We are proud to announce the appointment of Goldis Malek, PhD as Vice Chair for Diversity Equity and Inclusion. Dr. Malek has an outstanding record in this area having served as the inaugural Chair of the departments DEI committee. Her vision includes:
- Advocate for new diversity-related programs and activities that align with the goals of our department of being a leader in not only training the next generation of clinicians and scientists, but also our obligation to providing the best care to the community.
- Challenge the diversity ‘silo’ by actively reaching out to other DEI leaders/enthusiasts here at Duke and at other Universities to help support our program, policies, and share best practices.
- Work with existing and future faculty, trainee, and staff search committees, as well as with Drs. Muir and Challa in tackling potential biases in the screening and selection processes.
- Help address potential cases of discrimination and unprofessional behavior within our department.
- Help establish mentoring programs for groups that still need it.
- Prioritize focus groups on how better to support the department using the upcoming release of the Moments to Movement recommendations as well as the results of surveys related to our demographics and national standards.
We look forward to her many accomplishments in this new role.