campus. 
Webinar recording

The Latinx Staff and Faculty Association creates a community of belonging
The Latinx Staff and Faculty Association (LSFA) has been cultivating a community of belonging for Latinx faculty, staff, and allies at UC Davis Health for more than 30 years.
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Holiday gift basket drop-off details for emancipated teens
As the season of giving approaches and people look for ways to spread holiday cheer, Patient Care Services is working with Sacramento County to support newly emancipated teens from the foster care system. Here are drop-off instructions for the holiday baskets for Sacramento's foster youth.
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November 2021

Getting to Know the PRIDE employee resource group
Formally known as GLEE (Gay Lesbian Employees Everywhere), the UC Davis Health PRIDE – LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group – PRIDE for short – was established about 10 years ago. PRIDE stands for “People, Respect, Inclusion, Diversity and Education.”
Full article

UC Davis Health celebrates Diwali
Employees of UC Davis Health celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, and honored health care workers for their many contributions during the pandemic.
Full article

October 2021

UC Davis nursing school honored for excellence in diversity
The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing has received the 2021 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award. The school is one of only 50 health professions colleges and universities in the nation honored for its outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Full article

Dr. Luis Godoy featured in Society of Thoracic Surgeons
"The harrowing days-long journey from a small village in rural Mexico to the US border and over the mountains landed a young Luis Godoy on a busy freeway in southern California. There, for the first time in his life, he saw hundreds of cars traveling at high rates of speed with their headlights shining so bright he could barely believe his eyes..."
Full article

Office of Campus Community Relations Introduces DEI Talk - A Video Podcast Series
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing confrontations with racism, the Office of Campus Community Relations is launching DEITalk, a video podcast series that explores diversity, equity and inclusion concepts through conversations with members of our UC Davis and broader community. Tune in to learn more about operationalizing the tenets of inclusion and equity in education and professional development, in climate and organizational structure, in policies and practices and in supporting our communities.
Video Podcast Episode 1, DEITalk: Bias During COVID-19

Marginalized communities to benefit from new breast cancer research
A “mammovan” will be dispatched to rural areas as part of new breast cancer initiatives spearheaded by the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. It is all part of an effort to improve breast health and cancer prevention along with early detection in underserved communities.
Full news release

DiversABILITY and Inclusion
This October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and Carolyn Ramirez, Chair, DiversABILITY Employee Resource Group offers tips on how to create an inclusive environment in a virtual setting. It’s a good time to remind employers about the importance of inclusive hiring practices, and for all of us – including managers and supervisors – to think about how we can be better allies for people with disabilities.
Full post

September 2021

School of Medicine receives state funding to address Native American health needs
The UC Davis School of Medicine will develop a new academic pathway to train students interested in caring for the Native American and Alaskan Native communities, thanks to a boost in state funding. The programs are part of a UC-wide initiative known as PRIME (Programs in Medical Education), which intend to fill the shortage of doctors in medically underserved areas and reduce health disparities. In addition to the funding to create the new Native American PRIME, UC Davis will receive another $1.7 million to bolster its Rural PRIME pathway, which trains students to address health issues in rural communities.
Full article

Luis G. Carvajal-Carmona selected as HACU Leadership Academy Fellow
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) today announced that Luis G. Carvajal-Carmona has been selected as a fellow for the third cohort of the Presidential Leadership Academy (La Academia de Liderazgo). The prestigious one-year HACU program is designed to prepare the next generation of culturally diverse leaders for executive and senior-level positions in higher education. Carvajal-Carmona is a professor and the Auburn Community Cancer Endowed Chair in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine.
Full article

Women in Medicine Month celebrates the extraordinary contributions of women physicians
September is the American Medical Association’s Women in Medicine Month and a welcome opportunity to thank all of UC Davis Health’s extraordinary women physicians, residents and medical students. This year's theme is Advancing Equity, Building on Change.
Full news release

Pandemic takes center stage at annual health equity conference
Registration is now open for the virtual 2021 Coalition for Health Equity Conference (CHEq) from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 2, 2021. CHEq is an annual event aimed at strengthening the understanding and integration of marginalized populations through the health care lens. CHEq provides a valuable opportunity for health care providers and community members to hear from experts in health equity and better understand how social determinants of health factor into individuals' access to care.
Full news release

August 2021

Medical care for Team USA women's gymnastics at Tokyo Olympics led by former gymnast and UC Davis Health Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician Dr. Marcia "Marcy" Faustin
Marcia Faustin, M.D., as Biles and other Olympians affectionately call their team physician, is known for her endless energy and dedication to her contract position with USA Gymnastics (USAG), the sport’s national governing body that trains athletes of all levels, including elite athletes for national and international competition.
Full news release

July 2021

Dr. Mikael Villalobos appointed Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Community Relations
Mikael Villalobos (BA ‘93, EdD ‘14) has dedicated his career to diversity and inclusion within the field of higher education.
Twitter announcement

Rahim Reed Retires From the Community He Helped Build
"Out of all the words in Rahim Reed’s long title — associate executive vice chancellor for campus community relations — the one that mattered the most to him was 'community'.”
Full UC Davis Dateline announcement