“I consider it a privilege to serve as the Executive Diversity Officer in the School of Medicine at the University of New Mexico’s Health Science Center. The School of Medicine’s Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is charged with embedding DEI principles, and developing, implementing and supporting DEI initiatives and activities throughout all of the missions of the School of Medicine. We strive to foster health and well-being among New Mexican residents and contribute to a thriving community and nation, by actively nurturing an academic medical COMMUNITY that the revolutionary Dr. Martin Luther King envisioned as “BELOVED” and a community within which activist Valerie Kaur describes us as “SEEING NO STRANGER”. Such a STRANGERLESS BELOVED COMMUNITY can only be achieved through intentional proactive attention to the principles of belonging justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion where the political and social determinants of health and access to quality healthcare are equitably distributed. I invite the UNM School of Medicine community and constituents to join me in this critical and courageous journey!”
The mission of the UNM School of Medicine, Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is to foster a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment within which every member of the School of Medicine community is provided opportunities to achieve their full potential.
Our vision is to transform the UNM School of Medicine into a hub for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion where no one is disadvantaged from achieving their professional and career potential on the basis of race, ethnicity, language preference, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, socioeconomic status, age, geography or other identity.
TRANSFORMATIVE JUSTICE
We are committed to fostering an environment of fairness and accountability where our community of learners, researchers, clinicians, and staff can thrive.
EQUITY
We are committed to nurturing an environment where every School of Medicine constituent has equitable opportunities to thrive and no one is disadvantaged from achieving their full potential.
DIVERSITY
We recognize diversity as a core value that embodies inclusiveness, mutual respect, and multiple perspectives. In this context, we are mindful of all aspects of human differences including, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, and geography.
INCLUSION
We recognize that an inclusive climate and culture is a core element for successfully achieving diversity and that inclusion can only be achieved through intentional education, policies, and practices.
BELONGING
We are committed to creating and nurturing a community where everyone within our School of Medicine is seen and feels accepted, included, beloved, and valued.
ADVOCACY
We are committed to not simply be passive ally’s but to recognize our professional responsibility as healthcare providers, educators, and biomedical researchers to actively advocate for systematically disadvantaged and marginalized members of our community.
UNDER-REPRESENTED in Medicine & Biomedical Research
We are committed to addressing issues of under-representation in medicine and biomedical research. Under-representation most commonly refers to racial/ethnic populations that are under-represented in the medical and scientific research workforce relative to their numbers in the general population.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have traditionally defined these groups as: Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Alaska Natives/American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
Anita Fernander, PhDDr. Anita Fernander is the Executive Diversity Officer for The University of New Mexico School of Medicine, UNM Health & Health Sciences.
Prior to joining the School of Medicine, she served as the inaugural Chief Officer for Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and Interim Department Chair & Professor in the Department of Population Health at Florida Atlantic University.
Dr. Fernander also served on the faculty in the University of Kentucky’s College of Medicine for 19 years. While there, she held key diversity roles at University of Kentucky College of Medicine, where she was founding faculty of the Center for Health Equity Transformation and received the Inaugural Excellence in Diversity Faculty award (2021) and the Inaugural Diversity Champion Award (2018).
She has been engaged in leadership, teaching, research, and community engagement to address health inequities, enhance patient advocacy through cultural humility as a de-biasing strategy, and exploring transformational interventions to address historical and contemporary racism embedded in the political and social determinants of health.
Her primary area of research has focused on the impact of race-related stress on health inequities among African Americans.
Dr. Fernander received two bachelor’s degrees from Oakwood College (now Oakwood University) and her master’s and doctorate from the University of Miami before completing an internship at the Salt Lake City Veteran’s Administration Medical Center and a fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Dr. Fernander is the mother of one adult son.
Verónica Plaza, MD, MPHDr. Verónica Plaza's work for UNM SOM DEI focuses on Medical Spanish education, assessment and certification for faculty, students and staff.
Dr. Plaza developed and coordinated the medical Spanish courses for the minor and second major in medical Spanish within the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the UNM College of Arts & Sciences and has facilitated courses in phase III curriculum for UME and contributed to other curriculum development and implementation while serving as faculty in the UNM School of Medicine.
Some of her accomplishments include appointment as an advisory board member for the UNM Office of Global Education, recognition with the Louie Award for student services at UNM.
Recently, Dr. Plaza helped develop the case investigation and contact tracing response for COVID-19 for the Spanish-speaking population in NM within the Epidemiology and Respond Division of NM Department of Health.
She also serves as coordinator for the UNM Friends of Fulbright Argentina program. Dr. Plaza served as Senior Fellow at the Center for Health Policy Studies at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and as a member of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center in Health Education and Human Resources Training at UNM.
Dr. Plaza is also a Senior Faculty in the post-graduate program at the School of Medicine at the National University of Rosario, Argentina.
From 2003-2007 Dr. Plaza worked at the New Mexico Department of Health, serving as a member of the State Medical Review Committee and Health Promotion Specialist.
Dr. Plaza received her medical degree from the National University of Rosario (UNR) Argentina, in 1990. As a medical student, she was a founding member and first president of the Scientific Society Medical Students and Scientific Society of Argentina Medical Students (FACES). In 1996 she completed her post-doctoral training in Patho-Biochemistry at Rush Medical College in Chicago.
After completing her post-doctoral training, she served as a Research Associate with the Midwest Latino Health Research Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Plaza is a proud Latina mother of 3 young adults.
René A. SmithRené is a proud New Mexican and ENMU alumna with a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology. Prior to her position at the University, her professional experience began right across campus – working as a Mental-Health Technician at UNM Children's Psychiatric Center.
This, combined with her subsequent positioning in Administration for Daniels Family Funeral Services, led her down a path of service and advocacy for those experiencing crisis within the community.
Felisha Rohan-Minjares, MD
Anthony Fleg, MD, MPHAnthony Fleg is a family medicine physician at UNM Health and a faculty member in the UNM School of Medicine's Departments of Family & Community Medicine and Pediatrics as well as the UNM College of Population Health.
He also serves as a Partnership Director of the Native Health Initiative (NHI) and has dedicated much of his career to improving health in Indigenous communities. He is a proud father of 4 children, an avid runner, and a blogger.
Dr. Charity Bishop is a physician-educator and Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico, board certified in Family Medicine. She is a faculty affiliate with the UNM Center for Native American Health. She completed her residency at UNM where she was a chief resident. She has helped developed an Indigenous Health Curriculum and has presented nationally on Indigenous health, trauma informed care, and care of infants with neonatal opiate withdrawal syndrome. She is involved in the medical school as a mentor, teacher, and advocate for all students. She has been teaching to improve care for diverse patient populations since completion of her residency training.
Miranda Aragón, MDMiranda Aragón is a native Burqueña and a physician-educator in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at UNM. She is board certified in family medicine and addiction medicine. She earned her MD from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and completed her residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Dr. Aragón’s is passionate about reproductive justice, health equity and resident education. She is published and presents nationally on topics related to reproductive justice.
The Staff and Faculty Wayfinder is a user-centered, private, intersectional, and trauma-informed website and application developed by the Division for Equity and Inclusion for employees at The University of New Mexico. The website provides information, referrals, and reporting options for those who have experienced or witnessed harmful incidents in the workplace, from bullying and violations of academic freedom to discrimination, harassment, violence, and retaliation.
Please contact Liz Hutchison (ehutch@unm.edu) with any questions.
SOM Office of DEI Sponsorship of DEI-Related Conferences Application
The School of Medicine Office for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is here for you.
Call us at: 505-272-7448.
Anita Fernander, PhD (she/her)
Executive Diversity Officer
afernander@salud.unm.edu
René A Smith, Program Coordinator (she/her)
Inquiries regarding general office matters
reasmith@salud.unm.edu
