Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural UC Riverside School of Medicine Colloquium on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022.
The colloquium will begin at 2:30 p.m. in Classroom G650 in the School of Medicine Education Building. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited to 90 guests. Light refreshments will be served. Advance registration is required.
"We are absolutely thrilled that Dr. Ruiz will join us as our inaugural speaker for the DEI colloquium," said Takesha Cooper, M.D., chair of the School of Medicine's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee and an equity advisor. "He is a skilled legislator, community advocate and caring physician who will bring his knowledge and expertise on health disparities to the SOM. I hope people will join us to learn strategies on how we can collectively work to make our campus and community even more inclusive, diverse and equitable."
Ruiz will address "DEI and Healthcare in our Region," which will be followed by a question and answer session moderated by Michelle Burroughs, M.P.H., director of the UCR SOM Center for Healthy Communities. Ruiz will also meet with students, faculty, and staff during his visit.
About Dr. Ruiz
Ruiz, who grew up in Coachella, California, represents the 36th District in the US House of Representatives. He graduated magna cum laude from UCLA, then earned a medical degree, a masters of public policy and a masters in public health from Harvard University, becoming the first Latino to earn three graduate degrees from the school.
While working as an emergency room doctor at Eisenhower Medical Center in 2009, Ruiz helped to found the Future Physician Leaders program, a summer mentorship program for prospective healthcare students who want to fulfill a mission of service to the community. He then became a senior associate dean at the School of Medicine before being elected to the House of Representatives in 2012. He serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and is chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
About the DEI Committee
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee was founded in November 2020 by Vice Chancellor and Dean Deborah Deas with the goal to identify tools to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the School of Medicine.
