UCLA Fielding staff join colleagues across the University of California for 2023 UC Black Administrators’ Council Conference
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health staff members joined Black colleagues from schools across the University of California (UC) system for the 2023 UC Black Administrators' Council (UCBAC) Conference in February. The conference offered an opportunity for attendees to engage with one another, network, and explore the challenges and possibilities of leadership roles across UC.
UCLA Fielding attendees included Porchia Toussaint, assistant director for the MPH for Health Professionals program; Brittney Hawkins, project specialist for MPH for Health Professionals and Public Health Scholars Training programs; and Kaelyn Duke, student services advisor for the Office of Student Services; and me, in my role as director of academic services for the Office of Student Services.
Organized by the University of California Office of the President (UCOP), the UCBAC represents UC's systemwide effort to increase and support the presence of Black staff, students, and faculty on UC campuses and to improve diversity in student recruitment, faculty retention, curriculum development, and administration at the universities. The effort supports the university in the development and retention of a highly skilled, diverse, and motivated professional staff.
The UCBAC Conference is an annual two-day gathering of Black leaders from across UC campuses and career levels. The 2023 conference featured a keynote address delivered by Dr. Michael V. Drake, UC president, who spoke about his roots growing up in New York, his love of jazz music, and his career journey. In addition to plenty of opportunities for attendees to engage and connect, the conference offered a variety of concurrent sessions. One session focused on the experiences of Black women in higher education and featured four panelists who talked about their career paths, from a lawyer who worked in student advocacy to a mental health professional who talked about the importance of being mentally sound in order to be there for students.
2023 marked my third consecutive year attending the UCBAC Conference and my biggest takeaway by far is that it’s not just me and it’s not just UCLA — we are all part of a collective UC-wide network of resources and support. It’s important to have your group or “family” — and knowing you are part of something bigger makes all the difference.
UCBAC programs, such as the conference, have a demonstrated record of enhancing skills, strengthening institutional loyalty, and broadening participants' knowledge of university affairs. UCLA Fielding staff and faculty who are interested in attending the conference with colleagues from UCLA Fielding next year can contact me via email at aphalley@ph.ucla.edu.
By Arlecia Powell-Halley
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Robert J. Kim-Farley, MD, MPH, is a Professor-in-Residence with joint appointments in the Departments of Epidemiology and Community Health Sciences
Assistant Director, MPH for Health Professionals Program
Industrial Hygiene & Analytical Chemistry
Nationally recognized health services researcher and sociomedical scientist with 25+ years' experience in effectiveness and implementation research.
Dr. Hankinson is a Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and of EHS, and Chair of the Molecular Toxicology IDP
Dr. Michelle S. Keller is a health services researcher whose research focuses on the use and prescribing of high-risk medications.
EMPH Academic Program Director with expertise in healthcare marketing, finance, and reproductive health policy, teaching in the EMPH, MPH, MHA program
Associate Professor for Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Health Sciences
Assistant Dean for Research & Adjunct Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences
Automated and accessible artificial intelligence methods and software for biomedical data science.
Professor of Community Health Sciences & Health Policy and Management, and Associate Dean for Research
Director of Field Studies and Applied Professional Training
Dr. Ron Andersen is the Wasserman Professor Emeritus in the UCLA Departments of Health Policy and Management.
Director, Executive Programs in Health Policy and Management
Robert J. Kim-Farley, MD, MPH, is a Professor-in-Residence with joint appointments in the Departments of Epidemiology and Community Health Sciences
Academic Personnel Coordinator/Assistant to the Chair
Dr. Joseph Davey is an infectious disease epidemiologist with over 20 years' experience leading research on HIV/STI services for women and children.