The medical school’s newest leader has spent nearly 20 years building diversity and inclusion programs while serving in other roles in higher education.
That’s why Donovan Roy, EdD, thinks of his appointment as WMed’s new Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion — a role where he can solely focus on his passion — as fate.
Roy plans to collaborate with WMed leaders, including the associate dean for Faculty Affairs, associate dean for Student Affairs, associate dean for Graduate Medical ², associate dean for Health Equity and Community Affairs, assistant dean for Admissions and Student Life and director of Human Resources to recruit and retain diverse faculty, students, residents, fellows and staff. Roy will provide guidance and support to identify diversity and inclusiveness needs for program development at the medical school and will serve as a liaison to standing committees, organizations and affiliates.
“My goal at WMed is not just about increasing numbers of diversity, it’s about finding the people who exemplify the inclusive culture we promote at WMed,” Roy said.
Roy, an Inglewood, California native, comes to WMed with nearly 20 years of experience in higher education in a wide array of roles. He was offensive line coach at University of Sioux Falls, program and education coordinator at University of Nebraska Medical Center, multicultural director and Wayne State College in Nebraska and the principal learning specialist at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA . Most recently, he was instructor for medical education at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.
Roy earned his Doctor of ² degree in educational psychology from the University of Southern California. He earned a master’s degree in ² and a bachelor’s degree in Human Services Counseling, both from Wayne State College.
Roy said he not only wants the right people to come to the medical school’s campus and community, he also wants to provide a more inclusive environment at the school by understanding how the biology of race plays a factor in society, how it affects how providers take care of patients and how they see their colleagues, and how that can affect an institution’s growth.
Roy said he plans to hold workshops on diversity, to develop internships for diverse students and to build avenues that allow for more diverse students to attend the medical school. He said he has goals to improve the racial and health disparities in the Kalamazoo community. Roy arrived at the medical school on April 6 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and said he has spent time reaching out and holding video meetings with representatives with several statewide organizations that represent diverse groups of people. He said he plans to focus his efforts not only on Southwest Michigan, but throughout the whole state.
“I’m not just trying to focus our outreach solely on Southwest Michigan, I’m trying to meet all the five fingers in the state of Michigan,” Roy said.