Renee Navarro

UCSF has appointed an exceptional physician and campus leader in the health sciences as its first vice chancellor of Diversity and Outreach, charged with creating and maintaining a diverse university environment where everyone has an opportunity to excel. In her new role, Navarro collaborates with faculty, staff and students to develop and carry out a strategic plan for diversity and inclusion at the campus – and in recruitment and retention of faculty, students, trainees and staff. Navarro works closely with other senior administrators to address issues of diversity that cut across faculty, student, staff and operational lines. Navarro serves as a campus expert on diversity goals, act as the campus spokeswoman for best practices, and establish and lead an advisory group. Navarro is especially looking forward to establishing a campus-wide multicultural center to provide space and resources that support inter-professional collaboration among UCSF faculty, staff, trainees and students for outreach, recruitment and diversity education programs.

After the completion of medical school and residency at UCSF, Navarro joined the Anesthesia Faculty in 1990. Prior to medical school she completed a PharmD at the University of the Pacific and is a registered pharmacist as well. Most recently, she was a professor of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care at San Francisco General Hospital where she served as past perioperative medical director and chief of staff.

Navarro was an Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the School of Medicine and also serves as an Anesthesia Career Advisor. Navarro became the first UCSF Director of Academic Diversit in September 2007. As director, she was charged with coordinating the University’s Strategic Goal of Enhancing Diversity of faculty, students, and trainees through outreach, campus policy changes and education. She established and coordinated quarterly meetings for the school (and graduate division) based Associate Deans/Directors of Diversity and the Deans of Admission for the purposes of coordinating outreach activities and implementing best practices including holistic admission practices, Annual School Diversity reports and the CTSI Traveling Ambassador Program. She was instrumental in the launch and maintenance of the Nurturing Diversity website, the development and implementation of the Academic Demographic System, establishment of a Best Practices Checklist for academic searches and she provides ongoing campus information and training on demographics, unconscious bias, principles of community and mentoring diverse individuals.

Navarro is a steering committee member of the African American Health Initiative for San Francisco County, a member of the UC President’s Task Force on Faculty Diversity and the current representative to the diversity accountability committee. Navarro's service to the University and the community has been honored by receipt of the Chancellor’s Celebration of Women Faculty Award, Chancellor’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award, Assemblyman Leno Mentor Award and Mayor Willie Brown’s Proclamation of Dr. J. Renee Navarro Day in San Francisco.