
Diversity & Inclusion
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
elliottf@oakland.edu
Jean Brown, Office Assistant
tbrown4@oakland.edu
Chapter Four: Beyond the Pale: Reflections on the Vulnerability of Black Life in the U.S. Mechthild Nagel
(From Diversity, Social Justice, and Inclusive Excellence: Transdisciplinary and Global Perspectives, Asumah & Nagel, eds., SUNY Press, 2014)
James Baldwin
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
- 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
- American Son (Kenny Leon) — Netflix
- Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 — Available to rent
- Blindspotting (Carlos López Estrada) — Hulu with Cinemax or available to rent
- Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu) — Available to rent
- Dear White People (Justin Simien) — Netflix
- Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) — Available to rent
- I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin doc) — Available to rent or on Kanopy
- If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu
- Just Mercy (Destin Daniel Cretton) — Available to rent for free in June in the U.S.
- King In The Wilderness — HBO
- See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) — Netflix
- Selma (Ava DuVernay) — Available to rent
- The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution — Available to rent
- The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) — Hulu with Cinemax
- When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — 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
Pipeline Programs
Future Physicians Summer Enrichment Program will be offered online in March 2021.
Applications will be available soon for the Future Physicians Summer Enrichment Program. More information to come about the Summer Research Opportunity Program. OU works to ensure safe conduct and supportive interaction between youth and program leaders. Learn more about our initiatives at the Youth Protection website.
Diversity & Inclusion created interactive summer programs to engage middle school and high school students to discover the multiple systems and processes of the human body. All of the programs expose the students to careers in medicine, prepare them for high-level scientific engagement, and give them a greater understanding of the social determinants of health and health inequality that impact all individuals from various backgrounds. For more information on the pipeline programs, email us at diversity.med@oakland.edu

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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Health Fair and Taste Fest with Chandler Park Academy is our largest outreach activity and has become an annual event. Our partnership with Chandler Park Academy engages the greater Harper Woods community in preventative health education.
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 OUWB Diversity Council was created in 2013 as a means to give a voice to medical students, faculty, and staff. The purpose of the diversity council is to redouble our efforts in ensuring our institution is a safe environment where learning and engagement on all levels take place. The work of the OUWB Diversity Council has five diversity areas of focus:
- Underrepresented Populations
- LGBTQ+ Health
- Disability
- Women in Medicine and Science
- Socioeconomic Status
Our long-term goals are to implement and integrate diversity into the following areas: institutional policy, educational resources, curriculum development, training and programming in diversity topics, and faculty/student support. All members of the OUWB community are invited to attend the monthly meetings, third Thursday, from 12 – 1 p.m.
Deirdre Pitts, Ph.D., SCP-IPMA
Associate Dean for Academic, Faculty Affairs and Diversity & Inclusion
Assistant Professor of Foundational Medical Studies
Deirdre G. Pitts, Ph.D., is the Associate Dean for Academic, Faculty Affairs and Diversity & Inclusion. She is also an Assistant Professor of Foundational Medical Studies. Her professional background includes more than 30 years of human resources and labor relations experience in the areas of retail management, health care administration, municipal government and higher education. Dr. Pitts joined Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in 2011 as the founding Director of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development.
Dr. Pitts provides leadership in the expanding areas of Faculty and Academic Affairs and supports the school's efforts to incorporate best practices in faculty governance, recruitment, search committee training, faculty orientation, mentorship programs, faculty outcomes research and evaluation. She plays a major role in the implementation of several goals and recommendations contained in the school's strategic plan and provides support to more than 1,400 faculty members.
Dr. Pitts earned a B.S.B.A. from Central Michigan University, a Masters in Organizational Management from Spring Arbor University and her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Oakland University.
Thomas Guerrero, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Dean, Diversity & Inclusion
Professor, Radiation OncologyDr. Thomas Guerrero completed his M.D. and Ph.D. (biomedical physics) from the David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine in 1997 and residency training in radiation oncology at Stanford University in 2002. He received his initial certification by the American Board of Radiology in 2003. He joined the thoracic radiation oncology faculty at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in 2002, founding an NIH funded translation imaging research laboratory. Since 2014, he has been Vice Chair for Translational Research and Professor of Radiation Oncology at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. He holds a secondary appointment in diagnostic radiology. His research efforts are focused on deformable image registration and its applications, as well as mathematical modeling of pathophysiological processes and the development of imaging derived biomarkers. He has developed novel, noninvasive imaging methods to better understand lung function for personalized cancer therapy. He was awarded the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award in 2010. He is principal investigator on multiple NIH grants focused on thoracic malignancies. He is internationally known for his clinical skills and research. As one of the Assistant Deans for Diversity and Inclusion at OUWB, he will be leading efforts to support our medical students by expanding and sustaining a culture that embraces and celebrates the multiple dimensions of diversity.
Robert McClowry, M.D.

He received his B.S. in Physiology from Lyman Briggs College and the Honors College at Michigan State University. For medical school, he attended Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, where he graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and Gold Humanism Honor Society. He completed his residency training, including being Chief Resident, in Family and Community Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. He later worked in community LGBTQ+ health prior to returning home to Michigan.
He firmly believes that addressing health inequities includes the celebration of diversity and the promotion of inclusion in medical education. Dr. McClowry was appointed Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at OUWB in August of 2018. Dr. McClowry has particular interest in addressing and eliminating stigma and bias in health care. Dr. McClowry's clinical care spans all ages of primary care with special interests in LGBTQ+ health, HIV care, adolescent health, and hospital medicine.
Tiffany Williams, Ed.M., Ph.D.
Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Tiffany Williams is the Director, Diversity & Inclusions. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Michigan University, a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Policy Administration from the University at Buffalo, SUNY, and a post-Master's Graduate Certification in Higher Education from Oakland University. Ms. Williams received her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership with a specific focus in higher education leadership and access.
Tiffany 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, and retention for diverse student populations. Her research interest includes college readiness, social justice and equity issues, retention and student sense of belonging among underrepresented student populations.
Ms. Williams oversees the outreach programs that include pipeline and outreach initiatives, as well as diversity and inclusion hosted school-wide events for students, staff and faculty in OUWB.