UC San Diego’s Chief Diversity Officer
Sandra Daley to Receive TCWF Champions
of Health Professions Diversity Award

Daley will be recognized for leadership in increasing diversity in the health professions June 14

May 27, 2010

By Kristin Luciani

Watch a video of Sandra Daley being interviewed on Univision.

Sandra Daley, associate chancellor and chief diversity officer at the University of California, San Diego, will be honored as one of three 2010 Champions of Health Professions Diversity by The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) June 14, 2010.  Daley will receive an award of $25,000 in recognition of her efforts to reach out to, mentor and support disadvantaged students preparing for health careers.

An extraordinary leader in higher education, Daley has advocated for academic enrichment programs that reach low income and minority students––as early as middle school––who are interested in health and science careers. Stanford University’s Ronald D. Garcia and Jeffrey X. Oxendine at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health will also be honored.

“Given the changing demographics of our state and the current shortage of health workers, we must encourage and support young people in California to consider pursuing jobs and careers in health fields,” said Gary L. Yates, TCWF president and CEO.  “These leaders have pioneered programs and policies that track, support and guide students on a path from under-resourced schools to higher education and health professions.”        

Daley and her family came to the United States from Panama when she was 11 years old.  Growing up in Los Angeles, Daley’s mother helped her to define a career goal and path to becoming a doctor.  In pursuit of her dream, Daley experienced firsthand the challenges facing individuals from minority backgrounds.  While attending the UC San Diego School of Medicine, she was one of only nine women in a class of 43.

“Diversity and its beauty, I’ve lived it,” said Daley.  “A change in the culture takes a phenomenal amount of time.”

Since joining the faculty at UC San Diego, Daley has made increasing diversity and opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds her primary focus at the university.  As associate chancellor and chief diversity officer, she devised a strategy of equity and inclusion to improve the campus climate, starting with a comprehensive plan for recruiting undergraduates.  When she took on this role in 2007, one of her primary goals was to increase the pool of underrepresented applicants by 10 percent by 2010.  As of 2009 the pool had already increased by 20 percent. 

“Higher education is incredibly important to our society from so many vantage points,” said Daley. “The data show that for each and every student who attends and graduates from college with a bachelor’s degree, our state gets a return on its investment 10 years after the student graduates.  Supporting higher education makes economic sense."

The TCWF award recognizes Daley for her leadership at UC San Diego, and the progress the university has made towards increasing diversity in the health sciences.  Daley is also focused on equity and diversity within the staff and faculty populations, examining recruitment and promotions across campus, as well as diversity in academic scholarship.

She serves as principal investigator of the Comprehensive Research Center in Health Disparities at the School of Medicine, acting as director of its Research Training Core.  The program provides learning experiences, academic support and resources to underrepresented and low-income students, beginning in middle school, who are interested in health sciences.  From high school students to undergraduates to postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty, the program supports individuals at various stages of their progress towards achieving their health career goal.  The result is a comprehensive program that supports racial and ethnic diversity in all sectors of the health workforce. 

The California Wellness Foundation is a private independent foundation created in 1992 with a mission to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention.  Since its founding in 1992, TCWF has awarded 5,828 grants totaling more than $735 million. For more information about the Foundation please visit www.calwellness.org. 

Media Contact: Kristin Luciani, kluciani@ucsd.edu, 858-822-3353