Diversity & Inclusion
Future Physicians Summer Enrichment Program (FPSEP) is a two-week intensive summer camp experience for high school students who want to explore their interest in medicine as a career opportunity.
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.
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.
Deirdre Pitts, Ph.D., SCP-IPMA (She/Her/Hers)
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.
Assistant Dean, Diversity & Inclusion
Associate Professor, Pathology
Vonda K. Douglas-Nikitin, M.D., is an assistant dean for Diversity and Inclusion and associate professor of Pathology. Dr. Douglas-Nikitin has served as the medical director of the Flow Cytometry Laboratory since she joined Beaumont Hospital in 2004. She is also the Program Director for the Hematopathology Fellowship and co-chair of the Beaumont Graduate Medical Education Diversity Equity and Inclusion Council. Dr. Douglas-Nikitin served as the founding Assistant Dean for D & I at the inception of the OUWB from 2010-2015, and she accepted a reappointment as Assistant Dean for D & I in July 2021 with the goal of further developing diversity, equity and inclusion resources and support for medical students, resident and fellows on the Beaumont campuses.
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 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 OUWBSOM and Beaumont Hospital, 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.
Thomas Guerrero, M.D., Ph.D. (He/Him/His)
Assistant Dean, Diversity & Inclusion
Professor, Radiation Oncology
Dr. 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/Him/His)
Assistant Dean, Diversity & Inclusion
Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine & Community Health
Dr. McClowry joined Beaumont Health in January of 2018 as core faculty at the Beaumont Grosse Pointe Family Medicine Residency and was appointed Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in April of that same year.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.
Tracey Taylor, Ph.D. (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Dean, Diversity & Inclusion
Associate Professor of Microbiology
Dr. Taylor joined Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in August 2014 as Associate Professor of Microbiology. She teaches microbiology and infectious diseases to M1 and M2 students. Dr. Taylor served as Vice Chair of the OUWB Department of Foundational Medical Studies from January 2018 until August 2019. She has served as an Assistant Dean of Diversity & Inclusion since August 2019. 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)
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.
Angie Freeman, M.S. (They/Them/Theirs)
Coordinator, Diversity & Inclusion
Angie currently serves as the Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. They are a proud alum of OU where they earned a Bachelor's of Science in Marketing. Angie continued their education by earning a Master's of Science in College Student Affairs from Nova Southeastern University.
