Dr. Debra Leonard Appointed Chief Diversity Officer to Help Foster Culture of Inclusiveness, Diversity and Equity in Academic Leadership
NEW YORK (September 15, 2009) — Weill Cornell Medical College has announced the establishment of the Office of Faculty Diversity in Medicine and Science dedicated to fostering a culture of inclusiveness, diversity and equity in academic leadership.
Dr. Debra G.B. Leonard, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, has been appointed the Chief Diversity Officer. She will work with Dr. Carla Boutin-Foster, associate professor of medicine and associate professor of public health, who was named the Office's director of diversity in medicine and science, and Dr. Rache Simmons, the Anne K. and Edwin C. Weiskopf Professor of Surgical Oncology, who was named director of women in medicine and science.
"Committing ourselves to diversity makes us better educators, physicians and scientists, enriching our collaborations and equipping us to serve our increasingly complex and pluralistic society," says Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. "I am very pleased to have Drs. Leonard, Boutin-Foster, and Simmons take the lead with this important initiative."
"The Office of Faculty Diversity in Medicine and Science will work with the entire Weill Cornell community to increase diversity within the faculty and the Medical College leadership with the goal of attracting and supporting all the talented individuals who can contribute to the medical, research and teaching missions of the College," says Dr. Leonard.
Initiatives will focus on the recruitment, mentoring, promotion and retention of a diverse faculty, and encouraging an environment that is welcoming to that diverse faculty. The Medical College defines diversity as encompassing race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or status as a disabled veteran.
"Initially we will undertake a faculty survey to assess how we are currently doing with diversity, inclusiveness and equity, and then design programs through a consensus process to address identified issues," says Dr. Leonard. "The survey can be repeated in the future to assess whether the programs are having a positive impact."
Weill Cornell has a long tradition of promoting diversity through educational and community outreach programs that span over half a century. The Office of Faculty Diversity in Medicine and Science will build upon existing programs focused on enhancing diversity among Weill Cornell's student body — programs developed by Dr. Carlyle H. Miller, associate dean for student and equal opportunity programs at Weill Cornell Medical College.
"Our students expect to learn from faculty whose diverse backgrounds match their own. To this end, we aim to cultivate a welcoming and supportive environment that celebrates each of our singular abilities and perspectives," says Dr. Miller.
The Office of Faculty Diversity has launched an initial web site at www.med.cornell.edu/diversity .
Debra G.B. Leonard, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Debra Leonard joined the Weill Cornell faculty in 2004 as professor and vice chair for laboratory medicine in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, and director of clinical laboratories at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She helped establish and currently serves as faculty director of FACES (Female Association of Clinicians Educators and Scientists), a mentoring program for women in the Tri-Institutional M.D./Ph.D. Program at Weill Cornell, Rockefeller University and Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute. Dr. Leonard is a leading expert in molecular diagnostics for genetics, cancers and infectious diseases. Her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees were completed at New York University School of Medicine, where she also did her post-graduate clinical training in anatomic pathology, including a surgical pathology fellowship. She is certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic Pathology, and by the American Boards of Pathology and Medical Genetics in Molecular Genetic Pathology. Currently, she is a member of the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Translating Genomic-based Research for Health and Chair of the Stakeholders' Group of the Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention (EGAPP) Project for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Leonard is a past member of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics Health and Society (SACGHS), advisor to the previous Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael O. Leavitt, and a past president of the Association for Molecular Pathology. She has spoken widely on various molecular pathology test services, the future of molecular diagnostics and the impact of gene patents on molecular pathology practice, and is the editor of two Molecular Pathology textbooks. She is the recipient of the 2009 Leadership Award from the Association for Molecular Pathology.
Weill Cornell Medical College
Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Weill Cornell, which is a principal academic affiliate of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, offers an innovative curriculum that integrates the teaching of basic and clinical sciences, problem-based learning, office-based preceptorships, and primary care and doctoring courses. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research in areas such as stem cells, genetics and gene therapy, geriatrics, neuroscience, structural biology, cardiovascular medicine, transplantation medicine, infectious disease, obesity, cancer, psychiatry and public health — and continue to delve ever deeper into the molecular basis of disease and social determinants of health in an effort to unlock the mysteries of the human body in health and sickness. In its commitment to global health and education, the Medical College has a strong presence in places such as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Through the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Cornell University is the first in the U.S. to offer a M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances — including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer, the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, the first indication of bone marrow's critical role in tumor growth, and most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient.
Lezlie Greenberg
leg2003@med.cornell.edu