“Despite almost 40 years of disparity data, inequities in health and wellbeing continue to persist in our country. One of the most important strategies to address complex health disparities is to diversify our public health workforce” said Dr. Marizen Ramirez, UCI Public Health’s inaugural associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Ramirez, who is also a professor of environmental and occupational health, came to UC Irvine with high aspirations – specifically with a goal to further infuse diversity, equity, and inclusion into the Program in Public Health’s mission, research, and, most importantly: training programs.
The importance of diversifying the higher education landscape – from faculty to students to researchers – is at the forefront of academic leaders’ minds. With the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admission decisions, it is more vital than ever to establish pipelines and initiatives where students, especially those who are underrepresented, are given the necessary support and resources to excel.
Furthermore, nearly 73% of all faculty in the U.S. are White compared to 6% being Black and 6% being Hispanic. Appointments of diverse academic presidents show an even starker difference: 78% are White, 14% are Black, and a meager 4% are Hispanic. These diversity gaps at every level are significant and demand the immediate attention of administrators and academic leaders.
“We are in the field of public health and as such, we must look at populations who are most at risk for poor health outcomes. Training a workforce who is diverse will lead to innovation and a shared vision for the future,” Ramirez said.
According to the 2020 Census, the racial makeup of the U.S. is becoming more and more diverse. So, shouldn’t the country’s healthcare workforce reflect the population in which it serves? Sadly, this is not the case. Black, Hispanic, and Native American individuals make up only 19% of registered nurses, 12% of physicians, 11% of pharmacists, and 10% of dentists.
“What is so incredible about UC Irvine is that we are a minority-serving institution, which extends throughout the UC system,” reflects Ramirez. “We are doing a good job at recruiting and retaining our diverse community of scholars, but there’s always more that we can do.”
It is crucial that we build a culturally responsive workforce, and that we conduct research that addresses the needs, the desires, and the preferences of those populations who have been marginalized in the past.”
– Marizen Ramirez, MPH, PhD
Dr. Ramirez, along with Founding Dean Bernadette Boden-Albala, believes that setting a strong DEI benchmark and curriculum for future public health practitioners will help undo the wrongs that have been done in the field of research. There is a lot of work to be done around research injustices and fixing a century of mistrust within the community. A critical step to rebuilding trust is for researchers to not only conduct research in the community but also train the future workforce to consider how people define themselves culturally from community to community.
“It is crucial that we build a culturally responsive workforce, and that we conduct research that addresses the needs, the desires, and the preferences of those populations who have been marginalized in the past,” Ramirez said. “UCI Public Health has the foundation to get that work done.”
Ramirez’s Five-year Plan
“Over the next several years, my priorities will focus on supporting our diverse students throughout their academic years at UC Irvine, including future job placement,” Ramirez said. “Through my participation in the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine training for women, I hope to draw on the expertise from around the country on the best practices in DEI.”
With a clear focus on health equity, Ramirez is impressed by the public health scholars and researchers at UCI who are engaging in true community-based participatory research. The evidence is clear by the work they are doing, and examples can be drawn from Alana LeBron, Jun Wu, Joel Milam, and Daniel Parker, just to name a few.
“I’m looking forward to partnering in authentic ways and becoming a part of the community-centric mission that exists within UCI Public Health. We’re walking the walk,” Ramirez said. “I’m also looking forward to expanding a culture of inclusion within our program.”
Research with an impact
Ramirez has spent more than 20 years researching injury violence – a leading cause of death for children, adolescents, and adults younger than 45 years. Sadly, firearm deaths are the leading cause of death among children. To better understand this phenomenon, she recently received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study children from the moment they enter the school system and track them for firearm violence.
“You can’t turn on the news anymore without seeing the daily shootings at schools and college campuses. This is an unrecognized and underfunded public health problem,” Ramirez said. “We need to develop interventions and policies that actually work.”
Ramirez is also in the last year of an NIH-funded, randomized trial to test the effectiveness of “Link for Equity,” a culturally responsive program for trauma-informed children. Link was designed to reduce the harmful effects of adverse child experiences and prevent future violent behaviors among youth of color in schools. Over the past years, she has trained over 1,000 staff from urban and rural settings across the country, including schools in Native American reservations in Northern Minnesota.
“We are in public health because we are striving for a just world where health is accessible to all. Our mission for justice must be in the fabric of all that we do – through authentic engagement with our community partners, in our mentorship and teaching of our students, in our daily interactions with our talented staff, and in our collegiality and peer support of our faculty. It is with this commitment to DEI that our school will make significant strides.”
