Gender Equity Committee

Mission

In 2021, the Gender Equity Committee was established at HDFCCC to promote and foster a supportive environment that advocates for the equitable advancement of women and gender minority leaders in cancer care, education, and research. The Gender Equity Committee is a sub-committee within the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility.

All programs and events hosted by the GEC comply with federal and state non-discrimination laws, are applicable to living our values, and are open to all members of the campus community.

Goals

  • Advocating for gender equity across divisions and departments included in the Cancer Center
  • Building/establishing bi-directional partnerships across the Cancer Center
  • Sponsoring career development and fostering leadership training
  • Educating the Cancer Center community and broader network of the cancer research community about gender equity
  • Identifying needs of the Cancer Center community related to gender equity and developing metrics of success

Anonymous

  • UCSF CARE Advocate: The CARE advocate provides free and confidential services and explanation of each reporting option in details. This can be your first stop to discuss any issue confidentially, and they can support you to decide any next steps.
  • UCSF Office of the Ombuds: This office can provide survivors with confidential information, including other resources. They can provide counseling and mediate difficult conversations. They are not mandatory reporters.
  • UC Whistleblower: If you suspect that a UC employee is engaged in improper governmental activities, you should know that UC has policies that can show you how to "blow the whistle" and can protect you from retaliation if the need arises.  

Not Anonymous

  • Mandated reporters - managers, supervisors and certain employees, such as deans, faculty advisors, teaching assistants and resident advisors are required to report to the Title IX officer.
  • Office for the Prevention of Harassment & Discrimination (OPHD): UCSF’s Title IX Office.
    • This is where you file complaints relating to sexual harassment and sexual violence and harassment and discrimination based on other protected categories, including age, disability, gender, national origin, race, sexual orientation, etc.
    • Staffed by experts who will respond within a few days of receiving the complaint
    • If you submit a complaint as a mandatory reporter, you may not be notified of the outcome. 
    • Reports submitted to OPHD are kept as confidential as possible; however, a respondent has the right to know the identity of the complainant whenever a matter proceeds to a formal investigation. 
    • Encourage erring on the side of reporting, as complaints are logged and numerous reports of seemingly innocuous behavior may reveal a pattern of behavior that cumulatively results in a policy violation. 

Process for UCSF residents/fellows to report harassment or mistreatment:

  1. Go to the UCSF GME website.
  2. Click on “Well-Being and Mental Health Resources for Residents and Fellows” in the right sidebar
  3. Click the “Safe reporting” link in the right sidebar.
  • You can report an incident either anonymously or with contact information.
  • The form to report the incident is easy to use and the only required question is a description of what happened.
  • All reports are screened by GME staff, then (per the website) triaged to a faculty member unrelated to the submitting resident/fellow’s program for follow up.
  • Although reports can be submitted anonymously, contact information is required for follow up, which should occur within 3 business days.
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  6. Velazquez AI, Gilligan TD, Kiel LL, Graff J, Duma N. Microaggressions, Bias, and Equity in the Workplace: Why Does It Matter, and What Can Oncologists Do? Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book. 2022 Apr;42:1-12. doi: 10.1200/EDBK_350691. PMID: 35649205.
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  9. Santhosh L, Harleman E, Venado A, Farrand E, E Gilbreth M, Keenan BP, Thompson VV, Shah RJ. Strategies for forming effective women's groups. Clin Teach. 2021 Apr;18(2):126-130. doi: 10.1111/tct.13277. Epub 2020 Oct 15. PMID: 33058547.
  10. Santhosh L, Keenan BP, Jain S. The "Third Shift": A Path Forward to Recognizing and Funding Gender Equity Efforts. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2020 Nov;29(11):1359-1360. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2020.8679. Epub 2020 Jul 31. PMID: 32744885; PMCID: PMC8020533.
  11. Keenan B, Santhosh L, Thompson V, Harleman E. The Complex Problem of Women Trainees in Academic Medicine. J Hosp Med. 2019 Mar;14(3):186-188. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3131. PMID: 30811328.