Here is a message that Erik Malmberg, Ph.D, J.D., sent to students on Sept. 26, 2023.

Dear Students:

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and say how excited I am to have started on Sept. 1 as the Assistant Dean for Equity and Medical Student Engagement at the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM). I am also humbled to be joining the phenomenal faculty in the Department of Family Medicine, which like many departments at UW Medicine is leading the country when it comes to addressing healthcare inequities.

I am arriving from Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston, Texas, where I worked for seven years in the Office of the Provost/Senior Dean of Faculty as the Director of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. I also served as Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Associate Program Director for the Post-Baccalaureate Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Sciences and Health Equity. Before that, I spent almost fifteen years working in other student affairs and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) roles in higher education, including a graduate school and a law school.

I am originally from Puerto Rico and come from a mixed-race/ethnicity household with Scandinavian/Californian and Afro-Caribbean influences. We grew up navigating multiple spaces – sometimes experiencing privilege and sometimes experiencing oppression. We also moved around a lot, so many times it was just my brother, mom, dad, and me starting in a new place. Probably like many of you, these experiences, meanings, context, and identities continue to play an important influence on who I am today.

How did I get into academic medicine? Actually, I have my partner Lanessa to thank. First, I was fortunate to meet her in Little Rock, Arkansas. Later, she was selected for an amazing opportunity to be Co-Director of the Primary Care Leaders Evaluating and Addressing Disparities (L.E.A.D.) Residency Program at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital. Of course, I needed to find a job and fortunately, Baylor was looking for a new director for their JEDI office at the same time. I love working in academic medicine. I learn new things all the time, and I have found a space where I can make a difference every day to help others.

We have two kiddos – a daughter who is 5 years old and son who is 2. They are staying in Houston through May, primarily so our daughter can finish Kindergarten. My mom and dad live near us in the Houston area, and my brother and his husband are lawyers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We have a lot of immediate and extended family throughout Texas, but I must thank my aunt and uncle for introducing us to the Pacific Northwest. I spent several summer and winter vacations over the years visiting them in the Portland area and exploring the diversity of this region.

I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin a couple of times – my bachelor’s degrees and then my doctorate. I also graduated with a law degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. I am a definitely a Texas Longhorn fan, and my wife is a loyal Texas A&M University Aggie. We have fun with the rivalry and enjoy watching sports, especially football. We also try to visit at least one new national park every year, and we have already been told there will not be a problem finding one here.

UWSOM created this position to maximize equity and medical student engagement for students across the five WWAMI states and six campuses served by UWSOM. I will be part of the holistic team in the Office of Student Affairs that strives to meet the needs of our entire diverse student body. Some duties of this new role include:

• Supporting the success and wellness of underrepresented and disadvantaged medical students across the continuum, from admissions to graduation.
• Fostering learning environments for medical students that are inclusive and free from bias, harassment, discrimination, or systems of oppression.
• Providing oversight to registered student organizations and affinity groups and engage with College faculty, regional campus stakeholders and their EDI teams, and UW Disability Resource Services.
• Actively engaging with UWSOM internal and external community members across the WWAMI region in support of medical education and service.
• Connecting medical students with extracurricular and wellness experiences that match their holistic personal and professional needs.
• Supporting the development of medical student professionalism and leadership competencies as healthcare professionals.
• Supporting the recruitment and advancement of a diverse physician workforce along the continuum, from admission to graduation.

Of course, this is an ambitious agenda for action, and I will be spending much of my first year listening, learning, and connecting with the UWSOM community. I am also looking forward to getting around to all the regional campuses for in-person visits in the coming months. Hopefully, I will get the chance to interact with as many of you as possible. Please feel free to reach out with your ideas, questions, and feedback at any time. 

Best,

Erik

Erik D. Malmberg, Ph.D., J.D.