2020 Annual Report

COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE SUNY College of Optometry Forms Task Force to Advance Race and Equity

• CSTEP IRISES created to support undergraduate CSTEP students who have matriculated at SUNY Optometry and those identified as high-need; • Race and Equity Newsletter developed to promote Black and other URM groups, leadership, culture, and business; • Diversity Council formed to foster accountability and implementation of TFRE report recommendations; • Race in Optometry webinar series featuring panelists from optometric education, practice, and industry to inform about ways to expand minority representation; • BLAACK Week, the first of many annual programs to raise awareness of various cultures and ethnicities; • Community readings launched with a presentation/group discussion with Damon Tweedy, MD, author of Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine. These activities and more led by the TFRE will help all members of the College to engage and commit to long-lasting change.

The College has taken swift and proactive steps to address racial and social disparities on campus and in the optometric profession with the formation of the President’s Task Force on Race and Equity (TFRE), enacted by David A. Heath, OD, EdM, in spring 2020. Made up of a 12-member team of faculty, students, and staff, the TFRE evaluated and submitted a comprehensive report to the President on current efforts to advance diversity and inclusion while identifying areas for improvement. The movement sparked conversation about race, ethnicity, and bias throughout the College community. On task for transformation, the TFRE immediately turned recommendations into actions to boost current programs and roll out new approaches to advance diversity and inclusion. Initiatives include: • CSTEP (Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program) focused on increasing minority representation in the profession by bolstering exposure to optometric education, practice, and mentorship;

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