Getting Involved

Diversity Advisory Committee

The Diversity Advisory Committee is comprised of individuals from the basic and clinical departments at the School of Medicine, School of Medicine's affiliates, and various university offices who provide expertise related to diversity issues. The Diversity Advisory Committee was established as part of the School of Medicine's Diversity Strategic Action Plan, which was presented to both leadership and Faculty Council in early 2015. Meetings of the Diversity Advisory Committee are held quarterly. Current members include:

Paul Cheng
Medical student, CWRU

Jane Daroff, DCSW, LISW
Social Worker 2, University Counseling Services

Robert Daroff, MD
Interim Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs, CWRU School of Medicine; Professor of Neurology, CWRU

Doris A. Evans, MD
Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Coordinator, Department of Neurology

Robert Haynie, MD, PhD
Dean, Robbins Society; Associate Dean, Student Affairs; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, CWRU

Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, MD
Edgar B. Jackson Endowed Chair for Clinical Excellence and Diversity, University Hospitals Case Medical Center; Head, Global Health Programs in OB/GYN; Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology

Shannon Lundeen, PhD
Assistant Professor of Bioethics, CWRU

Lina Mehta, MD
Associate Dean for Admissions, CWRU School of Medicine; Associate Professor of Radiology, CWRU

Louis Novak, MD
Clinical Faculty, Department of Radiation Oncology; Lake Health/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center

G. Dean Patterson, Jr., MS
Associate Vice President, Dean of Students, CWRU

Suzanna Rivera, PhD, MSW
Vice President for Research; Assistant Professor, Bioethics, CWRU

Elisabeth (Liz) Roccoforte, MA
Director LGBT Center, CWRU

Nick Szoko
Medical Student, Cleveland Clinic Lemer College of Medicine, CWRU

Daryl Thornton, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, CWRU

Ruqaiijah Yearby, JD
Professor, School of Law, CWRU

Faculty Development Council

The Faculty Development Council consists of one representative faculty member from each of the School of Medicine's basic science departments and each clinical department at each of the School of Medicine's hospital affiliates.  Department chairs are invited to appoint one individual from their department to serve on the Council.  Council members serve as liaisons between the Office for Faculty Development and Diversity and the faculty members within their own departments.  They provide information about the needs of their faculty members to the Office for Faculty Development and Diversity and information about potential faculty development opportunities from that office to members of their departments for whom it may be especially relevant.  Meetings are held quarterly. Numerous initiatives have been implemented thanks to the input of Council members. Current members include:

Fadi W. Abdul-Karim, MD
Professor of Pathology, CCF

Kristian Baker, PhD
Assistant Professor, Molecular Biology and Microbiology, CWRU

Hulya Bukulmez, MD
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, CWRU

Cathleen Carlin, PhD
Professor, Molecular Biology and Microbiology, CWRU

Joseph Carter, MD, FACS
Chair, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, MetroHealth Medical Center

Cathleen Cerny, MD
Senior Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, CWRU

Robert Cunningham III, MD
Professor of Pediatrics; Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs, CWRU

Donna Driscoll, PhD
Professor of Molecular Medicine, CCF

Marjorie Greenfield, MD
Associate Professor of Reproductive Biology, CWRU

Mitch Machtay, MD
Vincent K. Smith Chairman in Radiation Oncology, CWRU

Amy McDonald, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, CWRU

Kenneth Rodriguez, MD
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology, CWRU

Rony Sayegh, MD
Clinical Instructor, Ophthalmology, University Hospitals of Cleveland

Ben Strowbridge, PhD
Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology/Biophysics, CWRU

Rober Tarr, MD
Professor of Radiology, University Hospitals of Cleveland

John (Chip) Tilton, MD
Assistant Professor, Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics, CWRU

Joseph Tomashefski, MD
Department Chair, Pathology, MetroHealth Medical Center

R. Matthew Walsh, MD
Department Chair, General Surgery, CCF

Zhenghe (John) Wang, PhD
Associate Professor, Genetics and Genome Sciences, CWRU

Vivien Yee, PhD
Associate Professor of Biochemistry, CWRU

If your chair has not yet appointed a faculty member to the Council and you are interested in participating and making a difference, please let your chair know!