Who We Are
Led by Vice Dean Ana Núñez, MD, FACP, our team collaborates in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with faculty, staff, and learners across the Medical School, as well as partners from our communities to ensure we are celebrating diversity, encouraging conversations and addressing issues of inequities, bias and discrimination in our clinical programs, recruiting, curriculum, and research.
DEI Groups & Committees
American Indians in Medicine and Science (AIMS)
Acknowledging the importance of our tribal community partners and our own amazing Native American faculty, the American Indians in Medicine and Science (AIMS) group focuses on gathering Native American faculty members to discuss issues of common interest and provide support as they work on thriving and being responsive to Native American health issues and needs. How do I join? Please email ODEI at ms-odei@umn.edu to be added to our listserv and receive Zoom and other details about upcoming meetings.
BIPoC Scholars Community
To counter a big place, space and the isolation of COVID, ODEI created a new way to connect, network and provide support — the BIPOC Scholars Community. These bimonthly meetings alternate with ‘in real life’ and virtually to maximize connection across our two campuses. The goals of the gathering are to promote relationship development, synergies and address common issues and challenges. How do I join? Please sign up using this form to be added to our listserv and receive Zoom and other details about upcoming meetings.
Department Diversity Officers
The Medical School clinical and basic science departments address DEI-related faculty issues. Diversity Officers oversee departmental committees that engage in 1) establishing DEI charters or councils; 2) contributing to delineating core performance measures that support DEI; 3) serving as education hubs in the department; and 4) generating discipline-specific scholarship about DEI. The Departmental Diversity Officers receive their charge and priority from the Department Head with support from the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and meet on a bi-monthly basis.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
The Medical School’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee is responsible for fact finding, identifying and assessing best practices, and developing recommendations and outcomes related to diversity, inclusion and equity. Committee membership includes faculty, staff, students and trainees from the central and regional campuses.
LGBTQA+ Faculty Group
The LGBTQA+ Faculty Group was creating for faculty who feel an affinity with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, ally, questioning and queer communities in the Medical School. Broad goals for the group include providing opportunities to socialize, community building and networking, sharing information and support and being involved in promoting an environment that accepts, values, supports and is safe for members of the LGBTQA+ communities. How do I join? Please email ODEI at ms-odei@umn.edu to be added to our listserv and receive Zoom and other details about upcoming meetings.
Training & Development
The Medical School Dean’s Lecture Series is a series of presentations offered to faculty, staff, and students in the Medical School community, as a response to critical issues that are emerging during the pandemic, as well as our efforts to address racial injustice and health disparities within our institution.
Words have power. Using the correct language is essential to communicate respect and inclusivity, acknowledge the complexity behind different issues, and can help us all understand a specific scenario before moving forward together. This is our list of commonly used words and phrases and how we define them.
UMN Office of Equity & Diversity (OED) Certificate Program
The Equity and Diversity Certificate program is free for all current UMN students, staff, and faculty and helps participants develop tools necessary for advancing equity and diversity in all aspects of their personal and professional lives.
The University of Minnesota Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) presents training in implicit bias that is customized for the Medical School. Implicit bias workshops are an important part of the Medical School’s efforts to cultivate an environment of diversity, inclusiveness, equal opportunity and respect for the similarities and differences in our community.
The Office of Faculty Affairs has collaborated with The Aurora Center for Advocacy & Education to host Bystander Training sessions.
Upcoming AAMC Health Equity Conferences, Meetings, and Webinars
AAMC Center for Health Justice updates weekly list of upcoming conferences, meetings, and webinars related to health equity research and policy.
Learning & Development Contact Form
Meet Our Team

Bio
Ana Núñez, MD, FACP is a Professor of General Internal Medicine and Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Minnesota. She received her Doctorate in Medicine from Hahnemann University and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Wilkes University. She has fellowships in medical education from Michigan State University and health services research from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). She is nationally recognized as a medical education and health services researcher, having developed novel curricula in the areas of sex and gender medicine, primary care, trauma/violence prevention and cultural competence.
Administrator Information
Kris Joseph, MFA
kjoseph@umn.edu
Office: 612-301-3215
Expertise
- Primary Care
- Internal Medicine
- Women’s Health
- Community Health
Professional Associations
- Chair, Northeast Consortium on Cross-Cultural Care and Medical Practice
- National Consortium for Multicultural Education and Health Professionals
- Society for General Internal Medicine
- American Medical Women's Association
- National Academy on Women's Health Education
- Board, Women Against Abuse
Research Summary
Sex and gender health disparities
Health services
Health literacy
Women’s heart health
Teaching Summary
Diversity, equity & inclusion; Health disparities
Clinical Summary
Primary Care; Internal Medicine; Women’s health; Community health
Education
Honors and Recognition

Education
Fellowships, Residencies, and Visiting Engagements
Licensures and Certifications
Contact
Address
Pediatric Infectious DiseasesAcademic Office Building
2450 Riverside Ave S AO-103
Minneapolis, MN 55454


Bio
Dr. Mary Owen is a member of the Tlingit nation. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School and North Memorial Family Practice Residency Program before returning home to work for her tribal community in Juneau, Alaska. After eleven years of full-scope family medicine, she returned to the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth in 2014, as the Director of the Center of American Indian and Minority Health (CAIMH). Her work includes: developing and managing programs to increase the numbers of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students entering medical careers, outreaching to local and national Native leaders to ensure University of Minnesota Medical School remain in tune with AIAN health care and education needs, developing an AIAN track for all students interested in providing healthcare to AIAN communities and developing research efforts to address AIAN health disparities. She continues to provide clinical care at the Center of American Indian Resources in Duluth and is the current President of the Association of American Indian Physicians.
Education
Fellowships, Residencies, and Visiting Engagements
Licensures and Certifications
Media Appearances
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Selected Presentations
Grants and Patents
Selected Grants
Contact
Address
182 SMed1035 University Drive
Duluth, MN 55812
Administrative Contact
Kyrsten Olson, olso7999@d.umn.edu
Connect with Us
We aspire to be a learning culture where we can have conversations and learn from each other. Contact us with feedback, questions, concerns or ideas.
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