The Anti-Racism Coalition, or ARC, is a staff group at the School of Medicine that joined together after the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020. We were angry, sad, and overwhelmed. We wanted to support each other and our communities. We represent several races and cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds. Each of us experiences and observes racism in a variety of ways and contexts. We recognized that while our experiences are commonplace for many, there are others in the Stanford Medicine community who stand to gain from a deeper understanding of the complexity of being Black in the United States today. With that in mind, we committed to posting a weekly article about Black Lives Matter in StanfordMed Pulse for one year from July 2020 - July 2021.
The Coalition members are:
(in alphabetical order)
Bahij Austin
Bahij Austin is the Assistant Dean for Curricular Affairs with the Office of Medical Education (MD Program). He initially joined the Stanford School of Medicine in 2003, working to recruit and support medical students from diverse backgrounds with the then Center of Excellence. In his current role, he manages oversees the development of curriculum policies and procedures and supports the educational mission of the MD Program. Bahij has previously held positions at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities School of Medicine as well as UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine working to support the educational programs and managing and developing curriculum.
Jennifer R. Cohen, PhD
Dr. Jennifer R. Cohen is a retired biomedical research scientist and second-generation San Franciscan. Jennifer has a unique academic background that includes graduating from City College of San Francisco, Howard University, and Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine. She is passionate about and has a deep understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues and has successfully directed programs for historically marginalized students for more than 12 years. Jennifer has devoted her career to creating equitable and inclusive communities for diverse students and professionals to feel welcomed, respected, and supported to achieve their full potential.
Magali Fassiotto, PhD
Dr. Magali Fassiotto leads the development, implementation, and administration of programs in Stanford Medicine's Office of Faculty Development and Diversity which are geared toward the advancement, professional development, and diversity of Stanford Medicine faculty. In this role, she manages OFDD's team in advancing Stanford Medicine’s faculty development and diversity initiatives in alignment with diversity and inclusion initiatives across the Stanford Medicine enterprise. Dr. Fassiotto also leads and facilitates workshops for students, trainees, faculty, and staff on unconscious bias, effective mentorship, team building, leading inclusive teams, and building inclusive classrooms. She has published widely in the areas of faculty diversity, unconscious bias, professional development, and organizational identity. She completed her undergraduate degree in Economics at Harvard College and her PhD in Organizational Behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Shaila Kotadia, PhD
Dr. Shaila Kotadia is the Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Human Resources Group where provides guidance on building justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) into institutional systems and structures. In her role, she is charged with implementing institution-wide JEDI strategic plans for staff. Dr. Kotadia also conducts education and facilitation around JEDI topics, leads ongoing institutional assessments, reviews HR policies and processes, builds communication processes, and creates relationships across silos to increase organizational effectiveness. In her scientific career, Dr. Kotadia received a PhD in Genetics and Development from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and completed a postdoc at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In her personal time, she enjoys hanging out with my family and young kiddos, dancing ballet and modern, reading, and (re)connecting with friends.
Christine Schirmer, Ed.D.
Dr. Christine Schirmer is the Director of the Teaching and Mentoring Academy (TMA) in the Stanford School of Medicine. In this role she oversees the TMA's workshops, seminars, annual conference, and grants program, and facilitates workshops and seminars on mentoring skills and topics related to anti-racism and allyship. Since 1997, Christine has held a variety of roles in education. Her classroom experience includes teaching composition at both San Francisco State University (SFSU) and the College of San Mateo, as well as teaching in SFSU’s EOP Summer Bridge program. Her administrative experience includes serving as the Associate Director of California Campus Compact and as the director of Stanford Upward Bound. In this role, Christine also taught Education 102: Examining Social Structures, Power and Educational Access to Stanford undergraduates. Christine earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at SFSU. Her doctoral dissertation studied anti-racist teaching at a public high school.
Ayodele Thomas, PhD
Dr. Ayodele Thomas is the Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in University Human Resources at Stanford University as of November 2021.She was formerly the Associate Dean for Graduate & Career Education and Diversity in the School of Medicine. For more than 25 years, Ayodele has been dedicated to expanding diversity and inclusion, particularly in STEM, inspired by her own experiences while earning her Bachelor’s of Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and becoming the first Black woman to receive a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. As a Lecturer since 2005, she has taught a self-designed course for 1st year doctoral students focusing on academic, psychosocial, financial and career concerns. Since 2016 Ayodele has also served as the Executive Director for Greene Scholars, a unique long term STEM enrichment program for Bay Area youth of African ancestry.
Rania Sanford, EdD, ACC
Dr. Rania Sanford is the Director of Faculty Professional Development in the Office of Academic Affairs and is the Executive Director of the Stanford Physician Leadership Certificate Program. She is also the Director of Learning at COACHME, Advancing Coaching in Healthcare and Medical Education. She returned to the School of Medicine in April 2019 after six years as the University’s Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity. A 20-year champion of diversity and inclusion, she led initiatives and new collaborations in graduate student recruitment, postdoctoral training for underrepresented minorities, and faculty diversity. She co-founded and hosted the inaugural meeting of the Northern California Chapter of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education at Stanford in 2016 which brought together, for the first time, diversity leaders and officers from 10+ institutions in the Bay Area, and she co-chaired Stanford’s Women of Color in the Academy conference in 2017. Dr. Sanford recently trained at Columbia University and is a practicing professional certified coach. She works closely with physicians, scientists and leaders who wish to develop their capacities to the next level.
Mohamed Sow, MD
Dr. Mohamed Sow is the Assistant Director of Curriculum Management at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He grew up in the Ivory Coast prior to his family relocating to Providence, RI as political refugees. His academic background includes graduating with a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctorate from Ross University School of Medicine. He is passionate about medical education curriculum development with a focus on DEI and currently serve as the coordinator for the School of Medicine Social Justice and Health Equity Committee and the Sex, Gender, Sexuality and Sexual Functioning curriculum threads. Prior to Stanford he held a position teaching medical students outpatient orthopedic procedures and physicals exams at Saint Anthony Hospital and Thorek Hospital in Chicago, IL. In his spare time, he’s an avid hiker, cook and music collector.