
Diversity & Inclusion
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine is committed to building an environment where all students, faculty, staff, and invited visitors from varying backgrounds and life experiences, feel a sense of belonging, are engaged, and are valued and respected for their voices and contributions.
These differences include, but are not limited to, internal dimensions such as personality, race, age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, culture, health, ability, learning, thinking and communication style; external dimensions such as geographical location, marital and family status, economic background, access to resources, educational background, work experience, religious, philosophical, and spiritual beliefs, and political views. We acknowledge that categories of differences are not always fixed but also can be fluid. We respect individual rights to self-identification, and we recognize that no one identity is intrinsically superior to another.
Inclusion means more than just acknowledging and/or tolerating difference. The concept of inclusion encompasses acceptance and respect. Inclusion is a set of conscious actions that involve knowing how or learning to relate to those qualities and conditions that are different from our own. It is through inclusion that our learning environment is enriched by the varied perspectives and experiences that each unique member brings to the community and through which we positively affect the healthcare of our world.
Contact Us
Office phone: (248) 370-2076
Tiffany Williams, Ph.D., Director
(She/Her/Hers)
elliottf@oakland.edu
Kenya Lawton, MSW
(She/Her/Hers)
kenyalawton@oakland.edu
Anti-Racism and Diversity Resources
Below is a collection of links, recommended readings, and other resources to get general information and learn about anti-racism, anti-oppression, and injustice and privilege.
Hardeman RR, Medina EM, Kozhiman-nil KB.
Tamorah Lewis, MD, PhD
Williams DR, Mohammed SA.
James Baldwin
The Fire Next Time
Edward Baptist
The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Makings of American Capitalism
Robin J. DiAngelo
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Race
Randall Kenan
The Fire This Time
Ibram X. Kendi
How To Be An Antiracist
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racism in America
Ijeoma Olou
So You Want To Talk About Race
Dorothy Roberts
How Science, Politics, and Big Business Recreate Race in the Twenty-First Century
Eli Saslow
Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist
Annaliese A. Singh
The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism & Engage in Collective Healing
Harriet A. Washington
Medical Apartheid
Alex Zamalin
Antiracism: An Introduction
- 13th (Netflix)
- American Son (Netflix)
- Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 (Rental)
- Blindspotting (Hulu with Cinemax; Rental)
- Clemency (Rental)
- Dear White People (Netflix)
- Fruitvale Station (Rental)
- I Am Not Your Negro (Netflix)
- If Beale Street Could Talk (Hulu)
- Just Mercy (Amazon Prime, Apple TV)
- King In The Wilderness (HBO)
- See You Yesterday (Netflix)
- Selma (Rental)
- The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (Rental)
- The Hate U Give (Hulu with Cinemax)
- Trial 4 (Remy Burkel) (Netflix)
- When They See Us (Netflix)
- Antiracism Center: Twitter
- Audre Lorde Project: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Black Women’s Blueprint: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Color Of Change: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Colorlines: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- The Conscious Kid: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Families Belong Together: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Justice League NYC: Twitter | Instagram + Gathering For Justice: Twitter | Instagram
- The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- MPowerChange: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Muslim Girl: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- NAACP: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- National Domestic Workers Alliance: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- RAICES: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- SisterSong: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- United We Dream: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
James Baldwin
“Black Lives Matter (1965)”
Megan Ming Francis
“We Need to Address the Real Roots of Racism”
Ibram X. Kendi
"How to Build an Anti-Racist World"
Trevor Noah
“George Floyd and the Dominos of Racial Injustice”
Bryan Stevenson
“We Need to Talk About Injustice”
Baratunde Thurston
“How to Deconstruct Racism One Headline at a Time”
Pathway Programs
Beaumont Future Medical Scholars (BFMS) program is a collaboration between OUWB and Cranbrook Horizons Upward Bound. The program includes a summer in-residence experience on the Cranbrook campus and an academic year Saturday experience, with rigorous academic attention in English, mathematics, science and ACT preparation.
The Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) Medical Explorers camp introduces middle school students to science investigations that reveal the way the environment affects human health and genetic makeup. This program fosters awareness of the multiple pathways that might lead to a career in medicine and health care.

The Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP), co-sponsored by the Beaumont Research Institute, is an advanced, six-week, research-intensive program that teaches students about the mechanics of medical research. An important and beneficial component is when participants work side-by-side in laboratories with Beaumont research mentors assisting them with their current medical research.
OUWB Student Events and Activities
The following are a few of the many Diversity & Inclusion events.
To organize our activities, we use OUWB MedSync: an interactive, online tool powered by OrgSync.com that fosters communication, cooperation, and creativity between students organizations and their members.
Bone Marrow and Organ Donation Drive occurs every October in conjunction with Gift of Life, the Medical Library, Student National Medical Association and the Minority Association of Premedical Students. The event addresses the dire need for more individuals to register as bone marrow and organ donors.
Dinner with a Doctor was created as a way to connect Beaumont physicians with our medical and pre-medical students through storytelling. The narrative-driven event allows medical and pre-medical students to ask participating speakers about their own journey to becoming a physician.
This annual community health fair takes place every January.
It is open to both Chandler Park Academy students and the surrounding neighborhoods, with attendees receiving basic health screenings and flu shots as well as participating in various educational activities related to the medical field. Read more about it here.
Health Equity Symposium is an annual program co-sponsored by the Oakland University School of Nursing and Beaumont Health System in honor of National Minority Health Month, which is supported by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It is observed every year in April to highlight the health disparities that persist among racial and ethnic minority populations and the ways in which legislation, policies and programs can help advance health equity.
The Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine Kaleidoscope Project began as a student-led initiative and has been warmly embraced by our OUWB leadership. The project celebrates the LGBTQ+ community at OUWB and promotes inclusivity amongst all realms of medical education — from the classroom to patient care
Click here to learn more.
Meet the Team
Tonya Bailey, Ph.D. |
Vonda K. Douglas-Nikitin, M.D. (She/Her/Hers) Assistant Dean, Diversity & Inclusion Associate Professor, Pathology
Dr. Douglas-Nikitin received her undergraduate training at Johns Hopkins University and Andrews University. She received her M.D. degree from the University of Michigan, where she also completed a residency in anatomic and clinical pathology. She is subspecialized in hematopathologist having completed her fellowship training at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. Prior to her positions at OUWB and Beaumont Hospital (now Corewell Health), Dr. Douglas-Nikitin was at the University of Florida where she served as assistant dean for Minority Affairs and assistant professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. |
Tracey Taylor, Ph.D. (She/Her/Hers) ![]() Prior to joining OUWB, Dr. Taylor was an assistant, and then associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Microbiology at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, where she taught microbiology to M1 and M2 osteopathic medical students. Dr. Taylor received a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. in cellular, molecular, and microbial biology from the University of Calgary, Alberta, and a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Western Ontario, London. In 2014, the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners appointed her to its National Faculty in the Foundational Biomedical Sciences in the Division of Microbiology and Immunology. She served as vice president for the American Society for Microbiology, Missouri branch, and is a member of the International Association of Medical Science Educators and the National American Society for Microbiology. Dr. Taylor’s main research areas are medical education research, and microbiology and pathogenesis. She is specifically interested in the use of online learning modules for microbiology laboratory teaching, medical student peer assessment, investigation of the quality of life of Polio survivors; how the aquatic bacteria Plesiomonas shigelloides cause diarrhea and other infections in humans, and infections (including the antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or (MRSA) among populations that are experiencing homelessness. |
Tiffany Williams, Ed.M., Ph.D. (She/Her/Hers) Tiffany Williams, Ph.D., is the director of Diversity & Inclusion. Currently, she oversees the diversity, equity, and inclusion programming and initiatives for the entire OUWB community. In addition, her role manages the outreach programs that include pipeline programs and community outreach initiatives. Dr. Williams came to the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine after serving for seven years as assistant director for Pre-College Programs at Oakland University where she worked to inspire both pre-college aged and college-level students to continuously pursue post-secondary opportunities and graduate programs. She has more than 10 years of experience in administrative management roles related to student programming and student affairs with a focus on improving preparation, access, success and retention for diverse student populations. Her research interests include college readiness, social justice and equity issues, retention and student sense of belonging among underrepresented student populations. Dr. Williams earned her Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University, a master’s in educational leadership and policy administration from the University at Buffalo, SUNY, and her post-master's graduate certification in higher education and Ph.D. in organizational leadership from Oakland University. |
Kenya Lawton, MSW (She/Her/Hers) |
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DEIC) is a working group that serves as a mechanism to address concerns regarding diversity, equity and inclusion for the entire OUWB community. The council was established to ensure a cross section of representatives and consists of more than 25 members from the student, faculty, and staff populations.
The group looks for ways to facilitate opportunities for successes of underrepresented populations, to identify strategies to enhance the OUWB environment with respect to inclusiveness with medical students, faculty and staff, advises administration on current issues and actions pertaining to DEI, and provides a collective, coherent voice and serves as a resource for all stakeholders on issues related to diversity.
All members of the OUWB community are invited to attend the monthly meetings, third Thursday, 12 – 1 p.m.
Current DEIC Members
Students: Kimberly Anyadike, Kerrin Bersani, James Blumline, Varneet Brar, Melanie Ermler, Rachel Harvey, Anisah Hashmi, Mahmoud (Moe) Hijazi, Charlene Hsia, Eric James, Rachel Kalthoff, Min Young Kim, Nathan Lwo, Kevin Pullukat, Kevin Roby, Abiba Salahou, Sukhmani Singh, Asia Susko, Kevin Van, Monique Waltman, and Katie Wheeler.
Faculty: Abram Brummett, Claudio Cortes, Vonda Douglas-Nikitin, Suzan ElSayed, Douglas Gould, Sheala Jafry, Riya Kalra, Trini Mathew, Changiz Mohiyeddini, Akshata Naik, Arthur Rosner, Manveen Saluja, Payal Shah, Lori Stec, Varna Taranikanti, Tracey Taylor, Rennard Tucker, Sherry Viola, and Jason Wasserman.
Staff: Jean Brown, Berkley Browne, Patricia Cole, Angie Freeman, Trixy Hall, Julie Jagmin, Maurice Kavanagh, Deirdre Pitts, Robin Rivest, Janail Silver, Ann Voorheis-Sargent, Katie Weyand, and Tiffany Williams
The Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DEIC) kicked off the Diversity Champions program in early 2021, with a second cohort graduating from the program in February 2022. The second cohort of champions are: Jean Brown (staff), Angie Freeman (staff), Trixy Hall (staff), Rachel Harvey (student), Sarah Lerchenfeldt (faculty), Brianne Lewis (faculty), ThanhThu Nguyen (student), Rebecca Pratt (faculty), Rafey Rehman (student), Christina Riley (staff), Kara Sawarynski (faculty), Erin Shirey (staff), Urvashi Singh (student), Varna Taranikanti (faculty), and Tiffany Williams (staff).
The inaugural cohort (found below) consists of nearly 30 graduates representing various aspects of the OUWB community. More information about the program can be found by clicking here.
Name | Role |
Kimberly Anyadike | M2 |
Kerrin Bersani | M2 |
Vaneet Brar | M3 |
Berkley Browne, Ph.D. | Assistant Dean for Student Affairs |
Abram Brummett, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies |
Heidi Donnelly | Staff |
Suzan ElSayed, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies |
Douglas Gould, Ph.D. | Professor of Neuroscience and Chair, Department of Foundational Medical Studies |
Mahmoud (Moe) Hijazi | M2 |
Charlene Hsia | M2 |
Rachel Kalthoff | M3 |
Riya Kalra, M.D. | Instructor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health |
Trini Mathew, M.D., MPH | Professor, Department of Internal Medicine |
Sandra Oska | M4 |
Mallory Peters | M4 |
Robin Rivest, M.Ed., MBA | Director of Curriculum Data Management |
Kevin Roby | M3 |
Arthur Rosner, M.D. | Associate Professor, Department of Surgery |
Manveen Saluja, M.D. | Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine |
Manraj Sekhon | M4 |
Sukhmani Singh | M2 |
Julie Strong | Staff |
Tracey Taylor, Ph.D. | Assistant Dean for Diversity & Inclusion, Associate Professor of Microbiology |
Ann Voorheis-Sargent, Ph.D. | Director, Center for Excellence in Medical Education (CEME) |
Monique Waltman | M3 |
Katie Weyand | Staff |
Katie Wheeler | M2 |