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The challenge, which runs from Oct. 23 - Nov. 20, aims to deepen our understanding of how racism and inequity affect our lives and community. "I encourage everyone to participate in the 21-Day Equity Challenge, and I look forward to the many ways it will inspire our continuing work for greater equity, diversity and inclusion," said Mercedes Ramírez Fernández, Richard Feldman Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and chief diversity officer. The University's @Rochester e-newsletter will highlight each day's challenge, which will cover topics such as Understanding Bias, Levels of Racism, Housing Inequities and Building a Race Equity Culture, with links to articles, videos, podcasts, reflections and more. Learn more about the challenge on the United Way website.

Our Medical Center aspires to make every person feel safe, welcome and supported at all times; to be a place where everyone, regardless of identity or challenges they face, is lifted up to become their best and healthiest selves; to serve as a powerful force for eliminating racism, division and exclusion in our communities and beyond. Actions and strategies outlined in our new five-year Equity & Anti-Racism Action Plan will help us achieve this vision. It calls us—as individuals and collectively as an institution—to build, recruit, nurture, exemplify and engage in the work of being anti-racist.

Effective July 1, Adrienne Morgan, Ph.D., became the senior associate dean for Equity and Inclusion at our School of Medicine & Dentistry, while continuing to serve as associate vice president in the University's Office of Equity and Inclusion. Morgan assumed the role from Linda Chaudron, M.D., senior associate dean and URMC vice president for Inclusion and Culture, who has begun a year-long, partial sabbatical to develop plans for a new Center for Gender and Leadership, while also becoming director of the Paul M. Schyve, M.D. Center for Bioethics.