The UCSF School of Medicine Dean’s Diversity Fund was established in 2015 to support the recruitment and retention of faculty who share the university’s commitment to diversity and our belief that we have the responsibility to care for underserved and vulnerable populations.

The Fund will provide up to eight faculty with three-year, $75,000 per year support, to allow them to develop their academic interests. The grants are intended to augment department funds for recruitment packages. 

This fund was initiated by the dean and implemented by the Chairs and Directors Council on Diversity (CD2). The recipients of these grants will be named the John A. Watson Faculty Scholars, after Professor John A. Watson, a champion for diversity, an inspiring mentor, and a tenacious scientist. During his tenure as dean of admissions in the 1970s, he rapidly increased the number of women and minority students in the entering medical school classes.

There are two categories of awards:

1. Faculty Recruitment and Retention – Up to four three-year grants awarded to newly recruited faculty and/or faculty who are successfully retained at UCSF. 
2. Opportunistic Transition – Up to four three-year grants awarded to residents and fellows whose departments would like to hire them but do not currently have an open faculty position. 

Applications should be submitted by the department Chair/ORU Director, and application packet details can be found online.

Selection criteria include:

• The department/ORU’s commitment to the nominee (including the start-up package, space commitment, percentage research time, etc.);
• The Chair/Director’s description of the nominee’s anticipated scholarly contributions, ability to make a unique contribution to the department and/or the school and potential to have a positive impact on the department’s culture of diversity;
• The nominee’s ability to meet a documented preference for faculty diversity within the department/ORU, as assessed by the UCSF Climate Survey and CD2 Demographic Data metrics, and as described in the Chair/Director’s nomination letter; and
• The department/ORU’s history of receiving previous Dean’s Diversity Fund grants.

Important Dates:

• Wednesday, February 12: Information session about the fund and program; for details and to RSVP click here.
• Friday, March 20: The submission deadline for the 2020 award cycle.
• Thursday, April 30: Department Chairs/ORU Directors will be notified of results.

Please click here to view examples of projects our past John A. Watson Faculty Scholars have pursued, and thank you in advance for helping to identify our sixth cohort. As with the impressive, dedicated cohorts that came before, I look forward to welcoming new faculty to this prestigious group and learning about their exciting initiatives.